Mr. Powell to Mr. Hay.
Port au Prince, September 22, 1902.
Sir: I have the honor to state to the Department that there is no change in the political situation since my dispatch No. 1158 of September 13 was written. As stated then, there has been no session of the Chamber of Deputies since, no quorum presenting itself to enable it to resume its sessions. As it now looks, no one can tell when there will be another. The Chambers have been in session (when they could get a meeting) nearly four months. In that time they have elected four out of thirty-nine Senators.
The partisans of the two candidates resident here (Fouchard and Pierre) are accusing each other of bad faith; this is causing much bad blood between them. The friends of the one assert that Fouchard shall not be president, and the friends of the other candidate declare that Pierre shall not be. The only thing that prevents an open rupture at the present time is that both have united in giving assistance to the Provisional Government against Mr. Firmin. After Mr. Firmin has been defeated and is no longer a menace to either, then they will commence a conflict for the mastery here, in which this city will be the theater of the conflict. Who will be the victor the future only will decide, as both candidates have determined followers, and neither of the principals seems to be willing to give way to the other. Each candidate is quietly arming his side for this conflict. Their partisans are gathering in the city, while the Provisional Government, on its part, is concentrating troops in and around the city; but these can not be relied upon, as they are apt, when the time comes, to side with that candidate recording to the section from whence they come.
The color of the candidate is another danger that is gradually assuming [Page 665] shape. The pure blacks declare that only a black man shall be elected as President. For this reason a large number of this class espouse the candidacy of Mr. Pierre, who represents that element; those of a lighter hue and the mulattoes are supposed to be with Mr. Fouchard, who is not quite so dark.
The Provisional Government is pressing all of the country people into military service. In the mountain districts they are hunted like wild animals, and are driven into the cities like droves of cattle, with their legs tied together with rope, sufficiently long to enable them to walk, their arms tied behind them. They have two or three soldiers and an officer to guard them and see that none escape. These people range in age from 14 to 65 years. If any resist, or endeavor to escape, or flee from the officer in charge, they are shot as they run. The country people, especially those in the mountainous districts, are not in sympathy with any of the candidates, stating, “We have no President, why should we fight.” All they desire is to be let alone, to cultivate their little patches of ground. Soon the coffee season will begin, and the present outlook is that there will be no laborers to gather the crop. All the produce for the city markets is brought in by the women, the men not in the army not daring to come to the cities for fear of imprisonment.
The Government, as I have stated in previous dispatches, has received in loans, contracted at a high rate of interest (12 per cent) the sum of $1,500,000. From this sum the public employees have received one month’s salary. The Government is at the present time in arrears to them for six months, and there is no prospect that they will receive any further salary for many months. Early in the present week they entered into a contract for arms and ammunition to cost $29,000, the actual cost being $12,000. They have already paid on this contract $20,000; these arms and ammunition, I understand, have been bought in Germany.
The German chargé, Mr. Francksen, returned on the Panther from St. Marc, Gonaives, and the Cape. At each place he visited he was received with great respect. At Gonaives, where the Crête is sunk, he went ashore, lie was not molested nor insulted, Mr. Firmin sending a strong guard to the wharf to protect him while there. Another German naval vessel, the Viscayia, is expected during the week. She is the vessel that was at Newport News for repairs.
The papers are printing extracts from our home journals, especially the one that appeared in the Washington Post, stating that it is the intention of our Government to intervene; from other journals, that it is the intention of the American Government to annex the island, and that Congress had been called in a special session on October 3 for this purpose. A letter has been sent to the Provisional Government from the Haitian minister at Washington, Mr. Léger, warning the Government that the American press wan calling for intervention and annexation.
I have furnished to the papers here as a contra statement that such is not the intention of our Government, and have given to the press the statement of the Hon. A. A. Adee, the Second Assistant Secretary of State, contradicting the statement that appeared in the Washington Post. This action has had the tendency to allay the excitement to some extent.
The principal events of the past week are: The successive defeats of [Page 666] the force of General Alexis by the troops of Mr. Firmin at Limbé. This place, during the time that Christophe was King, was one of his principal cities. Here was located one of his palaces, still in a fair state of preservation. It is here where the Firmin troops are lodged. This palace, when well manned with guns, commanded a large area of territory. These troops could easily be surrounded and compelled to surrender for want of provisions, or the place could be easily rendered untenable by the present modern field guns; but neither side has such. The town itself is situated on what is termed the northern plains. In these engagements General Nord is said to have lost heavily in men and officers. It is reported the fighting is still going on to-day, the result of which we have not learned. For the last three days the Provisional Government has been sending troops to attack St. Marc and Gonaives. About 3,000 men are on the march, going by three routes. They are supposed to reach their destination or to attack St. Marc to-morrow or next day (September 23 or 24).
The report of the attack on these cities will possibly reach the States before this dispatch reaches the Department. It is the settled purpose of Mr. Firmin to destroy both cities if he finds his troops can not hold them, to prevent them from being occupied by the Government troops. A report has reached here of the death of General Jumeau; it is not yet confirmed. If it be true, it will be a severe blow to Mr. Firmin’s hopes, as it was upon this man he relied for success, and without his help Firmin’s cause is doomed.
Another important event has been the blockade by the Provisional Government of the ports of Gonaives and St. Marc. I have informed the Department of this in a separate dispatch. On account of the present condition of affairs the cost of living is very high. Exchange, though, remains low, being quoted to-day at 133 per cent.
I have, etc.,