Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 3, 1912
File No. 838.032/8.
The American Minister to the Secretary of State.
Port au Prince, July 5, 1912.
I have the honor to enclose herewith copy of the reports of the different departments of the Haitian Government submitted to Congress upon the opening of that body of April last.
I have [etc.]
Message of the President to Congress.
Gentlemen. I have the honor, by this message, to hand to you the General Statement of the condition of the Republic. * * *
In reporting thereupon the Ministers have at the same time placed before you the efforts of the Government to ameliorate the conditions bequeathed to us by former administrations.
In the first place, I am glad to inform you that in the midst of this effort to better conditions the Republic is maintaining the most cordial relations with friendly powers. In proof thereof I need but cite the very courteous visit, at the beginning of this month, of the distinguished representative of the greatest Republic of the New World.1
In regard to the nation that is our nearest neighbor, the Republic is doing all that it can to strengthen more and more the friendship that unites us, which will always be the principal guaranty of our territorial integrity.
Report of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Gentlemen: The examination of the numerous claims which we have found pending has absorbed and continues to absorb precious time. France had 38 of which 16 were for Syrians; Germany 14; American citizens 10; Great Britain 6; Italy 4; Denmark 1; Holland 1; Spain 1; Belgium 1; Dominican Republic 2. It was necessary to attend to them immediately, for certain foreign Powers had come to an understanding for the purpose of forming an international commission with a view of obtaining or imposing settlement.
In fact by a collective note dated December 22, 1910, which, nevertheless, was not signed by the American Minister, the Governments of Great Britain, France, Germany, United States and Italy proposed the formation of that commission, in which each one of them would have a representative. Haiti would have only one vote, since they gave her only one member. On July 4, 1911, a new collective note, bearing this time the signature of the Minister of the United States, was addressed to the Department of Foreign Relations by the representatives [Page 522] of the same Governments to announce their intention of organizing the commission if within a period of three months the difficulties pending had not been decided. It was a critical moment for the country. The new Government had scarcely been established when the Consulate General of Great Britain returned to the question. The Department hastened to state its intentions, and since then in interviews with the several signers of the collective note we have not failed by formal assurances to show our great desire to reach a prompt settlement. At the same time we refused even to admit the principle of an international commission.
Faithful to its promises, the Government did not delay in giving proofs of its good faith. In fact, on October 14 last it granted, through the intermediation of the Legation of France, an indemnity of $8,000 to Mr. Prosperi, the father of that unfortunate young man who disappeared under the painful circumstances which are known.
On the request of the German Legation on October 20th we cleared the title to the bonds in the case of Mr. Samietz and likewise put an end to the dispute relative to the bonds of the Public Debt belonging to Mr. Ahrendts and to other German subjects.
On November 15th following, the American Legation collected at the Banque Nationale de la République d’Haiti the equivalent in principal and interest of the bonds delivered in the past in payment of the Heuvelman, Haven, Tecla Arci and Oaksmith claims.
Contrary to all expectation, the Department of Foreign Relations received December 8, 1911, a new collective note almost identical with the one of July 4. The period of three months was prolonged to April 4th. In a note as firm as it was courteous the Haitian Government protested against all attempt at forming an international commission, declaring ourselves willing, however, to refer to arbitration in the usual form all differences that it had not been able to settle otherwise.
This incident did not prevent us from continuing the examination of the claims presented by the citizens of the different foreign Powers. And on January 30 last the Department of Foreign Relations liquidated with the Consul General of Great Britain all the disputes pending up to that date. Hence it is that the Consulate General of H. B. M. took upon itself to indemnify Messrs. Julius Schama, Aaron Macnally, Samuel Lewison and Misses Idelie Angus, Elmiro Peters and Ellen Coban.
In the course of the same month of January, Doctor Terres, United States Consul, who had been previously chosen as umpire in the case of Mr. Ciplon, a Frenchman, rendered a decision in favor of Haiti. The claimant alleged that he had been the victim of a denial of justice. On the other hand, in carrying out two arbitration decisions against us by the same umpire, it was necessary to pay the sum of $7,000 to Messrs. Cauro and Massoni, French citizens.
In February our differences with Italy were ended by general settlement accepted by the Consul of that country. And the amounts granted by the Haitian Government were by its intermediary divided between Messrs. Francesco Paolo, Michel Senisse, Giuseppe Casale and Madam Gaetano Guadagnole.
We have, therefore, no differences with Great Britain and Italy. And if it is not possible to say as much of France and Germany, it is because the claims presented by the citizens of those Powers are more numerous or that they require a more careful examination. They will soon be settled, as well as those submitted directly to my Department by some citizens of the United States.
In the meantime the Syrian question presented itself. You know how much it has agitated public opinion.
On all sides, they called out energetically for the carrying out of the law of August 10, 1903. It was necessary to protect the nationals against the dishonest competition of the Levantines often of uncertain nationality; it was also necessary to protect the public health.
The Government, therefore, decided to act and refused licenses to a certain number of Syrians. At once the representatives of France, the United States, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Cuba and Italy addressed to us identic notes tending to ask us to repeal the measure. Our reply was a precise statement of the question and an affirmation of our right to issue laws for the national protection. And we added that Haiti only followed the example of the United States, whose measures of exclusion against the Chinese are known to all. The Department maintained its views. However, the Haitian Government [Page 523] decided to grant licenses to persons of Syrian origin who, residing in Haiti, had obtained another nationality before the law of 1903.
While we were occupying ourselves with the Syrian incident, the question of our frontier limits absorbed the attention of the Department. Desirous above all of establishing on a solid basis the relations between the two peoples that divided the sovereignty of the island, the present Government manifested from the outset the intention of again taking up the negotiations which were going on at Washington, and that had been interrupted by circumstances. Therefore, it hastened to furnish our new representative in the United States, Mr. Solon Ménos, whom it would be superfluous here to praise, full special powers, and to confer on him the mission of bringing to a good ending the negotiations which had already lasted too long.
The tragical death of President Cáceres happened to further delay the solution. As soon as this terrible news was confirmed, the President of the Republic hastened to cable his condolences to the Dominican people and to the widow of the unfortunate President. The election of Senator Eladio Victoria to the Presidency of the Dominican Republic and the sending to Washington of Mr. Peynado, the new Minister Plenipotentiary, permits us to hope that the examination of the frontier question will be immediately resumed.
In the meanwhile, it is our duty not to allow any attack on our rights. Therefore, we have occupied ourselves about reestablishing the statu quo before the Pedernales incident. And the Republic of Haiti has restricted itself to reorganizing the Posts at Bois-Tombé, Tête-à-l’Eau, Bois d’Ormes which have never ceased to form a part of its territory.
While deploring the civil war which is flooding with blood the neighboring Republic, we must not hide from you the sacrifices which we are obliged to impose upon ourselves with a view of preventing any hostile act being committed on our territory against a friendly Government. And we hope that the Dominican Government will finally be convinced that we have neglected nothing to that end.
Besides, the Blue Book, which my Department will publish soon, will give an idea of what we have done to defend our rights as well as to preserve and strengthen the good relations with all the friendly Powers.
These relations we can give you the assurance have remained the most cordial. And it is with pleasure that we particularly thank the President of the United States for having, on the 1st of January last, kindly shown his sympathy for the Haitian people by the telegram that he sent on that day to the President of the Republic. There is in that a delicate attention which the recent visit of Mr. Knox renders still dearer. That visit, of which the country preserves the best remembrance, cannot fail in strengthening the friendly bonds which unite us to the great Northern Republic.
- See infra “Visit of the Secretary of State to Haiti.”↩