HAYTI.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 October 1923, Page 4

HAYTI.

IF BLACK RULED WHITE. (By F. .J. Ball, 8.A., It.St-.J Thinking minds both in Britain a lifj Australia are much concerned just now as to how far uur rulers may safely go in tin’ grantin'' ol the doubtful blessing of self-government lo native populations, and the slogan of many is "Coed government is no satisfactory sub'-iiuHe for self-government." Some v, ats ago the writer had an opportu-o-Itv of judging at first hand the usult of ,i century's administration hy the black in that wonderful island, Hindi, w here his opportunity was so complete that tie could spit with impunity on the white man and push him <ll the footpath. This was his priceless privilege of at once carrying through, some constructive statesmanlike polrv. mu’. deter,nstra;ing to the world ;is r>' session ot lito-e gills for eonsli 1 . lii-ma; development and government win !> sonic would have n- believe a:'" nda r cut in till | ,-ro] ilo -. and oniy await tin verm breath ot hbortv to bur-' nto full Hover. -Mine was one of the last opportunities given lo I lit- white Lovelier oi studying llayti as it had i < <*n foi. nearly 120 years under negro tide, for soon after the Americans eiepp"d in, concluded a treaty en-imng t-.-tin in control of the finances and gendarmerie v litvh polices the entire liepublic : and the good old days when any needy general might preripiM'.e a revolution, raid the public treasury, and eiite with a fortune, were nt more. The iii.-lory ol llayti reads like a romance. It is a great pity that either the Spaniard under Columbus or the French ever saw it. The full story oi tlie unspeakable Spanish occupation will never he told, the principal vif-ne-sos went inarticulate to their doom. The French occupation, while not so syiiieally cruel, was etpiidly stupid, and brought on the heads ol ihu.-o responsible a penally without parallel in lhe annals ol European colonisation. The stage was a nobler one far than the actor.-., and as one ride' m-ross marvellously fertile plateaus and In-easts beautiful palm-clad bill', it iimpossible to behove that some ot tMe bloodiest scenes of history were <ua- ted there, a 'drama ot racial tragedy ami hale. The mere redial el the devilish iiwcmuiies devised for tin-

supers hv both and negro is In plunge in.stanter in 11 so profnimdost depths i.i Haute's Inferno. A PITIFFI. STOHV. ! I the <li<-l um In- i nit' that a nation may 1,,, judged l.y its national heroes, llayii would mil lako high rank, lor ktT national horn i- I)es-alines, wlm-e Main.; adorns tho principal snunro in ilia capital. Port an Prime, and who is distinguished only as one of the innsl infamous and bloodthirsty m.iin.lrels of history. Their story since hi: day might l;e epitomised in a lone pro-ne--inn ot Presidents, who appeared !■ hate tin desire whatever lo ilie like ei dinary folk in their beds, hut made i leer final exit off the staple to tho :ire: i.ijr)ninieJit of ilaggei sinks and pan shots. Prom Pdll to lllltj liayti reinin',! in six Presidents -two were exiled, one was blown up in In-. palace. one was poisoned, one wa- slim l.y Ids successor. and the last was for* liiuii from limb l. v tile mob. "Pneasy lies the head that Wears a el'iiwn" t\ on Id lie an excellent lierahlie mol in for the !Ia vi inn Pre-idem in! <r- -i. Aml yet all I ids pi 111 id story i f im-pt itilde and irapie lai'e. lieeo [level ha'.rn been writ leu. 1 I i oil. of lls minor Ira p-dies o! our hi-lory I hat ill. I’.ri--1 I'll expedition of Iru Id'.!; i aptuivil P .rl an Pri nee Ia i led 1.. pres , i; . ... Ils advantage. Had llayii limit ermine Hritish it would probably have been m-day the mosi lioauliful and tlm I I p rodii.t ive island possession in ell! If IN p' l'e, with the possible e\ei-p lion of X-v Zealand. ! i i - a. 'I ra m.p ■ ftmi m an v Iry's history th.al Iho pival ml-lelt i-r j day can nevor ho idon I i lie.l oxmpt l.y tile lap.-e of centuries. \,,i the l.nlde'i |,rojila 1 win. in IniA behold lhe (ii"-t liandfiil of Guinea negroes reckin p' with till ! i ait d sores, whipped up ’ Is' beach oi their m",\ island home, a Uncle cloud no I.hyper than a man's baud, could possible have lo.oseon "Tut a frightful extent that cloud would spread and lower until it onvclon.'d ill.' whole cnimtiw, an .-laud •I d.ivadlu! night-, and broke at l.nip a-1 villi resist loss fury over tho land 'f lb., white eoM!|!iornr. Is it not a -tarilili'.; iIIu si ra I. ion o) a wlnio eoTonv mp'.riino ere.up cohutted labour, which ■Pew at la'i so pouerlu! ?.%- naiui’id Ncrea-s tliat it -wallowed piecemeal j be superior lace, Icaviup th.e l.ar-si j rapnii'iit remain mg!- | Mcdcm liny 11 was like n, scone from j ■liber! and Sullivan’.- comic opera. We ' ere I old how prafi and hood'o ran 'ut, ami laa.rni t!.o liut Ii ol it by cx--1< ‘ l w hich is the hes t I earlier. * ‘I 1 " lee- Were hiph. We could not "ter al ii.si, all sides w,. heard blsjm 'l's ol a new word n. its, "o-ruti-ealion, prom.ii n.-(.d a la Franeai-. bi'h we instantly leaned the mer- ' ln .P "l bj waving a dollar bill umi 'be snub nose ol a„ ofiieial. The oflieials. liltlil iplied with startliln i I", lity, until the "prai iliea t ion " I <ame entirely one-sided. When we d I” "d ami exchanged our nionev, i reiving eight Haytian dollars p,r ea. American one, -wo thought we ninle mend the overcrowding in tlu- fusion Departmciu. We discovered, howevo ‘bat ihe only rai-nn d'ei re lor at Haytian oflb .■ from tpo Presidrm downwards was for iho affording , .prat lima I inn fo ihe tort untile ocei ■pant. Flllf XAVV or'T OP sir: 1 IT. tvti. administered with some n *'b- v 'bcr.e Am arrest r, .is a matte ■n es l|s|i !■ usi !de 1 i.l I'l'es j The prilleipl "a-'Pidt: of ofhee was- a . In!,, railed ; ''< neomai a, pi, From ibis weapon •, unlortiinaie -u-ii.-'i t -e.in'-time-; met hi om! duiinp j lie operation. However j wo- generally a.--.irued I'm was guj||, »t something m- other, and mm-l," vain ’b' "me wm saved m tlm courts ilnup- were unimi orally calm tlnrnp 1,1,1 '"tv. however, a- ill mv ;ir-t wcol 1 was held no ! v soldiers." assisted ii the rescue of a Priti-h oifieor. dodp. t'd random si,,.is j,. the ..veiling, am -lej>t behind steel shutters ai night. I had not ilm least desire to niuir-s one >f t lie annua! revolutions. A Kritun ' really perfectly safe. I coin-,, the iverape Haytian tiiinks of the uavv as 1 vast lighting unit lying just under he horizon, am! loadv to come to a 'bi-tle. Ibe -lucid oi tin’- mythical a"! Ini' more than nine been thrown round groups ot renipee- in a revo-n'-ion, 1 V a kindly Jf nplishman. and ins s.tved them from eena.iu butchery. Ibe nrmv and navy were also to i.e cckouod with in Jlayti. As m the rmy stifliee it to give the instruction ’ its oil landing:—“Disregard all apcaraiiees; it is safer to address every ■ddier a- ‘Ctenerni and you will more robal.lv he correct, anyway." VA. tiled [last the Haytian navy where it i.v at anchor: w here it had laid at tehor tor several years, for only one lip could sail. I was eredd.lv infonnI that the naval salute had at times ten given from a revolver. Xu one ouhl dare (ire the guns. This navy .a' placed at the di-p.isal of the French Admiralty on the declar.uioi: of war by Hnyti on Germany. Tt n last straw could break a eaniei’s back tho« this navy was a factor in the debacle of f-cxipa Flow. At an interview with the President at the palace, where not unconscious of the irony, we drank to his long Presidential career, we met the more important admirals and generals, who conducted themselves with a stately propriety and dignified decorum, which was certainly most creditable to them,

