Wichita eagle., 1890-01-28
OLD WORLD TRAVELLING.
PLACES WHERE CREDENTIALS ARE
REQUIRED OF STRANGERS.

|
| Trouble to Get Out as to Enter the Coun-
! try-No joke About it.
Passports are matter of the first import
| ance to the traveller who intends to go to
Russia In other European countries they
| are not Of SO much consequence. In England,
| France and, in fact, most Of the countries
visited by the regular American tourist they
| would not be asked for in the course of years,
! and in some parts of Germany, the Rhlne
| and the most frequented southern provinces
the police don't appear to know such things
are in existence In Berlin and Leipsic and
other cities where the socialist law is enforced
| the regulations are more strict, but an ordl-
| narily shrewd American can avoid them and
| in any event will not meet any more serious
! difficulty than request TO leave town II his
excuses are too lame to get past the police
| board. As rule, the German officials are
| good natured.
At the Berlin hotels, on the cards for regis
| try which are given to the guests on arriving,
are questions relating to the passport, but If
| they are not answered nothing Is said and the
| guest may stay perhaps week before they
are presented again. This time they can't be
avoided SO easily. Some answer is necessary,
and the old traveller who only cares to stop a
week or two longer can fix up some sort of o
story about having them on the way, or in
| tending to see the American minister, or be-
| ING or the verge of some other plan which
viii bring them all right in few days Ii
these excuses are given respectfully and with
! some indications of truth, they will last for
another week or two, but after that some
thing more decided has to be done. The Ger
man police are not often fooled twice on the
same story. At the next request the pass
ports have to be forthcoming, and il they
can't be found the police respectfully request
! the ''honored visitor" to get out of Berlin and
/ stay out until he can come back with the
right kind of credentials. When this SEN
tence is passed, the fight is over so far as the
visitor is concerned. The only thing to do is
to get out by the first train or have the escort
| Of the police to the next one. Even the
American minister can't help you then.
NOT SO MUCH OF JOKE AFTER ALI.
In some cases, of course, it is impossible to
delay even day, and it is almost needless to
suggest that the delay only follows very
respectful treatment of the police and very
| courteous answer to their questions. In Mu-
mich, year or two ago, remember young
student of the Polytechnic who was incautious
| enough to try the effect Of little humor on
| the chief of police. The chief wrote him a
! note asking him in the regular form what he
intended doing in Munich, and he replied that
he hoped to drink Munich beer. 1t was only
q few hours after he had sent the answer that
he was surprised by notification from the
police that they wanted no strangers in town
who were devoted exclusively to the beer
drinking business, and that he would consult
his own interests by packing up at once. He
tried to explain that he had only attempted
feeble joke, but the authorities would not
listen to him, and with their assistance he
caught his train. He got into some of the
other cities of Germany, but, it is fair to pre-
sumo, kept his witticisnls to himself the next
time the police wanted personal information.
In his case, coming back to the subject of
passports, the information wanted was the
same as that asked Of any one who intends to
live long time in Germany. For long
stay in any town the passport would be adj
visable, and might cause serious trouble if
forgotten. AS rule, however, and especially
to travellers, they are necessary.
WHERE PASSPORTS MEAN GREAT DEAL
In Russia, however, the passport becomes
more needful than money. Not because people
are halted on the street to show their passport,
as is currently supposed, nor because police line
the streets and are waiting for strangers at
every corner, but because it is impossible to
get either in or out OF Russia, or to get food
and lodging when one is there without it.
The police on the streets know very well that
strangers have their passports or they would
not be there First of all, it is difficult to
buy tickets to Russia without showing a
passport vsed by the Russian consul at the
starting point By the steamship lines no
passenger comes on board the boat without
the Russian consuls written permission, and
by the railways while the greater hurry at
the ticket offices makes it possible to buy
tickets without showing any documents, no
visitor arrives at the frontier without very
earnestly wishing he had one.
At the frontier stations on the lines from
Berlin and Vienna the care and zeal of the
police is extraordinary. The German trains
are turned round, held In waiting until the
examination is through, and then steam back
TO Germany again with people on whom the
Russian doors are shut. Some Of these TN
fortunates are Jews, some persons whose APP
pearance does not please the police, some
have suspicious baggage, but the large ma
tority have forgotten to have their passports
vised or have forgotten them altogether. On
the steamers, of course, there Is no frontier
station, and it is to save the trouble and ek-
pense Of keeping suspects few days at st.
Petersburg and carrying them back again
that the companies enforce the law at the
other end of the line They see that every
thing is all right before the boat gets away,
and on this account they are probably the
best way for careless people to try to start to
Russia The traveller visits the Russian con-
sui first, then the ticket Office, then, he
goes on board, gives his passport to the cap
tain who holds 1t until the Russian official
takes his preliminary look st the passengers
at Cronstadt. At the pier in st. Petersburg
the passports are taken to the police bureau,
which seems to be part of every pier.
The baggage is examined, and then the
passengers pass through the bureau and get
their passports again. At the hotel there is
another passport bureau Passports are given
up to the police, and then the motel proprie-
tor, who seems to be in some measure respon-
sible for his guests, permits them to register.
The passports 90 to the police headquarters
and are returned in q day or two in case the
police are satisfied; ii not, they send for the
visitor put him through 3 cross examination
and permit him TO stay or not as they are
impressed with his story and appearance. At
any town in Russia the same formalities with
regard TO the hotels must be observed, and TO
get cut OF the country again permission must
be obtained from the police at the town
where the passports are last handed in Then
the steam boats and railroads repeat their
precautions, the police go with the boat As
far as CroIstadt or HelsiEgford, to take back
any one who has not been permitted 10 leave,
and the officers wait 81 the frontier TO detair
any one who has neglected the same formali-