The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-08-07
GERMANY's QUARREL WITH
COLOMBIA.
WITH

Washington, Aug. 4.-Delighted as
the Kaiser would no doubt be to sieze
upon the Murillo incident to exact
indemnity, and possibly to sieze (as
in China) territory from Colombia, ne
is debarred from SO doing, in the
opinion of State Department officials,
if nothing else, by the completely Of
his own consul in the so doings of the
police of Cartagena.
AS the Kaiser is law unto himself,
however, there is no telling what he
may or may not do, always supposing
that his actions do not so violate the
Monroe Doctrine as to call for the in
reference of the United States.
The international law in the case is
not we'll established. Of course, if the
Alleghany had been outside the three
mile limit. the action Of the Colum-
bians would have savored strongly Of
an act of war. She was inside of this,
however, and apparently subject to the
local laws of the port where she lay.
Certainly, if there were any reason to
arrest foreigner on q foreign ship
lying at New York, for instance, he
would be arrested without hesitation.
Such was always supposed to be the
law of nations in the matter until a
certain case came up in the admins
tration of ex-President HARRISON.
During the year 1890, Gen. J. MARITIME
Barrundia. having failed in a revolu-
tionary attempt to invade Guatemala
from Mexico, took passage on the Pa
cifc mail steamer Acapulco at the
port of the same name for Panama.
At Champerico, Guatemala, the first
stopping point of the steamer after
Acapulco, an effort was made to secure
his detention, but without success,
and when the steamer touched at San
Jose, farther down the coast, the
Guatemalan authorities renewed their
demand. The captain of the steamer
refused to yield his passengers without
a written order from the United
States minister. United States Min
lister Miner gave the order, stipulat-
ing that Gen. Barrundia's life should
be spared, and that he should be tried
only for offenses growing out of his in
surrectionary movements. The mill
tary commnder at San Jose presented
the order, Gen. Barrundia resisted the
effort to remove him from the ship
and he was killed. In his annual
message to Congress in December,
1890, President Harrison said:
'SIt being evident that the minister,
Mr.. Miner, had exceeded the bounds
of his authority in intervening, in
compliance with the demands of the
Guatemalan authorities, to authorize
and effect, in violation of precedent,
the seizure on vessel of the United
States of passenger in transit charg-
ed with political ofenses, in order
that he might be tried for such
offenses under what was described AS
martial law, I was constrained to dis
approve Mr.. Miners act and recall
him from his post. -
This case fits that of the fugitive
Murillo almost in detail, save that
Murillo was fleeing directly from Co
lombia, whereas Barrundia was in
transit around the country which
claimed him, bound from one neutral
country to another. Acting on this
precedent, the Kaiser might have
made himself unpleasant. had it not
been that his own consul assented to
Murillo's arrest. AS things are, it
being clearly evident that Murillo was
revoiutionist who went to Colombia
to engage in an insurrection and there
fore was not morally entitled to pro-
lection, whatever he may have been
technically, it is probable that Ger
many will do nothing further, possl-
bly,, than to dismiss her consul.