Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 3, 1907, (In two parts), Part II

File No. 4880/17–20.

Minister Furniss to the Secretary of State.

[Extract.]

American Legation,
Port au Prince, March 14, 1907.

No. 176.]

Sir: Through the courtesy of the French minister I am enabled to inclose herewith a copy of the letter received from Secretary Sannon by that minister, in conjunction with the German and Dominican ministers, the Cuban chargé d’affaires, and the British consul-general, in answer to their protest, copy of which was inclosure No. 2 in my No. 171 of the 8th instant.

I also inclose copy of their reply to the same, wherein they accept the incident as closed.

I have, etc.,

H. W. Furniss.

[Inclosure 1.—Translation.]

The Minister for Foreign Affairs to the French Minister.

Department of State for Foreign Relations,
Port au Prince, March 9, 1907.

Mr. Minister: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your excellency’s letter of March 6 instant requesting some explanations on the subject of the law regulating the direct taxes.

Your excellency complains that the enforcement of the law of October 24, 1876, is injurious to the interests of your fellow-countrymen established here, and in support of your declaration you write that the articles in the law that cause your remonstrance, having been judged inapplicable, they have remained for some time unenforced.

I must observe, Mr. Minister, that your excellency is mistaken, and that your error arises from the fact that the law on the administration of direct taxes with us has undergone, during the past few years, successive amendments.

In fact, the law of August 3, 1900, amending that of October 24, 1876, gave to your fellow-countrymen, as well as to all foreigners, the right to obtain a license for selling wholesale and retail. But by a new law of August 13, 1903, reenacting the one of October, 1876, that privilege was taken from them at the same time that the status of foreign and native merchants was regulated.

This last law was regularly promulgated and has in consequence, during nearly four years that it had been in existence, enlightened all native and foreign merchants as to the conditions under which they can carry on commerce here.

I will further observe to your excellency that if that part of the law which treats of the license question has not been enforced, not only would the Government have no responsibility, but, further, it could do nothing in the case.

It is the communal administration, an institution independent of the Government, which that point of law interests, and it is it that has charge of the enforcement.

I therefore have to express my regret at the decision, which you tell me your fellow-citizens will take, a decision inexplicable, if we consider the kindly welcome that we have always given to them and the facilities which we have always endeavored to grant them. I take the occasion to deplore your supposition, that by its inexplicable obstacles the Republic of Haiti closes its doors to the freedom of commerce. The sentiments of the Haitian people are too universally known, as is also our sincere desire to extend our commercial relations with the friendly powers, for the existence of the least doubt on the real disposition of the Government in that which relates to the freedom of commerce. We have always, in that regard, professed the “open-door” policy, accepting foreigners of all nationalities that bring to us the cooperation of their intelligence or of their capital for the work of our material and moral advancement.

In the hopes that these considerations will dissipate all misunderstanding and will help to bring out more clearly the sincere desire of my Government to entertain with yours relations daily more cordial and closer, I renew, etc.,

H. Pauléus Sannon.

[Inclosure 2.—Translation.]

The answer of the Foreign Representatives to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Port au Prince, March 12, 1907.

Mr. Secretary of State: The letter that you have kindly addressed to me on the 9th of this month in reply to the one that I have had the honor to write to you protesting against the enforcement of the law of October 24, 1876, has reached me.

I thank you for the explanations that you have kindly given me on the law adjusting the administration of direct taxes and on the successive amendments made to that law at different periods.

But in that regard, I will observe, Mr. Secretary of State, that if the communal administrations of the Republic of Haiti place, by inopportune decision, obstacles to commerce, I can only address myself to the Haitian Government to put a stop to the effects prejudicial to our common interests.

I gather, with pleasure, from your communication the assurances that you give me of your sincere desire to extend your commercial relations with the friendly powers and the real disposition of the Haitian Government in that which concerns the freedom of commerce.

Persuaded that these few explanations will dissipate all misunderstanding and put an end to the incident that has caused this correspondence, I am happy, on my part, to assure you that all my efforts and those of my Government will always tend to tighten the bonds of friendship that unite our two countries.