Evening star., 1929-12-15
Haiti's Gains by Occupation

occupation In his tenure OF once, how
ever. puts the American authorities in
| the invidious position of supporting
despotism among q people whom they
are ostensibly trying to educate In de-
mocracy.
Commissioner Aids BOrnO.
| The high commissioner and the treaty
officers. more concerned with the attain
ment of concrete results than with this
somewhat metaphysical issue, nave
tended to allow Borno considerable lati-
tude in his field in return for MS CO.
operation with them in theirs. This
has led to certain absurdittes.
For example. Borno was elected py
the Council of States, oody Wnlcn
holds office at the pleasure OF the Pres
| ident himself. The National Congress
cannot meet until the President sees
At to fix the elections. This. on the
theory that the Haitian people are not
competent to choose their representa-
tives. and with the more practical as
pect that a Congress composed OF Hal
tian politicians would so opSCrucG Che
work of the occupation and the gov
eminent as to render progress impos-
sible.
yet when constitutional amendments
were desired to increase Presldent
Borno's control over the courts and the
press. the American Government ac-
uliesced in a popular election" at
| which these amendments were over
whelmingly ratified.
Treaty Extended 10 Years.
Almost Immediately after the treaty
relationship was established 1t became
evident that the refunding of certain
government obligations would be highly
desirable. It was also evident that
these financial operations could not be
successfully carried out II American
control was limited to 10 years. SO the
Haitian government was prevailed upon
In 1917 to consent to the extension OF
the treaty for a second 10 years, thus
fixing the date of the termination OF
the occupation in 1886.
We have, then, seven years more IN
which to accomplish whatever We are
going to accomplish in Haiti. On the
material side there is little to criticize
In the program thus far. On the politi-
cal side there is very little to show in
the way of desirable results for our 13
years of effort.
People StiIl Unframed.
It is argued in extenuation of the
work thus far that it was impossible
to teach the Haitians to run their
country until they had an organized
country to run; that the first task of
the occupation was to straighten out
finances, get roads built, enforce sani-
tary regulations to better the public
health, the while it was preserving
order and encouraging economic devel-
opment. There is much force In this
argument.
But the fact remains that we have
less than seven years left in which to
covonlate the task and that at the end
of that time we must turn the country
back to an unadvised Haitian govern
ment-a procedure which would be ad-
mittedly futile without considerable
training in political responsibility dur
ing the interim.
President Urges New Study.
President Hoover has asked Con-
gresS to authorize a special commits
sion to study and report on the Haitian
problem. 1t would be presumptuous
to anticipate the findings of such a
commission. Yet we have before us al
ready numerous reports, some of1cial
and some unof11cial, in which there is
large measure of agreement that the
serious criticism against the occupa-
tion must be for what 1t has not done
rather than for what it has done.
Any new policy which may be recon-
mended can hardly contemplate dis
continuing or limiting the scope of any
one of the principal activities Of the
present regime. It may, however, out
line a method by which the Haitian
people may be prepared to assume the
responsibility OF taking over their own
government under conditions which
will not make that change futile for
mality to be followed by a new break
down and q new occupation.