The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-05-01
Medals for Murder

This is story OF how Major General Butler
of the U. S. Marines, was presented according
to what we understand with a Congressional
Medal OF Honor for crawling through an i'm
aglnary drain pipe of Haitian fortress that
never existed and numbering large number of
practically unarned Haitian peasants.
We hasten to add that there is no doubt about
the murders or the medal. But about the fort
well, that Just had to exist to furnish the hero
with drain pipe. But Mr.. Belgrade, Haitian
minister to Washington, who ought to know
something about his own country was reported
IN the washington Herald Of April 113. as saying
I'VE in Haiti always wondered about that
For there is no Fort Riviere. There never was
We have looked all over our island and there
Is no such thing. However. for taking Fort
Riv1ere. he General Butler) got the Congress
stona1 Medal of Honor"
That was sort of annoying to the hero IN
dustry. International complications Threatened
Although the United States couldn't very well
threaten to invade Haiti, because its armed
forces are there alreadyi Have been, indeed
since the memory OF Haiti runneth not to the
contrary, although they have continually been
"evacuated," Ia Nicaragua, ever since they
went in.
But II Stinlson can't send another warshiu
he certainly ought to demand certain polite
ness from those whom he regards as servants
namely the Haitian government. So after
Mr. Belgrade was kicked viciously on the sS:as
ne said that although he never heard of the
Iort, 1t must exist, because the q. S. Govern
ment says So Also, 1t must have been blown
up Cno, not the story of heroisn, but the fortD
because the ., s. Government claims it was
AND the reason no Haitian ever heard of it's
capture, is because "fifty-one poorly equipped
Hait1ans were killed and there were not sur
vivors left to tell of the battle"
Get that-"No survivors," No declaration Of
war was made against the Haitian Negro Re
public! Just the Marines sent in to massacre peas
ants fighting for their native land, In Nicsr-
aqua they cell them bandits In the PhiIir
pines they call them "color1ln1s' and In Haiti
they call them "cacos" any mysterious name
to make workers and farmers in the United
States think the victims are some kind of Wild
aninia1sl
mo survivors," And Mr. Bellegrade nentions
1l1ty-one dead. But Governor Roosevelt of New
YORK State Assistant Secretary of the NAVY
When the massacre took place Che poses az
quite liberal nowD says "the defending force
lHauans) totalled ZOO" And Butler himself says
IN. =. Times Monday April I'D, There were
$50 buzzards in there" Haitians are knou1, ss
S. Marine Corps Haiti is not fascist ItaIv. and
Butler Will not be called on to alopogise for the
insult
And, mo survivors," So it makes no differ
ence whether there was fort or not, or o
drain pipe. There was Butler with four COM
panles OF Marines or "a men each, armed to
the teeth The official citation OF the U. s.
Congress admitting-nay. boastingl as follows
"A melee ensued inside the fort for about ten
minutes, the Cacos fighting desperately with
rifles, clubs. stones. ETC., during which several
jumped from the walls in an effort to escape
but we're shot by the automatic guns Of the
Fifth Company and by the Thirteenth Company
advancing to the attack"
No survivors," Why should Butler leave any
OF the 100 "buzzards' alive7 And why having
thus mastered $50 Haitian peasants. should not
American Imperialism, which shudders at San
dino atrocities" and Soviet tyranny" not be
proud to hand Medal Of Honor on Sewer Pipe
Butler1 ----.-4-.---