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University Daily Kansan Thursday, March 25, 19
Negro Republic, Haiti. Observes 150th Year
A participant in the Caracas conference this year is observing its 150th year of independence. That country is the republic of Haiti, a small, mountainous, sun-drenched island which shares the second largest land mass of the Greater Antilles with Puerto Rico on the east and Cuba on the west.
With a strife-filled history of black-mulatto hatred predominant and vooodoo corollary, Haiti is now undergoing a modern sort of "Black Magic" which promises to revamp conditions in the island republic.
The size of Maryland, Haiti contains more people per square mile (229) than any other republic in the hemisphere. Through the streets of its capital, Port-au-Prince (population 150,000) move midget French cars, bulging orange buses, sad-eyed donkeys, and a steady trickle of sewage. Above all this, in the hills overlooking the city and the bay, are the villas and the hotels of the rich, the foreign business colony and the tourists.
Haiti is the lone Negro republic in the Western hemisphere—but it is by no means a classless society. According to a Time magazine mass—has kept Haiti aboil for most of the 150 years since it first 2 per cent of the 3,500,000 population. Well-to-do lawyers, doctors, poets, and government servants, the elite like to think of themselves as "colored Frenchmen." Time says. Their language is French and their religion is Roman Catholic. Just a little way down the social scale, they are beginning to blur into a growing middle class of U.S.-style businessmen, tradesmen, progressive farmers, and artisans.
But the peasants are poor. Their per capita income is $62 yearly, the lowest in the hemisphere. A total of 90 per cent of all Haitians is black, barefoot, unlettered peasants. They work the soil with a hoe rather than a plow, pick coffee from 25-foot wild trees, and build thatch huts which they call home.
Though devout Roman Catholics who attend Mass every Sunday, the peasants still turn to the voodoo lore of remote African memory in such workaday matters as appeasing the dead and assuring successful births.
The conflict between the two extremes—the rich and the poor, the cultured and the uncouth, the mulatto minority and the black msas—has kept Haiti aboil for most of the 150 years since it first proclaimed its independence.
In 1912, the United States intervened in Haiti. Rebellions had ousted 11 of 18 presidents. In the space of a few months, one president was blown up in his palace, another was poisoned, and three more deposed. Adm. William B. Caperton, USN entered the harbor on the U.S.S. Washington. Occupation began.
With speed, the U.S. gave Haiti a new constitution, drawn up by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt. And the Marines effectively ended the cycle of revolutions by disarming rebels, restoring peasants to the land, improving health and sanitation, and building roads. They trained civil servants, and built up a nucleus of competent men to run the machinery of government. Most important, they set up rural schools, where peasants could begin to get the education they needed to compete with the elite.
To illustrate the Haitian regard for U.S. efficiency, the surname of Dr. W. W. Cumberland, customs receiver, has become an accepted Creole word meaning shortcut.
With the Good Neighbor policy, occupation became obsolete. In 1934, President Roosevelt visited Port-au-Prince, and ordered the Marines to run down the U.S. flag and pull out. For Haiti, it was the end of one era and the beginning of another.
In 1951, President Paul Magliore announced a five-year development plan emphasizing agriculture at a cost of $40 million. The plan's axis was the damming of Haiti's main river and the irrigation of 80,000 acres that are now desert in the dry season and muddy lakes in the wet. President Magliore's plan also called for agricultural schools, cooperative use of tractors, reforestation, and grain storage.
Haiti's biggest technical achievement has been in health. The loathsome, running-sore disease of yaws, which once infected 62 per cent of the population, has been almost wiped out by penicillin injections. Now, President Maglorie and the U.S. Foreign Operations Administration are tackling malaria and tuberculosis.
The president has made Creole the beginning language in schools rather than French. Formerly, children entered schools to be confronted for the first time with a language that was gibberish to them
The President has been able to get along with former dictator Rafael Trujillo on a general-to-general basis that lets ill-armed Haiti keep its self-respect.
U. S.-Haitian relations are excellent.
A promising tourist industry has doubled since 1951, bringing the country, as much cash income as sugar did in 1953.
By the standards of 1954 materialism, the world's first black republic should perhaps still be called an unsanitary, barefoot failure. But by less material standards it must be counted a gentle, peaceable, individualistic country that is perservering and utterly free.
Magliore has argued that Haiti has shown by its struggle for liberty and progress that the black race and small nations can achieve a status equal to that of any other human group.
Meanwhile, the 1954 Black Magic carries on.
—Letty Lemon
It is with a great deal of concern and personal shame that I see the continued toleration of Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wise.) In the last few weeks we have seen a cheap, poorly directed melodrama unfold. Fantastic charges have been leveled at the Army by the so-called fearless fighter of communism.
...Letters...
Innocent people high and low in the Army were accused of being agents and protectors of the Communists. One of the nation's heroes was attacked by Sen. McCarthy as being a protector of Communists. It seems that our country has reached a low ebb when one of the nation's heroes, a general who has a spotless record, is called by the omnipotent judge "not fit to wear the uniform of the United States."
