(1862) Independence of Hayti

8/14/2019 (1862) Independence of Hayti

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INDEPENDENCE OF HAYTI. /A.^??^1^

OP / M^iy^SH'^^lHON. THOMAS D. ELIOT, OF MASS., ^

INTHE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, JUNE 3, 18G2,

ON THE BILL TO AUTHORIZE THE APPOINTMENT OF DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVESTO THE REPUBLICS OF HAYTI AND LIBERIA.

Mr. ELIOT said : Mr. Speaker, the recog-nition of Haytien independence is amongthe duties to be discharged by the presentCongress, as an act both of justice and of pol-icy. A bill similar ia its provisions to the billnow before the House should have become alaw many years ago. Certainly of Haytiandit is concerning that people that I intend tospeaknational recognition should have beenlong since cheerfully given. If President Jeff-rard were not a patriot, as he has been foundto be by his entire administration hitherto, ifhe were not a statesman " clothed and in hisright mind," especially if he were vindictive,as the race of which he is perhaps the chiefin

this age are ignorautly called, the time mightbe at hand when he would prefer to dipensewith our tardy welcome, for he and his peoplemay prosper without us as well as we and ourpeople may prosper without them. /There arebut few loyal States in this Union that are notricher every year because of Hayti, nor is thereone that might not multiply annually the resultsof Haytien commerce if Haytien independencewere by our Government cordially recognisedi

It is one of the marvels of modern diplomacy,and it will always be reckoned among thosesuicidal acts for which but one cause may bejustly assigned, that we have suffered this halfcentury to pass away without consenting toperform an act of simple national justice andto receive what would have been, so far as wedesired it, a monopoly of commercial inter-course.The considerations of republican justice and

of high national policy fitly to be urged in be-half of the speedy passage of the bill pendingbefore Congress for Haytien recognition de-mand attention.

The history of that island upon which, inDecember, 1492, Columbus set up a " largecross " " as an indication," ia the words of hisdiary, " that your highnesses [Ferdinand andIsabella] possess the country, and principallyfor a token of Jesus Christ our Lord, and thehonor of Christianity "from the time of itsdiscovery until the present day, is full of ro-mantic interest. Three hundred and seventyyears ago it was said of it, " the houses andtowns are very handsome, and the inhabitantslive in each settlement under the rule of a sot-ereign judge, 'to whom they pay implicit obe-dience. Their magistrates are persons of ex-cellent manners and great reserve, and givetheir orders by a sign of the hand, which isunderstood by all with surjrising quickness."Columbus was seeking gold. LasCasas, iuhisabridgment of the Journal of Columbus, saysthat the admiral " hoped to find, at his returnfrom Castile, a ton of gold collected from thenatives, and that mines and spices will havebeen discovered, and all these in such abund-ance that before three years the king and queenmay undertake the recovery of the Holy Sep-ulchre." And in his own diary Columbusadded" For I have before protested to your highnesses thatthe profits of this enterprise shall he employed iu thd con-

quest of Jerusalem, at which your highnesses smiled andsaid you were pleased, and had the same inclination."In a letter which Columbus wrote to Don

Rafael Sanchez, treasurer of Ferdinand andIsabella, he says" In the island named Espanola there are lofty and beau-

tiful mountains, large cultivated tracts, woods, fertile fic'ds,and everything adapted to the purposes of agriculture, thepasturage of cattle and the erection of houses. The excel-lence of the harbors here and the abundance of the streamswhich contribute to the salubrity of the climate, exceedimagination. Here are found divers sorts of iirccious drugs,gold, and metals."

