Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-11-14

1
| and will keep II up until they pay
taxes or leave town. Sometimes it Is
very provoking.
For example. | know a retired
army officer who has a modest for
tune outside of his pay which en-
ables him to travel in europe and en-
| joy himself. and he intends to spend
the winter in Germany. He rented
fiat, made himself comfortable for
the winter, and was just congratulate
| ing himself upon his good fortune
when the tax assessor came around
with a blank which he was requested
to fill out, giving his income and ex-
penditures. Being wise with expert
ence, he returned the allowances of
| a retired officer of his rank in the
United States army and offered to
pay his income tax without further
controversy. The assessor named
the amount and took the money, and
at the cost of few marks the Amer-
can was relieved from all further an
noyance.
A lady from New York, however,
took a different course She was in
dignant that any German policeman
should be so inQuisitive concerning
her private affairs. and after a
stormy scene drove him out of her
house. She then called cab, and
appealed to the ambassador and the
consul general and finally to a law
yer, to whom she paid fee amount
ing to four times the tax demanded.
Each one gave her the same advice
that l have given-to save trouble
| and preserve her peace of mind by
paying promptly. But her yankee in
| dependence would not permit her to
render unto Caesar the things which
are Caesars, and she concluded to
fight. After the third heat she gave
in. In the meantime the police had
| obtained detailed information con-
cerning her household expenses from
her servants. her butcher, baker, mil
liner, dressmaker and landlord, and
assessed her about four times as
much as she had reported her income
to be. Before she got through with
the controversy she had paid in law
yers fees. cab hire and other expen-
| ses about ten times as much as the
| original assessment
The moral of this story is apparent
When you are in Rome it is better
to do as the Romans do. even if you
don't like it.
| Sometimes the police are impertin-
ent. The other day an American
| gentleman who recently came to Ber-
lin to live was visited by an inspec-
tor, who demanded his passport and
his marriage certificate. The pass
port was easily obtained for a dollar
at the American embassy, but the
| gentleman never had marriage GER
tificate. and explained that he must
have time to write to the minister
who performed the ceremony to get
one. He told him that Ameri
cans We're not in the habit of carry
ing their marriage certificates around
with them and very few ever hu0
them Then, after consulting with
German friends, he was advised hot
to take any further trouble. AMI IT
the police called again to refer them
/ to the United States consul general.
because the demand was unusual and
unnecessary. The standard of moi-
i
require the police to compel visitors
to show their marriage certificates,
and 1t was a matter of no importance
whatever to the government Wheeler
this particular foreigner was mar o i
or not.
When the police went to the con.
sui general they were unable to give
satisfactory reasons for the demand
and were told that until they did so
it would not be complied with. The
matter has not been carried any
further. Friends have advanced the
theory, however, that the police are
looking for some man or woman who
answers the description of either the
husband or the wife and attempted
to ascertain their identity in that
| manner.
| German subjects are required to
furnish evidence of their marriages
to the police. This is absolutely ne
cessary, because under new code
of municipal laws which went into
effect on the list of January last no
one can marry without a license, and
a license cannot be obtained without
| cerlillcdte from lne ponce depart
ment that no lawful impeachment
stands in the way of the marriage OF
| either party. This law applbs to
foreigners as well as to natives, and
extends throughout the German
empire. 1t can be easily complied
Win by the natives, for the reason
that every man and woman in Ger.
many is registered at police head,
quarters or at the bureau of vital sta
ttistics and their biography can be
obtained in an instant by referring
to the files; but with foreigners such
thing is impossible Hence an
American who wants to get married
is unable to obtain license. No one
in this country can give him the ne.
cessary certificate. The a1nbassa
dor and the consuls have neither the
Information nor the authority, nor is
there any official OF record at home
who would like to certify to so seri.
Gus matter