Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-12-04
GERMANS SHOULD GO SLOW.

GERMANS SHOULD GO SLOW.
their Demands for Redress from Haiti
Must Not be Too Arbitrary-Monroe Doc
trine May Prove Barrier.
Washington, Nov. 30.-The attention
OK the department of state has been
directed to the friction that has arisen
between Germany and Haiti as re-
suit of the arrest by the officials of the
latter country of n half-blood named
Lueders. While the department has
been unofficially watching the matter
for some time past, it was not until
Monday that the case came formally
before 1t through the appearance there
of Mr.. Leger the minister from Haiti
to Washington. The minister came to
consult Assistant Secretary Day on the
attitude of Germany in the Lueders
case. The intimation was given out at
the state department that our govern
ment so far has gone only to the length
of instructing Ambassador White at
Berlin to watch developments and keep
his government informed.
He will lodge a protest only in the
event of the performance by Germany
of some act that is not consistent with
justice and international law; some
thing that is not anticipated here. In
other words, the state department
does not feel that it has a 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
precedents set by the last administra-
tion when it permitted the landing of
British troops at Corinto, Nicaragua,
to secure indemnity for the ill-treat-
ment of British consular officers. 1t
does not follow from this, however,
that the administration will look with
unconcern upon any harsh and unjust
measures that may be sought to be put
in force by Germany towards the little
island republic.
AS an explanation for the apparent
ly severe treatment of Lueders the
Haitien government is prepared to
show that he had been twice arrested
and convicted of the same offense,
namely, resisting and assaulting an
officer The first offense was commit
ted little over a year ago and the
Haitien law, like that in our country,
in some cases provides for much more
severe penalty in the case of a second
conviction. Also, as an indication that
there was no discrimination practiced
towards Lueders on the score that he
was a German subject, it can be shown
by the Haitian government that the
person arrested with him at the same
time for the same offense, native
Haitien, was subjected to exactly the
same penalty, $500 fine and a years i'm
prisonment, that was meted out to
Lueders.
The Haitieu minister states that the
republic is preparing for any eventu-
ality, considering that it's honor is in
volved in the present trouble, and that
it cannot yield to demonstrations of
force by powerful nation. The min
lister says that Haitis ports are unfor-
titled, and that the country has no
navy and but small army. Naturally
| it could not expect to contend against
one of the most powerful nations on
| the globe, but with the honor of the
| repu blic 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
Haitien authorities consider that the
Monroe doctrine applies to the present
case and for that reason expect that
the people of the United States will
not approve the crushing of Haiti by a
powerful European government, or
that the authorities here will not re-
main inactive if the Monroe doctrine
becomes involved.
Berlin, Nov. S0.-The Berliner Tage.
blatt says that the German govern
ment only wants money reparation
from Haiti for the arrest and imprison-
ment of Herr Lueders, but that it will
not brook any interference on the part
of the United States.