In a letter to Luis De Santangel, comptroller

f:


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and rare Brazil and satin woods are found inabundance. The cotton and palm trees are ofgreat size and every variety. The coffee, cot-ton, and sugar cane are there in native andhigh luxuriance. The plantain and vanilla,rice and ginger, tobacco, turmeric, and indigo,are plentiful and of fine quality. The fruitsand vegetables proper I will not attempt tospecify. From a soil of great fertility, andunder a climate so varied, it would not be easyto name a fruit or vegetable or flower that this

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Queen of the Antilles does not claim amongher products. Nor is she without great min-eral wealth. But the hand of enterprise isneeded there to develop and make available hermineral productions.Of the earlier political history of Hayti it is

not of importance to speak at length. With itspresent and its future we have now to do. la 1793there were in the French possessions at St. Do-mingo about fi^e hundred thousand slaves. Byone act of the commissioners of France, onthe 29th of August of that year, they weremade free. This was a war measure. Free-dom was proclaimed under the war power, andas a measure of military expediency. Forsome years before this emancipation, civil warraged between the white men and the raulat-toes. The negroes looked on, not concernedin their slavery where defeat or victory mightcome. The planters were negotiating withEngland for aid, and the Government of Spainhad planted its standard, holding at that mo-ment several strong positions upon the island.Two agents of the French Government thenrepresented the republic. They watched theprogress of the war, and observed with cleareye that the possessions of France were aboutto be wrested from her hands. Polonel andSouthonax were there, but they had no armyable to cope with England and Spain. Theycould wait for no reinforcements from home,for the English army was on its way. Justthen they converted a half million of neutralsinto an army of allies. Within thirty days afterfreedom v/as declared the soldiers of Englandappeared. But they had delayed too long.France had acted. The convention at Parishastened to ratify the act of emancipation,which was confirmed in February, 1794. A

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soldier and a statesman appeared, and Tous-saint L'Overture, with a small army of negrooldiers, offered himself to France. For nearly

four years the war continued, when Spain andEngland retired, and the French republic pos-sessed what had belonged to Spain. For someyears after this, the history of Hayti was madeby this remarkable man. Toussaint was theopener of Haytien greatness. He was not onlya military genius. He organized the Govern-ment and regulated labor and enforced a peacewhich at once brought wealth to the planter,secured wages to the laborer, invited commerceto the island, and won for himself the respectof the civilized world. But Toussaint trustedNapoleon, and died a prisoner in France.The armies of the republic were, however,

not able to conquer this island of freed men,and in 1804 they were driven from her shores.During the last half century these people havemaintained their independence and have gov-erned themselves. They achieved an independ-ence more ample than we fought for in 1776, andwithout foreign aid. We contended for politi-cal freedom. They had first to secure theircivil rights as men. We had money fromabroad and heroic friends and munitions ofwar.They fought their own fight, with their ownmen, without aid from abroad, and withoutsympathy or countenance or comfort from onecivilized nation of the earth. We were ofEngland's best blood. The Pilgrims of theNorth and the Huguenots and the Cavaliers ofthe South were born of free parents and edu-cated to freedom. They were used to arms.Sons of brave sires, they were fitted by birth,by culture, by education, by wealth, by all themeans and appliances of modern civilization, tocreate for themselves a nation, and to com-mand respect. Hayti was a nation ofnegroee.Nearly one-half her people had been importedslaves, and they had been trained in the schoolsof slavery. Opposed to them were the bestsoldiers of Europe : Napoleon's men with Na-poleon's generals in command. Yet they con-tended successfully, and secured a national in-dependence which they have now maintainedthese fifty years. ,

There is no civilized nation, I believe, of po-litical importance, that has not long ago rec-ognised Haytien independence. England,France, Spain, Prussia, Russia, Austria, Italy,Holland, the States of Germany, Sweden, Den-mark, Mexico, and Brazil, have severally wel-comed her as an equal and as a friend. Thefirst Powers in the world have to-day their con-


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suls general at the capital of Hayti. At SaintJames and in Paris, our own ambassadors meetupon equal terms before Queen and Emperorthe accomplished ambassadors commissionedbj Jeffrard to represent his people.

