The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-04
americans Abroad
MGSf be Protected
From the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post.
The action of Ambassador White at
Berlin in endeavoring to secure the re-
lease of Alfred Wessling, son of a nat
uralized American citizen who was draft
ed into the German army, is likely to
lead to correspondence regarding several
other such cases in which the German
petty officials have acted in violation of
German treaties with the United States
Cases arise at almost every consulate in
Germany, and almost every month, where
American citizens of German birth visit
ing friends or relatives in the old country
are seized by the local police and the
effort made to draft them into the army
The Imperial German government has
fully acknowledged the rights of Ameri-
can citizens to protection against sucn
treatment, but the comparative indiffer-
ence and timidty of United states Of
ficials has permitted the local officers to
bully and worry such citizens until they
have in many cases been glad to escape
from Germany with their lives. The en-
bassy has rarely, If ever, pushed one of
these cases to the point of obtaining
a money indemnity or any other kind of
an indemnity for the American whose
rights have been infringed. The resolute
example of Great Britain, in eXacting
smart money from Nicaragua for expel-
ling an Englishman, and similar examples
not seem to have stiffened the backbone
of United State ambassadors sufficiently
to drive the German government to the
point of making apology and reparation.
O.
Secretary Blaine pushed a case against
the Bavarian government with such zeal
that the Bavarians finally permitted the
young man to desert under their eyes,
and declared that this ended the corre-
n M
nifty was obtained for the enforced SER
vice of the young American and no apol-
ogy for the insult to the American name
or for the violation of treaties 1t is a
prevalent theory at European courts that
If any particular secretary of state Of
the United States pushes a strong case
vigorously, the matter can be STAYED
off until he leaves office, when his sue
cessor is usually found to take little in
terest in the case. The United States IN
this respect lack the continuity of for
eign policy which distinguishes other gov
ernments. The release of Americans thus
impressed into foreign service is usually
obtained after long delays and after the
presentation of full proof of citizenship,
but the victim escapes with Sc keen q
sense of the petty terrors of German rule
that he does not seek the recovery OF
fines illegally paid or reparation for his
wrongs, because of the fear that perse-
cution will be visited upon his relatives
in the old country.
A striking case of the insolent defiance
of American treaty rights by petty Ger
man officers has recently been laid be-
fore our ambassador in Berlin by Mr..
Henry T.. Merritt, who was, until july 80,
United States consul at Barmen. He was
called from his office on October &C. 1896,
by the brother of young American,
John Schaefer, who came to visit reld-
| tives in Germany early in the month.
Schaefer had taken the pains to transmit
to the city officials his certificate OF nat
uraliZation as an American, his brother
| taking the document to the registry Of
| fice and announcing to the proper Of
| tlcials that he had returned to Barmen
upon visit and was a citizen of the
United States Notwithstanding this
| formal evidence, he was again summoned
before the local authorities on October %.
and was told to obtain from the United
| States consul some proof of his citizen
| ship. The official finally said that he
would himself write to the consul, but
| his letter was not delivered at the consul
ate until several hours after John Schae-
| fer had been put under arrest. He was
| taken out of his house at o'clock In the
morning by a local police officer was con-
Quoted to the police station, and refused
| the use of the telephone to communicate
| with the consul and was told that "Your
consul can do nothing. You will have to
serve three years. American citizenship
| Is no good here" After being kept in the
police station about four hours he was
taken before n magistrate, and, without
opportunity for defense or explanation
was conveyed to the prison at Elberfeld
where he was stripped of his clothes and
given an outfit of prisoners underwear
and the epron worn by criminals at hard
labor.
Consul Merritt was Informed OF the ar
rest by the brother Of John Schaefer, and
went before the law officer of the govern
ment In Elberfeld and insisted that
Schsefer should be released and brought
into fbis presence The German States
attorney stated that il Schaefer was an
American citizen the Barmen police wouli
not dare arrest him, and promptly or.
| dered his release. This was not the end
Of Mr. Schaefer's difficulties. He again
received notice, a few days later, to ap-
pear again before the States attorney
at Esberfeld with his certificate of natur.
| alization. The consul accompanied him
and the offlcials again admitted that there
was no reason for the arrest and persecu-
] ton Of the young American, Consul Mer.