The road to Marchand. Distillery decree issued at the imperial palace

Liberty or Death. IMPERIAL DECREE. JACQUES, first Emperor of Haiti and Supreme Chief of the army, by the grace of God and the constitutional law of the State, Wishing to remedy the damage that various unauthorized speculators do to the working of the State’s rum distilleries, Decrees as follows: Art. 1. Every distillery belonging either to the State or to private persons which was restored or established before the order of His Excellency the Minister of Finance concerning the leasing of distilleries shall be kept and shall continue to operate. Art. 2. All those which have been repaired or undertaken by private persons after the aforesaid order, without an express permission signed by my own hand or by that of His Excellency the Minister of Finance, shall be considered illicit and consequently demolished. Art. 3. Within one month from the day of the publication of the present decree, all private operators who have not complied with the intent of article 2 shall be prosecuted by extraordinary procedure and shall have their works confiscated for the benefit of the State. Art. 4. The present decree shall be read, published and posted wherever necessary, at the diligence of the administrators. The generals commanding divisions and arrondissements are ordered to lend armed support to the execution of the present decree. Given at the imperial palace of Dessalines, 2 May 1806, year 3 of independence, etc. DESSALINES. By the Emperor: the Secretary General, Juste CHANLATTE.