No. 170.
Mr. Bassett to Mr. Fish.
Port au Prince, Hayti, Dec. 28, 1875. (Received Jan. 10, 1876.)
Sir: Referring to my No. 406, of the 12th ultimo, in which mention was made of a supposed contemplated revolutionary movement against the existing authorities of this government, I have the honor to represent that the aspect of the condition of things in that regard is such as to give some continued inquietude to those authorities, and that, in my opinion, an outbreak of the kind supposed to be contemplated may possibly take place in the near future.
It has been confidentially reported to me, from sources worthy of confidence, that money in considerable amounts, for revolutionary purposes, has been secretly collected here, some of it even from merchants and others who pretend to be friendly to the government. I have also been informed that Ex-Minister Ovide Cameau has been sent by the Haytian exiles in Jamaica to the United States, thereto seek the means of forwarding their alleged revolutionary schemes; and I am inclined to believe that there prevails, justly or unjustly, throughout the republic an almost unprecedented dissatisfaction, growing chiefly out of the conduct, in a public sense, of Minister Rameau, who, it is alleged, inspires and controls nearly every public act and proceeding in his own interests; who has, so it is further alleged, plunged the country into enormous debts; keeps faith with none except so far as it may serve his own selfish purposes; does not pay the government employés or any other honest government obligation, while he allows favorites to become rich at the public expense.
It is Claimed, in fine, that Minister Rameau is a bold, intriguing, utterly unscrupulous usurper, whose conduct of affairs ought not to be tolerated by the country, and against whom it is useless for any one to say anything to his uncle, the President. I have further understood it to be the opinion of those unfriendly to the government, among them leading foreign merchants, who keep up an outward appearance of friendship toward the authorities, that, owing to the puerile, discreditable, financial policy and situation created by Minister Rameau, the government will almost fall of itself at the end of the coffee crop, or, at least, then find itself in very grave embarrassment. This opinion, I may say, has been expressed to me by these persons themselves.
The Haytian exiles, in Jamaica, are, many of them, men of ability, who, besides, know perfectly their own country. And it has been intimated to me that they have received promises of support from Cubans there and elsewhere in exile, these latter having become somewhat embittered against Domingue’s government from the facts growing out of the case of the Laura Pride, outlined in my No. 391 of the 9th of September last.
There are also other facts and allegations of like character to those just enumerated, which appear to tend toward an early revolutionary attempt, and which from time to time come within my information from both the friends of the government and those unfriendly to it. But I have not conceived it to be ordinarily the duty of a diplomatic agent to foment, foster, or encourage, on the one hand, schemes or intrigues of revolution in the country of his official residence, nor, on the other hand, to act the part of an informer or spy, to apprise the authorities of that country of facts and occurrences of which knowledge may come to him as a disinterested, neutral, independent person.
[Page 324]But movement is not confined to the one party in this situation. Under Rameau’s inspiration the country has, it is asserted, been filled with spies in his interest. These spies, it is said, track every suspected person here, and swarm among the exiles in Jamaica and their friends wherever they can be reached.
It may be supposed that be is informed to some extent of their every movement and purpose, and in consequence he has taken all precaution to guard against their supposed contemplated revolutionary attempt. Even the President said in an open manner lately, that if these men made an attempt to overthrow him by violence and failed, he would cause them all to be exterminated.
But the politics of Hayti may be considered as a system of violence, and violence generally brings its own reward. By violence Geffrard overthrew Soulouque, and in turn was overthrown by violence by Sal-nave. Then violence overthrew Salnave, and by violence Saget took his seat at the head of the government. By many it was and is considered that Domingue came to power by an irregularity, backed by then impending violence.
By arbitrary means, intrigue, brute force, or violence, almost as a rule here, men come to public places, maintain their power, and carry on the government. Need we wonder if violence be not yet entirely ended among this peculiar people?
I am, &c.,