The Princeton union., 1893-03-30
The Right of Asylum.

Of nights
The Right OF Asylum.
A correspondent of the Cincinnati
Southwest publishes some impo rtant
historical facts bearing on the right of
asylum Of political offenders. He is in
dignant that in secret session this last
winter the United States senate passed
again the shameful extradition treaty
with Russia which binds us to deliver
over to the Muscovite autocracy refugees
who have attempted the life Of the czar
He reminds us that this is the same treaty
President Cleveland refused to sign. six
years ago
The correspondent remarks that one of
the most sacred and vital Of our free in
stitutions is the right Of asylum of polit
ical refugees who have sought our shores
for safety. He reminds the American
people how in 1851 President Fillmore
sent the United States frigate Mississippi
to Cutaya, Asia Minor, to ask from the
Turkish government and bring to Amer
lea the defeated patriot, Louis Kossuth,
and his suite. After the failure of his
cause Kossuth fed to Turkish soil Aus
tria, backed by Russia, demanded his ex-
tradition from Turkey. But the sultan,
backed by England and France, refused
to accede to the demand, keeping Kos
suth till our vessel reached Cutaya and
brought him in triumph to America, the
land Of the free and the home of the
brave. Russia and Austria snarled, but
all the rest of the world applauded our.
act. Shall we bemeaner and more cow
ardly now than we were As years ago?'
asks this writer. II.
Further, Kossuth, the political refugee
and revolutionist, had reception in the
United States senate chamber after his
arrival here and addressed that body by
invitation. Baron Hulsemann. the Aus
trian minister, entered formal protest
in the name of his government. Daniel
Webster was secretary of state. In a
letter which is among the noblest, most
logical of our American state documents,
Webster replied, vindicating the course
Of the United States under the law Of
nations. Again, in 1854, Martin Koszta,
a former subject Of Austria, who had
been engaged in the Hungarian revolu-
tion, became subject Of international
dispute
Koszta had taken preliminary steps to
obtain American citizenship papers, but
never completed his naturalization. He
went to Turkey afterward, was inveigled
| by the Austrian consul aboard an Aus
trian ship at Smyrna and made prisoner.
| Word Of the outrage was conveyed to
Captain hgraham Of the United States
sloop-of- war st. Louis, then at Smyrna.
The release of Koszta was demanded,
and on the refusal to deliver him up the
guns Of the St. Louis were at once trained
on the Austrian ship. The Austrian au-
thorities then quickly agreed that pend.
ing decision of the question Koszta should
be placed in custody Of the French repre-.
sentative at Smyrna.
This was during Pierce's administra
tion, and w. L. Marcy was secretary o1
state. There was an interchange d
diplomatic correspond ndence between Mr.
I. Marcy and the Australian government
in which Marcy claimed and obtained
the full surrender of Koszta by the Aus
trians. His letters in regard to the af
fair are another shining addition tx
American state documents. This is
] sufficient resume of the history Of th,
course Of our government in the past u
regards the extradition of politica
offenders. That we do not wake up t,
! the insidious villainy Of Russia in thi
present extradition treaty is owing il
the Judgment Of The South w est CORE
spondent to the fact that half the Amer
lean people are asleep and the other hal
so busy pursuing money that they dono
know what is going on at Washington
France. Italy, Great Britain and Swift
4 zerland steadily maintain the right Of asy
lum within their borders for political OF
tenders. Both England and France re
fused to surrender to Russia Leo Hart
. mann, The nihilist bomb thrower Q
Moscow; England declines to hand owe
!, to the cruel mercies of the czar's gov
ernment Stepniak, the nihilist propa
gandist. France, Italy and Switzerlan
have alike refused to sz1rrandar Ess-;5s.c ss.:z.,
81 ; Is,
ff. 5sls lta.5s