President Lincoln, in his message to us inDecember last, said"If any good reason exists why wc should persevere

longer in "withholding our recognitiou of the independenceand sovereignty of Hayti and Liberia, I am unable to diS'cover it."At this hour the Republican party controls,

or should control, the administration of ourGovernment. For acts and for omissions thatparty will be held responsible. But this is noparty question, much less is it a question firstpresented to us by the party now in power.Thirty-five years ago the commercial interestsof the Union, sea-board and inland, urged uponCongress the importance of speedy action.England was then establishing friendly and in-timate relations with a people whose national-ity she had already acknowledged. Ten yearsago an able memorial was addressed to Con-gress, now upon the files of the Senate, assert-ing in strong terms and with clear argumentthe national reasons why the Government ofthe United States should no longer delay torecognise the sovereienty of Hayti. Men ofall political opinions have committed them-selves to the justice and the moral necessity ofsuch recognition. Since that time the steadyand rapid growth of Hayti as a nation, herChristian civilization, and her varied commerce,have still further removed the question from thearena of party politics and made it national.It is as a national question that I proceed toconsider it.

More than twenty-five years ago Englandacknowledged Haytien independence, and atthis time every considerable civilized Power ofthe world, with one exception, holds intercoursewith her as an admitted sovereignty. Thiscondition of things settles the fact of independ-ence. It will not be made a question that thisnation is self-sustaining and fully equal to thefunctions of self-government. But althoughour own Government have failed hitherto toacknowledge that independence, yet, such arethe laws ot commercial life, our commercialrelations have become so important and are sogrowing in value, that among sixty nations withwhom we hold intercourse, more than one haltof them are of less value to us than Hayti is.No act is wanting but one of national recog-nition on our part to enhance largely the mu-tual advantages of Haytien commerce to usand to them. Soon after the able administra-tion of Jeffrard commenced, he took measuresto ascertain the maritime and commercialbusiness of his people, and in the statisticaltables officially published we have proof howimportant to them our commerce is, and howimportant to us its continuance will be. In an

1 official paper, published at Port au Prince inj

September, 1860, there is an article on theI commerce between the United States and Hayti.; I give a portion of it as published in this; country by Mr. Redpath, who has labored soearnestly for Haytien independence and sosuccessfully for American emigration there."The navigation of the United States in Hayti employs,under the American flag, one-half of the foreign ships thatfrequent our port. As these vessels are generally smallerthan those which come from Europe, they repiescnt only

forty -two per cent, of thi; total tonnage. But it should beremarked that, thanks to their full cargoes both in arrivingand returning, ihey can 0x their rate of freight at more fa-vorable terms than their competitors. The remark whichha? almost become an axiom, that the navigation of a peo-ple develops itself in proportion to the products exported,finds here a new proof. The value of the importations fromthe United States, and the amount of the duty paid by themto the Treasury, is about forty per cent, of the total. Itrepresents S"2,2511,010 worth of imports, of which ninety percent, arrive under the American flag. The chief of tlieseimportations are pork, in its diflerent forms, and flour,

jwhich amount to about fifty per cent, of them. Subjoinedare figures of the quantities introduced, and of the indicationof their value :Candles $20,000Butter and cheese 40,000'Gold and silver 6-5,000Furniture and manufactured woods 25,000

jCotton stuffs 220,000

1 Flour 500,000I Salt beef 20,000Fish 230,000

i Pork, ham, and lard 475,000I

Iron 30,000! Soap 215,000!Articles of which similar are produced in the coun-

ItryLumber and shingles 70,000

Rice 1 0,000Other articles 65,000Tobacco, in leaves and manufactured 150,000Refined .sugar 15,000

2,250,000"Fork, building woods, tobacco, rice, refined sugar,amount to forty per cent, on the total importation. In pro-

portion as our general industry shall develop itself, the im-j portation of these articles will diminish, for we are quite aswell situated as the United States to produce such articles.It is greatly to be desired that our culture of tobacco, rice,and sugar, should be sufficiently advanced, in order to ex-clude from the list of our consumptions the productions ofthe Southern States of the Union. This reduction , however,would hardly impede our commerce with the L'nited States,whose growth in the arts and manufactures increases everyday. What our exchanges would lose on the one side, theywould gain on the other."

