Evening star., 1934-04-08
FINANCIAL LIBERTY GOAL,
OF HAITIAN PRESIDENT
Executive Arrives Soon in Capital,
Seeking to Break Check-Rein of
u. S. Supervision.

Haiti may request" the designation
of a military mission made up of
American Marines who have served
with the Haitian constabulary, for the
exclusive purpose of completing the
instruction of the garde. The fact
that the Chief Executive Of Haiti
and not Washington, was to decide
whether to request or not the mill
tary mission, and the further pro-
vision that, in the affirmative case.
the Haitian President would determine
the scope of its powers and might
terminate it on 60 days notice, OBJ
Waited the contention that the United
States wished to keep a big stick"
hanging over the island republic. as
seemed to be the case in the rejected
treaty.
Another serious objection to the
treaty which the Haitian Senate had
refused to ratify was that the sug-
gested new financial agent would have
oeen given greater powers than those
held by the financial adviser-general
receiver, an American official who had
almost complete contfol of govern
ment finances. The new pact cur
tailed such powers and specified that
tne HscaI representative, TO take the
place OF the financial adviser general
receiver, should not have a voice in
the disposition of public funds after
the sum required for the service of
the debt and collection expenses had
been met. The customs revenues were
to remain under the direction of the
hscal representative until the amorti-
zation or the prior refunding of the
1922 loan. In order to hasten the
maturity of the outstanding bonds.
/ amounting to about S12 1000 900, and
scheduled to be retired in or before
1914, the Haitian government was au-
thorized to buy bonds of the several
series on the open market.
As a guaranty Of its good faith, the
Haitian government pledged that no
new financial obligations would be
entered into without the consent of
the fiscal representative, unless ordi-
nary revenues, after disbursement C
government expenses, were sufficient
To- assure final discharge Of such
obligations.
Provisions Less Drastic.
Another improvement in the situa-
ton, from the Haitian point of view,
was that after January !, 1884, the
customs houses were to have an ex-
clusively Haitian personnel and the
citizens of the United States employed
by the Office of the fiscal representa-
tive were not to exceed 49, The ex-
ceSslve number of American officials
in the local administration has been
enc Of the chief sources of complaint
and resentment growing out of the in
terventionlstic adventures of the
United States in Latin America.
In spite Of these advantageous
changes, the provisions for financial
control were bound to be resented by
the Haitian people. Although they
were considerably less drastic than the
ones until then in existence, and
/ though in conformity with the 1919
/ protocol anG the loan contract of 1922,
they were, nevertheless, of nature, as
President Vincent of Haiti wrote to
President Roosevelt on November l8,
1888, ito infringe the essential attri-
butte of sovereignty Of a friendly
nation"
StreSsing this principle, and the
fact that Haiti, in spite of the world
depression. has not only met regularly
its financial engagements but even
paid several years of amortization in
advance. the Haitian President re-
! quested on that date that the United
/ States renounce spontaneously its
/ supervision of Haitian finances. Presi-
dent Roosevelt rejected the suggestion
Oh the ground that the United States
/ Government had AN unacceptable obli-
CATION to the bondholders," but he
added that if a way out could be
found without impairing that obliga-
ton, the United States would be only
too glad to offer its good Offices to
bring about satisfactory settlement.
The Chief Executive of Haiti is now
in the United States looking for that
way out, and friends of pan-American
understanding are confident that
President Roosevelt will help him in
his endeavors.
(Copyrieht. 1034O