Pierre Théoma Boisrond Canal

Pierre Théoma Boisrond Canal (born June 12, 1832 in Torbeck , Département Sud , † June 3, 1905 in Frères ) was a Haitian politician and President of Haiti .

biography

Military and political career

Boisrond-Canal began a military career after completing school. During the presidency of Fabre Geffrard he served as an officer from 1858 to 1867 . He then retired from military service and instead became a farmer.

His political career began in 1870 when he was elected Senator from Port-au-Prince . He was re-elected as such until 1875. After the unrest of May 1875, he went into exile in Kingston (Jamaica) for a few months , where, as leader of the Liberal Party ( Parti Liberal ), he saw the views of Boyer Bazelais as too extreme. During Boisrond-Canal's first presidency, Bazelais became one of its strictest controllers.

Upon his return, he was appointed Army Commander in the Ouest department by President Michel Domingue .

President 1876 to 1879

On April 23, 1876, he succeeded Domingue as chairman of the Provisional Government, before he was finally elected President of Haiti himself on July 17, 1876 under the constitution of 1867 for a term of four years.

During his tenure, the scandal surrounding the Domingue credit and the Autran incident led to foreign policy crises in relations with France and Spain.

The Domingue Credit Scandal

At the beginning of his tenure, he faced numerous difficulties due to the financial policies of his predecessor Domingue. Because of the loan Domingue had taken out from France in 1875, which he refused to pay, the French government almost refused to recognize his government. On the other hand, it was known in Paris that Haiti did not get the loan amount that France was now demanding. But in the rest of Europe and the United States , too , people continued to demand that Haiti should rely on foreign aid to regulate its finances because of the alleged corruption and unscrupulousness of the statesmen there. On the other hand, in every financial scandal that hit Haiti, there were also numerous foreigners among the instigators or the beneficiaries of the abuse, who on the one hand denounced Haitian corruption and on the other hand claimed the monopoly of righteousness and integrity for themselves.

For example, the Haitian people, who did not refuse proper credit approval, refused to accept responsibility for the scams related to the payment of the domingue credit. An investigation into the case by the National Assembly found that Haiti owed neither the 58 million francs that were originally reclaimed, nor the 40 million francs that France was demanding in recognition of the amount due.

By decree of July 11, 1877, the National Assembly recognized a debt of 21 million francs on behalf of Haiti, which was to be paid interest at 6 percent per annum. In doing so, the country demonstrated its desire to secure its loans without harming legitimate lenders.

As a result, France, which in the meantime was also investigating the matter, resumed its official relations with Haiti by sending an authorized envoy to Port-au-Prince in December 1878 . The previous good relations between France and Haiti has been restored and then it came to an agreement with the debenture holders ( Bond-Holder ).

The Autran incident

At the height of the difficulties with France there were suddenly far more serious complications with Spain , which was unable to suppress the struggle for independence in Cuba and therefore sought a scapegoat in Haiti .

On December 3, 1877, the warship " Sánchez Barcaiztegui " anchored in the port of Port-au-Prince because its commander, Antonio Ferry y Rival, was tasked with investigating the legality of the judgment of a Haitian criminal court against José Santisi. Artisi was convicted of arson as the manager of an ice cream factory in Port-au-Prince, which led to an insurance loss for the French insurance company " Le Globe ".

After completing the investigation, the ship left port without incident. However, on December 14, 1877, the warship " Jorge Juan " arrived under commandant José Maria Autran, who immediately posed a threat. On December 17, 1877, he issued an ultimatum to the Haitian Foreign Minister calling on Haiti to put down alleged disputes with Spain within 72 hours. The conviction of José Santisi was made as a pretext for the aggressive situation. The real reason for the Spanish displeasure, however, was that refugees from Cuba found asylum in Haiti .

In his ultimatum, Captain Autran saw an insult to his country in the condemnation of his Spanish compatriot José Santisi, which was overturned by the Supreme Court ( Cour de Cassation ) due to a formal error , but the release was not implemented immediately. On the other hand, he stated that Haiti had offended Spain by failing to force a conviction of the Cuban citizen Manuel Fernandez, whose conviction was also annulled by the Supreme Court. Both Santisi and Fernandez were both Spanish nationals , as Cuba was not an independent state at the time, and enjoyed equal protection from Spain. The overturned court decisions had to be renegotiated under Haitian law. Captain Autran did his utmost to discriminate against Haiti by demanding the immediate release of Santisi on the one hand and the rigorous implementation of Fernandez's conviction on the other. Despite these differing demands, he saw Spain in a letter to the British Consul as a conscientious steward and guardian of justice and justice. In his ultimatum, Autran continued to call for the indictment to be brought against those who chanted “ Down with Spain ” and “ Viva Cuba Libre ” in front of the Spanish consulate . Other grievances that Autran denounced in his ultimatum were the dishonouring of the Spanish flag by being trampled on by strangers and other vilifications.