During the first six months of 18G0, the com-me.rce of Port au Prince, which has a popula-tion of about twenty thousand persons, is thusstated"The import tonnage has risen to 17,865 tons, and theexports to 19,SC0. As usual, the United States hold the

first rank, and are represented in the following table by9,600 ions.France 5.000 tons.England 2,000 "Hanover, Denmark, Sweden, Hamburg, Belgium, Holland,and Spain complete the list.The amount of the invoices of imi^ortation is SI ,458,145,.'SpanishFor the United SUtes $665,400For Euglaiid 343,870For France 228,680The countries named above make up the ditfcrenco.The amount of exportation, reduced into Spanish dollars,at the rate of fourteen Haytien dollars to one Spanish,SI,408 ,000. This comprises :France $775,000United ctatcs .. 275,000England 190,000


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And the other countries.The import duties amount to $300,000 :United Status $104,000France 74.000Enguind 53,000Other countries 09,000The export duties iimoimt to $273,000 :France $13,500United States. 46,000

Kiiglaud 33,000Other countries 61,000Exportation comprises the following products :

Coflec 15,000 000 pounds.Logwood 8,400,000 "Cotton 93,000 "Cocoa 685,000 "JIahogany 88,000 feet.The exportation of coffee in French vessels lias amountedto 7,500,000 pounds.American 2,300,000 pounds.English 1,835,000 "Danish 1,060,000 "Swedish 750,000 "Other countries 1,555,000 "" It -will be observed, on examining the above figures,

that the imports and exports are nearly to the same amounta fact which, If it were general, would indicate a healthycondition in the commerce of importation."*******

By far the largest portion of the exports and imports oc-cur in tlie months of September, October, November, audDecember. During the first six months of every year, notmore than one-third of the annual exports and imports aremade. The foregoing figures, therefore, must be regardedin the light of this fact, to give a true result in estimatingthe yearly commerce of the capital." So far for ihe commerce between the States and Hayti,and for the trade of the chief port. These subjoined figures,which are also oflicial, will give an idea of the general com-merce of the Republic :" The commerce of Hayti employs annually between fiveand si.x huudrsd vessels, giving a total of about seventythousand tons, distributed amon the following nations :

Ships. Tonnage.United suites 250 30,000England - 90 12,000Fi-ance 70 12,000German, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Hol-

land, Belgium, Italian, Central America,Spauish 50 7,000"To these figures must be added twenty-tive per cent.,

in order to arrive at their registry tonnage; for the Haytieumode of computation gives invariably between twenty -fiveaud thirty per cent, less than the ship's register." The import duties paid to the State, under the Empire,averaged between $800,000 and $900,000 annually, andwere derived as follows :Uriited States 5300,000England 190.000France 190^000Other Flags 180,000" The ai.uual export


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CoffeeLogwoodCottonLignumvita

BarksBrigsSchooners

$405,427140,535

8,C834,080

$559,359Number of Vessels Employed.

5149151305

I regret that it is not yet in our power toshow the commerce of Hayti and all the UnitedStates during the year 18G1. Our annual vol-ume of Commercial Relations will exhibit it indue time. But in the reports annually pub-lished by Congress from the Secretary of theTreasury on the commerce and navigation ofthe United States will be found valuable tables,from which I have, had prepared with carestatements showing our commercial intercoursefor the year ending June 30, 18G0. I shallpublish these statements with my remarks, andI ask attention to them.

