New-York tribune., 1875-11-13
GERMAN-AMERICANS.

roRY-IIBERiL CONCESSIONS MADE BY TIE I'M
rEmAL GOVERNMENT.
frsoM The REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRlDuNEj
BERIrv Oct. PA few days ago the Re'ohs-dH-
seoer. OF official gazette, contained state
ment of the principle, or rather practice'
according 10 which the Imperial ooVeil-
ment will henccforth interpret the Na'nrai-
ization Treaty of 1868. According 10 Aru-
Gle " of that treaty, person ns'ur'n|'"
IN either country, who afterward returns l"
his native land and makes il his place OF resuehoe'
NAV be held 10 have resumed his original aeeiauoe'
"Tbe intent not 10 return" il is explained, may be
held 10 exist when the person naturalzed III INC ohe
eountry resides more than two years In the other
eopntrvD The application of this rule is permissiye
mot impcratve. The object of the Article was TO Tx
tbc stains of some Germans and Americans who pro-
fss to he citizens of one country. while they escape
all the obligations of citizenship by living IN the
other. Two years residence was deemed reasoh-
able limit and was designated for the snu-
ance of the Imperial authorities. In the courSe
of time. however, this optional feature DC
came great source of confusion ana uiu-
entity Naturalzed citizens. returning 10 tue
Fatherlaud to pass the rest of their days. lo,lhu
themselves after two years invariably Ill eoll''c'
with the Interior and the War Departments lheiI
goods were seized for taxes and they themselves, II
They were not liable for military service unfuliiled
at the time Of their emigration, unless they had
actually deserted but were held bound to give such
service as is cNaced bv law from persons OF the age
~ which they were assumed 10 have again become
Pr,ssian on German subjects The result always was
in such eases an appeal to the American Leeauoh'
Under Mr. Bancroft, who as the authorot the treaty
may be presumed to know what II meant, as wen
as under his excellent successor MT. Bancroft
DAVIS the Legation has always and freely lh'er-
ceded to q reasonable extent for tins class ol per
.ons and has of course helped many OF them ou' Oh
deserved or undeserved embarrassment. But except
IN a limited number of eases, where the zeal oil
prnssian officials had led them TO claim persons as
German subjects before the expiration of the two
years grace. but little could he done. While the
authorities could ustifyther claim TO apply the two
wears regulation the Legation could only request
from the Foreign Office its suspension III particular
instances.
According 70 my information the Foreign ONCE
has ALWAYS int rpreted the Treaty in broad, liberal
and conciliatory spirit For this We donbtless have
60 thank Prince Bismarck himself In the debate OF
ApTl p 1sGS which preceded the ratlhcatlon ol the
Treaty By the Parliament OF the North German Con-
federation. Prince then Count Bismarck not only
accepted IN the most mreserved manner the rght OF
expatriaton hut he further declared that it was his
own as we'll as the Governments intention TO
execute the Treaty in a liberal and friendly spirit
1--WE have here nothing to do with pettfogging,"
said he. The Treaty viii be honestly carried into
effect by both parties. pray you to raise no
doubt about the cOncilatOry and friendly e1ecu-
tion of the same.7 He concluded by ex-
pressing warmly a desire TO have Germans
appreciate and maintain the distinction
claimed by one of the speakers, OF beng the
firm allv OF the American Commonwealth, from the
r ii, afs
treaty recognized the right to emigatc which had
not hitherto been conceded in Prussia. BY circulars
from the Interior and Justice Ministries the provin-
cial officials were directed to suspend all proceedings
against returning em grants, and to regard as Amer
ican citizens all who could show regular papers OF
natnralization II is worthy of note, too, that in
the debate above mentioned all the opposition 10 the
Treaty came from deputies who feared that 1t was
not liberal enough that in fact the guarantees OF
immunity for the nauTalzed emIgrant were not full
and explicit enough. Bismarck himself gave the
Government Interpretation, while the debate sup
Piled the popular impression of the Treatys INTENT
During the past Summer however, returned en-
iprant and CAPABLE critic, Dr. Friedrich Kapp, has
published series of articles in which the Treaty is
assaile2 as too liberal The concessions he declares
were all on the side of Germany. The American
Minister carried all his points and won complete
diplomatic victory DR.. Kapp seems to be no friend
of Mr. Bancroft and he writes like relentless oppo
nen but he pays his diplomatic tact aud persistence
the highest Of all compliments. | do not need
TO reproduce the substance of his articles just
now the issue that he raises is not with u.s. but with
his own Government-with Prince Bismarck, who
inspired tie Foreign Office which drafted, and the
Reichstag which ratified the perniciOus compact
II is simply question Of domestic German politics.
in which we are interested purely as observers
III frauf ut
the earliest possible date January, 1873, does not
Immediately concern the United states al TINS stage
Of the discussion.
But to return 10 the Rdcls-Anzeiger and its para
graph Of last week. This Government organ began
by explaining the difficulties which had
never ceased to arise in the application of
Article ". Il had never been formally de-
Clarcd by the Government that under the
option given by that Article it would invariably re-
gard two years residence after returning re-
nunciation Of American citizenship. In some
cases tho police had observed such rule and drawn
the victim into the army. 1n other cases, where
even after the years the person conld prove AN
intent to return he had been released the repre-
sentation of the American Minister TO the Foreign
Office But this method was arbitrary and capri
oious 1t unjust 10 natrralized citizens who,
without warning and in absence of any obligation
imposed on the officials, suddenly found themselves
6ned for noDperormance OF military duty, as it was
vexatOus to the Legation and the Foreign Office.
The RechSARsegcr, Therefore, announces the rule by
which the German authorities viii hencefOrth he
governed. On the expiration of the two years OF
grace the returning emgrantg will not at once be
ensnared as in trapwthoutan choice. Their intent
not TO return TO America after that ume will indeed
be presumed They viii become theoretically liable
st once as new German subjects. But they will have