Evening star., 1941-01-02
Majority on Martinique Prefers
u. S. to Hitler if Taken Over
But Island Realizes Importance as Base
And Feels No Change Needed Now

no more.
Merchants Sketch Utopia.
A couple of representative men,
bers of the merchant class agree to
talk if their names are not used.
All American press clippings per-
tanning to Martinique come back
here for a viewing by the military
powers now in control. so this pre-
caution is understandable.
They outline their idea of how to
solve this problem, and it would be a
Utopia-for them. They would like
to see this island under the French
flag. That would insure low import
duties Then they would like to see
the United States have full per-
mission to base naval and land units
here, which would mean a few thou
sand new customers for their stores,
young soldiers and sailors with more
francs to spend each night than a
French sailor has to spend in a
week
Right after the fall of France
these merchants were for calling on
the United States to move in here
A petition to that effect actually
was prepared. Then it appeared
that at least a portion Of the home
land still survived, and the petition
was abandoned. These fellows smile
when they refer to 'our guardian
angels" but definitely, as matters
stand today, they would not vote for
nnr1n1nfn Ap1cricop foEa
Next we round up some repre-
sentatives of the masses, the vast
99-plus per cent who vary in hues
from old ivory to polished ebony
Ordinarily these shades cannot be
grouped together in any poll of pub
lie opinion. The pure blacks hate
the mulattos, who were the con-
trolling political class until the mill
tary took over and suspended the
island council. The mulattos dis
trust both the blacks and the less
than l per cent of white aristocrats.
But in the matter at hand there
seems an accord on one subject
among the colored.
Want None of Hitler.
They want no part of Herr Hitler.
While this island has a tremendous
| color preponderance, 1t Is a good 80
per cent literate and these people
even those from the mountain towns
OF the interior-are quite conversant
with Hitler's views on people of color
and families. of mixed marriages.
Even the clevereSt Nazi propagandiSt
couldn't convince them the Fuehrer
would smile upon them as pure
Aryans.
If today it became a choice be-
tween the United States and Ger
many there is no doubt the "wel-
come" mat would be spread for the
| old gentleman with the whiSkers and
the reputedly bulging purse. But
this does not mean that today they
would vote for American occupation
They are still doing all right under
the tricolor.
A coal-black Negro, a French Ne
gro, asked us about the progress of
the Negro housing projects in the
United States, about the extension
to Negroes of American social re.
forms, whether it was true that
President Roosevelt actually made a
Negro a general in the Army of
the United States.
American prestige among these
masses has been helped in another
quarter. Under the English blockade
the bread shortage reached the
near-riot stage here. There was no
dried Goldfish, the staple here since
the days when it was brought here
to feed the slaves.
Today American ships are arriv-
Ing with foodstuffs. There's one in
the harbor now, its huge cargo net
full of bags of flour, potatoes and
other staples.
U. s. Has Opportunity In Drugs.
There still is shortage of some
supplies, notably drugs, and if any
sort of epidemic were to break out
1t might become serious. If Uncle
Sam is out to do a good will Job
here is an opening. The cane har-
vest is about to start, and from 10
to 20 workers are bitten each month
by poisonous snakes.
We appear to be doing right well
in the matter of good will just now
We are quite impressed by this
friendly attitude until, on the way
back to the hotel, we start making
mental notes of the number of uni
forms
There are sailors from the air
craft carrier Bearn, sailors from the
cruiser Emile Bertain, sailors from
the auxiliary cruiser Vile dYs
soldiers from Fort st. Louis and SOL
diers from Fort de Saix, where they
guard the French gold, now of in
ternational significance.
A disquieting thought comes. The
masses and the classes may hole
their opinions, but these are thu
boys who hold the guns. 1t be.
comes increasingly clear why Amer.
ica is so concerned over What i.
happening across the Atlantic ir