Haiti refused to recognize Spain's claims regarding Santisi and Fernandez and insisted on equal punishment for the two. Haiti also declined any responsibility for the alleged nocturnal calls of disregard in front of the Spanish consulate by strangers as well as the disregard for the Spanish flag.

In his letter of December 17, 1877 to the diplomatic corps in Port-au-Prince, Autran also mentioned great sympathies with the Cuban rebels in Jamaica and Nassau . However, there was neither an ultimatum nor any other demonstration of Spanish power towards the motherland of Jamaica and Nassau, Great Britain, while this was intensely demonstrated against Haiti.

The diplomatic corps offered to mediate to settle the dispute, and on December 19, 1877, the conflict was peacefully settled through an exchange of gun salutes between the " Jorge Juan " and the Haitian warship " 1804 ".

resignation

In the period that followed, the two chambers of Congress decided on restrictive budgetary control and limited expenditure to what was absolutely necessary. At the same time, the public works were given special tasks in which a US investor was granted the concession to build a railway and the tram in Port-au-Prince. In addition, canals and sewers were built to supply private houses and contracts for quays and bridges were signed.

Foreign and domestic political tensions arose during Boisrond-Canal's reign, especially because of the different views of the national and liberal parties in parliament. After a heated debate in the Chamber of Deputies on June 30, 1879, riots followed in Port-au-Prince, in which the leader of the Liberal Party, Boyer Bazelais , played a major role. Along with the President, he was the leader of the second large group within the Parti Liberal. The group around Boisrond Canal ( Libéraux Canalistes ) emerged from the internal party disputes after an electoral alliance with the Parti National .

Although the government was able to restore public order, Boisrond-Canal resigned from his post as president on July 17, 1879, because he was unable to mediate between the divided liberal and national parties. Successor as president was Lysius Salomon . After his resignation, he first went again into exile to Jamaica .

Provisional Presidencies in 1888 and 1902

After he returned to Haiti from exile, he was appointed acting president of Haiti on August 10, 1888, following the resignation of his successor Solomon. He then handed this office over to François Denys Légitime on October 16, 1888 .

On May 26, 1902, he succeeded Tirésias Simon-Sam again as acting president of Haiti. On December 17, 1902, Pierre Nord Alexis was his successor.

Boisrond Canal was one of the most influential politicians in Haiti of his time and also had a significant influence on Haiti's politics outside of his own reigns. In addition to himself, his younger brother Louis Auguste Boisrond-Canal was also politically active and in 1908 was a member of the Commission for Public Order, a transitional government.

Individual evidence

Web links

predecessor	Office	successor
Michel Domingue	President of Haiti April 23, 1876 - July 17, 1879	Lysius Salomon

predecessor	Office	successor
Lysius Salomon	President of Haiti August 10, 1888 - October 16, 1888	François Denys Légitime

predecessor	Office	successor
Tirésias Simon-Sam	President of Haiti May 26, 1902 - December 17, 1902	Pierre Nord Alexis

personal data
SURNAME	Boisrond Canal, Pierre Théoma
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Haitian politician and President of Haiti
DATE OF BIRTH	June 12, 1832
PLACE OF BIRTH	Torbeck , South Department
DATE OF DEATH	June 3, 1905
Place of death	Frères

[1] New York Times July 23, 1876

[2] "Hayti assailed By Insurgents; An Attack In The South repulsed - Government Forces Outnumbered In The North" 21, New York Times in February 1879

[3] "The president abdicates; Culmination Of The Shooting Affair In The Chambers - A New Election" , New York Times July 23, 1879

[4] "Anarchy In Hayti; President Canal Resigns - A Civil War In Progress," New York Times August 2, 1879

[5] "The Haytian Revolution; The Republic In Charge Of A Provisional Government" , New York Times September 14, 1888

[6] "Haitian Situation Grave; Further Fighting In Port-au-Prince Yesterday" , New York Times May 14, 1902

[7] "Battle In Haiti Expected; Engagement Between Northern And Southern Forces Be Fought Today - Alarm Among Foreigners" , New York Times May 15, 1902

[8] "Dark Days Prepared For Haiti; Boisrond-Canal, Ineligible For The Presidency Has Carefully Laid Plans To Capture The Government" , New York Times December 11, 1895