(Editor's note: The reference apparently is to Brig. Gen. Ralph Zwicker.)
How far will McCarthyism go? I for one do not intend to wait and see. I feel that each student should sit down and write a personal letter to their senator telling them of the increasing dangers of McCarthyism both at home and abroad.
The power to curb Sen. McCarthy rests directly in one place and one place only—the U.S. Senate. The surest and best replacement for McCarthy tactics is investigation based on fair play and honesty, not the investigation based on "what will get my name before the public."
The logical and reasonable type of investigation is what the great bulk of the nation, Republicans and responsible Democrats, would support.
A few have expressed their opposition to the Fascist tactics of Sen. McCarthy; to these individuals we owe a debt of thanks. Only the aroused citizenry can bring a quick end to this strangulation of our government. If we flood our senators with cards and letters expressing our disgust and contempt of McCarthyism and all it stands for we will succeed in stamping it out.
The editor
—Robert E. Thiele
The editor University Daily Kansan Dear Sir
Giving the University administration the benefit of the doubt, we feel that they have made a grave error in scheduling the Kansas Relays during Holy Week.
It does indeed seem a shame that Good Friday and Holy Saturday happen to conflict with these well-known annual Kansas track events. It has long been our impression that Holy Week was a time for celebration of the crucifixion and subsequent triumphant resurrection of our Savior. Why must the celebration of Holy Week this year be relegated to second place while our track men enjoy star billing?
Karl H. Hanson Jr. college junior
Rex B. Mav. education junior
Rex B. May, education ...
Jack Dickson, college sophomore
Back Dickson, college sophmore
Black Dickson, some people find that the conflict is a problem.
Relays and Holy Week is unfortunate, it must be said that the Relays are a good deal more consistent than Holy Week. Because of the other major Larry carnival held this week, they are held the same week EVERY year and is scheduled far in advance in order that schools may fix their schedules. It would be nearly impossible, and certainly unwise, to attempt changing the Relays date earlier to conform with Religious events.
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Conditions Back to Normal AP Puts K.U. in 18th Place
In case you hadn't noticed, the AP released its final college basketball poll Tuesday. And, as usual, Kansas was far down the list.
The Jayhawkers were assigned the No. 18 spot, a glittering honor indeed. Right above KU were two real power houses, Seattle (17) and Niagara (16). Don't think we're being sarcastic, however. After all Seattle was forced to battle Idaho State and Portland during the regular season. Niagara's reputation is so firmly established as a leading cage power that we need make no comment.
Iowa, second place finisher in the tough Big Ten conference and an 82-64 victor over Indiana was the 13th team. But they're just another punk aggregation who play in the midwestern bush leagues.
Rounding out the bottom ten were George Washington (12) and Southern California (11). George Washington probably was entitled to its position, since it had to tangle with teams east of the Mississippi river. Southern California was the best West Coast team in the nation, if that means anything. It doesn't, but that's beside the point.
Ranked at 15th and 14th were Duke and Louisiana State. We don't object having the swamp boys rated above Phog Allen's Big Seven co-champs. (They whipped us 68-83 in the second game of the season.) LSU, like KU, should have been in the top ten. Duke had a fine team in 1952. Apparently the eastern writers who control most of the votes feel the 1954 outfit deserves a bit of prestige, merely for the sake of tradition.
Now let's reverse the procedure and start with the first ten in order. Kentucky was No. 1, which was all right in our book. The Wildcats easily had the classiest squad in intercollegiate basketball. LaSalle, the N. C. A. a champion was No. 2. That's all right too.
Now we are confronted with a stirring example of judgment. That powerful champion of that rugged NIIT tournament, Holy Cross, was third. We'll wager the fourth place finisher in the Big Seven could take the annual Madison Square Garden event with ease.
The poll wasn't quite so fouled up after this point. Indiana as No. 4, Duquesne 5, Notre Dame No. 6, Bradley No. 7, Western Kentucky, No. 8, Penn State, No. 9, and Oklahoma A&M. No. 10.
Just as a matter of contrast, Kansas was ranked seventh in the final United Press poll. The men who make these selections are coaches, they know something about the relative strength of college teams.
KU probably will remain on the
AP black list as long as Phog is at the helm. Way back in 1953 he predicted the eastern basketball world would be rocked by scandals. His prediction came true in 1951. He's argued that western teams usually get a raw officiating deal, when they invade the east coast. We've never seen a game back there but we don't doubt this is true.
Oh, well, this is all in vain. Things won't change one iota next season. Therefore, don't be too surprised if Kansas completes an unbeaten conference season, whips Oklahoma A&M by 35 points in the 35 points in the regionals, wins the NCAA title, places five men on the all-American team, and finishes behind Middle Tennessee State and Swordfish Tech in the AP poll. That's fate.
-Chuck Morel
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