Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-11-30
THE LUEDsRs CASE.
Uncle Sam Watching the Trouble Between
Germany and Hayti With Interest.

Washington, Nov. 29.-The attention O
the department of state has been for
maily directed to the friction that ha
arisen between Germany and Hayti as ;
result of the arrest by officials of the lat
ter country of half-blood named Lue
ders. While the department has watched
the matter for some time past, it wa:
not until today that the case came for
mally before it through the appearance,
there of Lueger. the minister from Hayt
to Washington.
The minister came to consult Assistant
Secretary Day and the attitude of Ger
many in Lueders' case was discussed
The intimatiOn was given out at the state
department that our government so fal
has gone only to the length of instructine
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 Ger.
many of some act that is not consiSten,
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 inter.
pose so long as the demands of Germany
for redress are kept within the bounds OF
sound practice in international disputes
following in this the precedent set by the
last administration when it permitted
the landing of British troops at Cornto
Nicaragua, to secure indemnity for the
ill-treatment of British consular officers
1t does not follow from this. however
that the administration will look with
measures that may be sought to be put
in force by Germany toward the little
island republic.
The department has been informed that
the statement of facts that has been made
in the case of LuederS has been some
what misleading in that it makes some
important omissions. For instance the
foundation of the claim of Hayti that il
had the right to punish the man as it
did. lies in an assertion that he was a cit
iZen of Hayti. Lueders was born in
Hayti. of a German father and native
Haytien woman, and according to the
laws of the republic, that made the child
full-fledged citizen of Hayti. Altogether
the case is regarded at the state depart
ment as one that might properly be ad-
justed through the regular channels of
diplomatic negotiation. instead 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 Haytien minister states that the
republic is preparing for any eventuality.
considering that it's honor is involved in
the present trouble and that it cannot
yield to demonstrations of force by a
powerful nation. The minister states that
HaytiS ports are unfortitied. and that the
country has no navy, but has an army
of fair proportions. Naturally it could
not expect to contend against 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 as an in
Justice.
The Haytien authorities consider that
the Monroe doctrine applies to the pres
ent case and for that reason expect that
-, .Nft t1,a v,i%n
approve the crushing of Hayti by a pow
erful European government, or that the
authorities here will not remain inactive
if the Monroe doctrine becomes involved.