File No. 711.38/35.
Chargé Davis to the Secretary of State.
Port au Prince, September 25, 1915—3 p.m.
Your September 24, 7 p.m. House committee will present on Monday or Tuesday a unanimous report in favor of treaty and the House is expected to give large majority vote. Then it will go before the Senate. I have just had a conference with Minister for Foreign Affairs as to the action of that body and he and the President believe it will be voted. However, there will be opposition in the Senate due to the desire of certain members with presidential aspirations to see present Government fall, also to influence of certain foreigners here who are attempting to block treaty through the Senate.
President is determined to reach an agreement with the United States and, in my opinion, should he find Senate will not ratify the convention, he will go to the length of dissolving Congress, calling constitutional convention to modify Constitution and to vote treaty; and in the meantime the Government, there being no legislative body in session, will enter into modus vivendi; all of this, of course, provided that the United States continues its support.
Although I do not think this eventuality will arise, I would like to have instructions regarding the same in advance. I respectfully submit that in the light of conditions here, should the Senate’s unwillingness to ratify force such action, it would be to the best interests of both the United States and Haiti for the United States Government to support Dartiguenave.