A.Stalement of goods, wares, and merchandise, of the growth,produce, and mamifaeture of the United Stales, exported toHayti during the year ending June 30, 1860.Adamantine and other cau-dles 93,386 pounds... S13,452Apples 125 barrels... 473Ashes, pot and pearl 2 cwt 16

s-^ {837w:is;.-:} 11-^S2Beer, ale, porter, and cider,(casks) 555 gallons... 106Beer, ale, porter, and cider,(bottles) 204 dozens.... 439

Biscuit or ship bread {Jg bo^f&i; } ^,535Boards, plank, and scant-ling 3,130 M 53,fil9Books and maps 148

Bricks, lime, and cement.. 2,8S0Brooms and brushes of allkinds 206Batter 211,644 pounds.. . 34,875Cable aud cordage 101 cwt 089Carriages, and parts of, rail-road cars, and parts of. . 3,018Cheese 121,137 pounds. . . 13,422Copper and brass, and man-ufactures of 2,135Drugs and medicines 13,127Earthen and stone ware 926

Fire engines 120Fish, dried or smoked 55,652 cwt 192,046Fish, pickled 11,562 barrels.. . 65,668Gold and silver coin 87 ,750Gunpowder 575po\mds... 81Hams ami bacon 137,476 pounds. . . 15..546Hats, (of fur or sili;) 4 J260Hats, (palm leaf) 4,179Lumber 3,491Horses 2 horses 450Hops 1,171 pounds.. . 108Household fui'nilure 19,950Ice 130 tons 320Manufactures of India rub-ber 337Indian corn 57 bushels... 56Indian meal 201 barrels . . . 863Iron, castings 20 cwt 60

nails 95,824 pounds. .. 3,374manufactures of C9,28'2Manufactures of gold, sil-

ver, and gold leaf 187Lard 675,163 pounds. .. &1,987Lard oil 10 gallons ... 13

LeadLeather

boots aud shoes..Linseed oilMauulactured tobaccoManufactures of cottonprinted, painted, or dyedManufactures of cotton,white and other duck. . .Manufactures of cotton,duck

Manufactures of cotton,other manufactures

Mamil'actures of glassManufactures of hemp,thread

Manufactures of hemp,others

Manufactures of marble andstone

Manufactures of tinwoodMolassesMorocco aud other leather

not sold per poundMusical instrumentsOil, spermacetiOil, whale and other fish. .OnionsPaints and varnishPaper and stationeryPorkPotatoesPrinting presses and type.Rice

4,150 pounds.2,367 pounds.3,203 pairs...2,5.52 gallons.

44,579 pouuds.

375 gallons..

25 gallons.. .5,747 gallons..

27,230 barrels..1,568 bushels.351 tierces..

13,175 barrels.Kyc, oats, and other smallgrain and pulseSaddlerySalt.ShinglesSkins and lursSoap 2,602,132 pounds

SO bushels..1,417,000

Spermaceti candles.Spirits from grainmolasses

other materialsSpirits of turpentineStaves and headingSugar, brown

2,275 pounds..354 gallons..84 gallons...432 gallons. ..

2.284 gallons...3,000

44,880 pounds..refined 173,208 pouml

Tallow.Tar and pitch.Tobacco, leaf

210 pounds. ..503 barrels.. .32 hhds.11 cases.

5,649 bales.Trunks and valisesUiubrellas, parasols, andsun-shades

VinegarWearing apparelWheat flourAll other articles manufacturedraw

ooo oai rei:?. . .( 32 hhds )-< 11 cases >( 5,649 bales j

3,S83 gallons...86,209 barrels...

$250410

3,4691,7055,450

1,570106,235

1,58430249759710

12,89303

4112C838

4,0501,23S3,3092,412

403 2331,1725,565

114,446

4,5771,73716

10,573122207,857

79018028162

1,22173

4,20016,101201,146

73,01940524415709

535,01317.8825;634

Total value of exports in American vessels 2,159,744Total value of exports in foreign vessels 282,161

Total value of exports from the United States toHayti 2,441,905

B.Stalement of goods, wares, and merchandise, of the groivfh,produce, and manufacture of foreign countries, expoHed toHayti during the year ending June 30, 1860.CofTeoCoins, goldBeer, ale, and porterClothing, ready madeCopper, manufactures of. .Cotton, manufactures of,

plainCotton, bleached, printed,

painted, or dyedFish, dried or smokedHerringsMafkerelOther lish, dried, smoked,

or pickled

25,905 pounds...30 gallons...