Up to the minute informatics of the Amorictm occupation lias been hard to secure, for the military censorship until recently in llayti was rigid in the extreme. That the charge of certain American publicists that HayL i' America's Congo must he untrue goes without saving Still, some ol the American method-oi control may well be called in <|Uest.iuii. It will readily he admitted that union matte incident-, occur at every mi upaiion of the territory of resist tint native peoples. IJt'.Vi l’i N'( t OFF COOKS. The rock on winch early American administrations arc most likely to break up. if not indeed irrevocably wrecked, is the dual per-omility of the American nation. .loim-d to a beautiful idealism, which lias mace tieAmerican probably the finest product oi modern i ivihsttfion. there i- a piiniitive a nachronisl i- mce pa-toa. which sometimes leave- the inexperienced student 'imply aghast. fhe temptation of tin- .Northerner in handling ii'-gives would. o-- to s'i ’ ~n [ho side of get te rot is sentiment. '1 he toniplnleui ol tt certain '.yje- M 1 biotttu-eritf-r would l.e—well, itsk Miy.me who ha- seen that white bersel tier nipv. i'll which a South, tm rabble, like a pnr!: in in!! cry. will hunt a suspect c(« •‘nigger" to the death, to finish the -out.,-me. It mav he con iccturetl. tliereloven the b<-L-iiitenl iom-d A merit,-in adinine t rat nm will lim! dit-li'-ult v in -t ['iking the goldc" f 1 ;-'-"' essential in negro cue,ti e!. 1 i m, .u ..movable tiie -port of "humping oh Cooks" I too killing i la.\ uan-d may l.e. it i- likely to prove barren ol iesttlt. in a ec.untry that lms I ei-i: . Ingrave of the white nations’ colonial ad liiinislrations tor centuries. OH" who knows all the cuvamstances can do.-.ld. tor a moment in i es'ily and i listin' "I Ci. H-a ll:i: ' is ( upat ion. and the .im.-n-'c un. o.y trusted to salve their m ' i ' - ~„■!! way. That they will limi a s. ,uI ion may he taken lor gtaa- d. do the West Indian seas the ' ‘ ‘ as far surpasses the Briton in ">mprelic.tsive grasp of business mentals ami cHieienily aj aim-l ( •*' sat ion. a- the Briton su.i.as-- bun in tin administration Mid c.ml.rol et u g" i in v>.