The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-01
erman and Hayti,

The OFFICIAL Whlch present
Hayti's side of her controversy with Ger
many are now accessible, and make her
case stronger bar It at first appeared to be.
To begin with, EMIL LuEDERs, for whose
Imprisonment, under o sentence Of the
Hsytian court, the Berlin Government de-
mands an indemnity, while claimed as q
German subject, and a. such Inscribed at
the German Legation, is really o native Of
Hayti and born Of q Haytian mother, which
would make him q Haytian under the law
of the land.
In the next place, Hayti shows that when
Count SoHwERIN, the German Minister,
demanded the instant release and indem.
MITIGATION Of LUEDERs, he did this in
a personal audience with President SAM,
so violating well-established international
etiquette, which required him to put his
communication in writing, and present it
through the Foreign Secretary. Count
SoHwERIN has plainly overridden diplo-
matte usages in his contempt for little
Hayti as compared with the powerful en-
pire he represents, mt has employed "the
tone of an ultimatum,' as Hayti's circular
to the Diplomatic Corps at Port au Prince
expresses 1t.
1t will be remembered that the peril
threatened by this arrogant course was
avoided by the timely ~interposition of our
Minister, Mr.. w. F. POWELL, who asked
for the release of LUEpERs as an act Of
courtesy to the United States, whose inter-
ests would suffer from any disturbance or
threatened b%loodshed. This request was
granted, q decree of pardon being issued on
condition that LUEDERs would leave Hayti
at once, while the right was reserved to
forbid his return.
The chief difficulty seems to arise from
the severity Of the sentence imposed on
LuEDERs. that of $500 fine and a years i'm
~prisonment. This Is naturally regarded as
o very heavy penalty for his attempt to
prevent the policemen from entering his
pears that q Haytian, arrested for the same
offence, received the same sentence, and it
is further said hat LUEDERs had been con.
victed Of q similar resistance to the police
the year before, and that this was the real
ground of the severity Of his sentence.
The note Of Hayti's Foreign Secretary to
the diplomats at Port au Prince referred to
the excitement over the Lueders incident,
provoked by the arrogance of Germany,
and said that the republic had been les.
tablished at the cost of very great sacri.
foes, which his c~ountrymen were prepared
to repeat in order to maintain their indie.
pendence and the majesty of their legal
administration" We trust, however, that
the affair will not reach the point thus
limited at. Germany will undoubtedly
claim some indemnity for LUEDERs, al
though it may not be so ~extravagant as that
proposed by Count SoHwERIN. His instruc
tions from Berlin of Oct. IT, received in re
ply to his telegram, were to demand "im'
mediate release, complete naturalization
and punishment of Judges and policemen
A Berlin despatch says that, with the re
lease secured, only money indemnity will
now be asked. Perhaps the good Offices Of
our Government may yet be invited tc
settle this matter. Hayti would presum
ably welcome them, and Germany look
with approval on the fact that Mr.. POWELL
procured the release of LUEDERs. and thai
the little German colony of perhaps sevent,
persons wal taken under American pro
lection. Meanwhile the usual winter in
spection of Navassa Island affords a reason
for the prudent step Of sending the Mar
blehead to Gulf waters.