"Letter from Haiti (from our special correspondent)"
Port-au-Prince, 23 August 1890
My dear director,
As you have seen in the last newspapers sent from Haiti, the Ministry has been reconstituted. All the nominations are the same as I said previously.
The Dominican question continues to interest the Haitian press and public. The Government will undoubtedly be able to take all the measures required to safeguard our national honour. Someone here received information in a letter from New York that said that there is currently a delegation from the Dominican Republic in Washington charged with obtaining the support of the American government in helping force the Republic of Haiti accept the Dominican's pretensions. This fact, if it is confirmed, is destined to blow the current scrap up to vast proportions. There is an absurd rumour that the delegate of the Holy See in Haiti has been charged with a diplomatic mission. Everyone knows that the high dignitary of the Church had come here to confer on the subject of the nomination of the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince and the Bishop of Cayes. It is worth noting that the Government, which, according to the terms of the concordat, has the right to designate a candidate, has never done so for any of these episcopal sees.
Another resignation to note: that of Mr. Deslandes who had been substitute Government commissioner. This week, this ex-functionary published, under the title of An Interview with M. D. Trouillot, a piece that amused the public greatly.
This week's newspapers are full of recriminations against the payment in American gold, by the Ministry of Finance, of the entire debt owed by the Salomon government. There is a question of whether Mr. Firmin was qualified to pay in hard cash what in reality, law in hand, should have been paid in paper money (amortization). In some foreign circles, many of our stock market dabblers, who, as everyone knows, are jaded on the people and the things of Haiti, have already started taking bets on the length of the reputation for incorruptibility that our Minister of Finance has so far had.
Interesting debates have also started regarding the budget presented to the Chambers for 90-91, which is evaluated thus:
| General revenue | P. 7,029,029.60 |
| from which should be deducted: | |
| Value affected to the payment of the 1875 loan | P. 297,656.43 |
| Interior debt amortization, Arrears debt, Withdrawal of banknotes | P. 615,537.20 |
| Foreign indemnities (events of 22 and 23 September 1883). Sixth and final term | P. 128,829.89 |
| Loan from the decree of 3 October 1889 | P. 308,280.33 |
| Bons Ch. d'Aubigny et Co | P. 57,186.25 |
| A. Bobo | P. 57,692.28 |
| Bons A. Rouzier | P. 10,000 |
| Partial payments for the claims of Sylvie and Van-Bokkelen | P. 40,000 |
| Loan of P. 60,000 (liquidation) | P. 378,235.43 |
| Remaining balance in favour of the Bank | P. 25,250.00 |
| ----------------- | |
| P. 1,918,667.81 | |
| ----------------- | |
| Actual revenue | P. 5,110,361.79 |
| Budget and Expenses | |
| War and Navy | P. 1,228,679.08 |
| Interior and general Police | P. 989,888.16 |
| Public instruction | P. 902,107.50 |
| Public works | P. 503,141.46 |
| Finance and Trade | P. 644.642.76 |
| Justice | P. 530,790 / |
| Agriculture | P. 280,422 / |
| Foreign Relations | P. 137.030 / |
| Religions | P. 77,718.50 |
| ----------------- | |
| P. 5,094,419.46 |
The surplus on the revenues is thus of P. 15,942.33.
This budget is the first normal budget of the current Government. Some enlightened minds have pointed out that the gap between the revenues and expense (about 16,000 piastres) is insufficient, because the expenses are real and almost always surpassed, whereas the revenues are possible and decrease considerably—when they do not disappear altogether—with the merest political discord that arises. It is said that the large raises of expenditures in this budget, which are almost one million gourdes more than Salomon's last budget—which was already too high—necessitates explanations of the true motives, which the budget does not contain. It is said... but our time is growing short; we will report more in two weeks.
As I was finishing my letter, I received an issue of the République, an extra edition, and in which in the first column the following words are written in eye-catching characters:
"We have just been informed in a letter from Cap-Haïtien that the national printer in that town, the only that can print a large newspaper, has just received a formal order to stop working for the newspaper La Liberté.
"The paper is thus forced to suspend its publication."
I hope this is only a frightful joke.
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