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Fish in oil , sard ines, &c ...Flax, manuliicturi's ofFigs 1,661 pounds...Prunes 2,765 pounds..Raisins 27,929 pounds. .Other IVuit, green, ripo, ordriedGlass, windowGums, Arabic, Barbary, Co-

pal, &c 240 pounds..All other gums and resins

in a crude state 202 pounds . .Gunny bagsHemp, and manufactures ofburlapsHemp, and manufactures ofcotton b.agging 2,949 runn'g yds.Hemp, and manufactures ofosnaburgs .Hemp, and manufacturesnot specified

ludigo 2,868 pounds...Iron, fire-armsnot specifiedMattingNuts, almonds 376 pounds. .

others..Oil, castor 5 gallons..

essential, expressed, orvolatile

linseed 40 gallons . .olive 225 doz. bots.

Pens, metallic Printed books and maga-

zines, in EnglishRaw hides and skinsSilk, manufactures ofSpices, cassia 2,060 pounds. .

cinnamon 30 pounds . .cloves .3,073 pounds...ginger, ground 2,000 pounds. .nutmegs 1,903 pounds...pepper 63 ,667 pounds . .pimento 743 pounds. .

Spirits, brandy 160 gallons. .from grain 578 gallons. .from other material 428 gallons..cordials 113 gallons . .Sugar, loaf and other re-

fined 404,965 pounds..Tin, and manufactures of

plates and sheetsTobacco, cigars 367,000Wine, in casks, Madeira 10 gallons

port 10 gallonssherry and St. Lucar 56 gallonsred wines 455 gallonsChampague 34 doz. botsWine, in bottles, claret 85 doz. bots. . .MiLdeira 5 doz. bots ....port 2 doz. botsother 5 doz. bots ....

Zinc, nails 110 pound.?sheets 830 poundsother manufactures ofValue of merchandise not enumerated aboveValue of merchandise exported to Hayti free ofdutyValue of merchandise exported to Hayti payingduty

Total.

183321

2,991325

482,0302,380352

3,5327,1741,626

50251054

1117

2,98625

850186240200301547254240831

5,78064

2352C4202147

39,6772,9512,967

2930

240290257351413840707064

94012,281

219,496231,777

Value of merchandise exported to Hayti in Amer-ican vessels $212,910Value of merchandise exported to Hayti in for-eign vessels , 18,867

C.Statement of gno


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LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS

1 Mill mil mil III nil,^013 700 942 ^13 of more importance to us than our costlynegotiations with Japan, where less than onetwentieth part in value of our products is re-ceived at an immense expenditure of money.Hayti purchases from us $1,200,000 more of ourexports than are taken by Norway and Swedencombined. We import from Hayti more byfifty per cent, than we receive from Turkey.Even Russia, with her immense region of terri-tory and her population of seventy millions ofpeople, does not receive of our industry morethan is already made available by Haytiencommerce to the five or six hundred thousandpersons of that West India island ; and whilethis is true, it is also a fact that our importsfrom Russia fall short of those from Hayti aboutfive hundred thousand dollars annually.The importance of these interests to us iswell understood iu Europe. In France, manyyears ago, a work was published by her Gov-ernment, in which it is said :"Favored by tlioir proximity to Hayti, the Americans

are detcnniucd on reducing the price of their sail provis-ions, their flour, soap, &c., to so low a figure tliat Europeancompetition is out of the question. They export from theirwarehouses at New York, wines, hardwares, hats,.caps,French sillis. and English manufactures. They furnish theHaytiens with the oils and pastes of Italy, and monopolizethe sale of candles, tapers, cheese, and timber for building.They maintain the .same superiority iu the export trade.They take three foui


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Documents

(1862) Independence of Hayti