Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-11-30

| me monroe DoctrIne-OnC io sam
Would Not Permit Any Harsh
| and Unusual Treatment of the
Island Republic Some Features
of the Case While the Reports
Given Out by Germany Have
Failed to Bring Prominently For
ward-Claim is Set Up That the
| Alleged Victim is Not a German.
Washington, November 29.-The at
| tention OF the Department of State at
| length has been formally directed to
| the friction that has arisen beGween
| Germany and Hayti, as a result Of the
arrest by the officials of the latter coun-
| try OF a half blood named Lueders.
! While the department has been unOffi-
cially watching the matter for some
| time past it was not until to-day that
| the case came formally before it
through the appearance there OF Mr.
| Leger, the minister from Haiti TO
| Washington. The minister came to con-
| suit Assistant Secretary Day, and tie
attitude of Germany in the Lueders
case was discussed. The intimation
was given out at the State Department
that cur government so far has gone
| only to the length of instructing AM
bassador White, at Berlin, TO watch de-
| velopments and keep his government
| informed. He will lodge protest only
| in the event Of performance by Ger
| many OF some act that is not consistent
with justice and international law;
something that is not anticipated here
| In other words. the State Department
does not feel that it has right TO in
! terpOse so long as the demands OF Ger
many for redress are kept within the
bounds OF sound practice in interna-
tional disputes, following in this The
| precedent set by the last adm4nlstfa-
ton, when it permitted the landing OF
| British troops at Cofinto, Nicaragua, to
secure indemnity for the i'll treatment
Of British consular officers.
1t does not follow from this, how
ever, that the administration will look
with unconcern upon any harsh and I'M
just measures that may be sought to DE
put in force by Germany towards the
little island republic. The department
has been informed that the statement
Of facts that has been made in the case
Of Lueders is somewhat misleading in
| that it makes some important omis-
I
the claim OF Hayti that it had the right
| to punish the man as it did lies in an
assertion that he was q citizen Of Haytl.
Lueders was born in Hayti, Of a Ger
| man father and a native Hayti woman,
and according to the laws of the repub-
| lie that made the child a full-fedged
citizen of Hayti Again, as an expla-
nation of the apparently severe treat
ment of Lueders, the Haitian Govern
| ment is prepared to show that he had
been twice arrested and convicted of
the same offense, namely, resisting and
assaulting an officer The first Offen9e
was committed little over a year ago,
! and the Haitian law, like that in our
country, in some cases provides for g.
| much more severe penalty in the case
OF a second conviction. Also. as an in
dicatiOn that there was no discrimira-
ton practiced toward Lueders. on the
score that he was a German subject,
it can be shown by the Haitian Gov
eminent that the person arrested with
him at the same time, for the same Of
Tense, a native, full-bood Haitian. was
subjected to exactly the same penalty,
$500 fine and years Imprisonment,
that was meted out to Lueders Alto
gether the case is regarded at the State
department as one that might be prop
| ery adjusted through the regular.
| channels of diplomatic negotiation, in
stead of through the strong means Of
demonstrations in force, particularly in
| view Of the fact that Lueders is now at
| liberty and in Germany, and the acute
phase Of the case has been passed.
The Haytian minister states that the
| republic is preparing for any even
t%ality, considering that it's honor is
| involved in the present trouble, and
that it cannot yield to demonstrations
Of force by powerful nation. The
| minister says that Hayti's ports are
unfortified and that the country has
no navy, but has an army of some pro-
! portions. Naturally it could not ex-
pect to contend with one of the most
| powerful nations on the globe, but
with the honor of the republic at stake,
he declares it would resist to the last
and would prefer to be crushed rather
than to yield to what it regards an
! injustice. The Haytian authorities
consider that the Monroe doctrine ap-
plies to the present case, and for that
| reason expect that the people of the
United States will not approve of the
! crushing of Hayti by a powerful Euro
pean government. or that authorities
here will not remain inactive if the
Monroe doctrine becomes involved.