The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-11
AMERICANS FACE HARD PROPOSITION Are Regarded as Public Enc
 mics in Bogota MINISTER MAKES REPORT Saddle Belonging to United States citl- zen Is Taken From Horse and He
 Has to Pay 5000 Pesos
 to Replace 1t.
MINISTER MAKES REPORT

Washington April 10.-The diplomatic exchanges between the United States le- gation at Bogota and the state depart ment in Washington, which will appear in the forthcoming volume of foreign re- lations of the United States, discloses that numerous complaints were made by American citizens during the revolution in Colombia of the action of military au- thorities of that government in ex-ap- propriating their mules and other prop erty. Mir. Beauprle, the American charge at Bogota in the absence of Minister Hart writing to the state department concerning the rights of citizens of the United States as to the ex-appropriation of property, cited a case that came under his personal observation. An American citizen who had dined with him found upon going to look after two animals he had purchased that the saddles and brides had been taken by the govern ment officials who had left receipt fix Ing the value of the articles taken at 1uop pesos, while it was estimated that the American citizen would be obliged to pay 5000 pesos to duplicate his lost articles.
 Speaking of this case, Mir. Beauprie said:
 Dozen Stores Sell the Saddles.
 There are a dozen stores in Bogota selling the saddles. and there are hun dreds of saddles for sale" He then asked: Whence the urgent, immediate and pressing emergency that would jus tify the forcible ex-appropriation of the saddles etc., from the American?"
 Continuing, he says:
 Certainly under the system of arbi- trarily fixing the value of such property, It Is much cheaper to get 1t this way and the day of payment Is indefinitely postponed, but l cannot believe 1t con- sistent with the guarantees of public treaty or the laws of nations It is alto gether probable that in the majority of cases the necessity for ex-appropriation are no more valid and just than in the case cited Consequently with the financial distress of the government 1t is almost impossible to many, and to one American at least whom I know and who has had large amount of property seized, that no payments would be made until the close of the war Assistant Secretary Hill in a communication to the United States legation at Bogota said among other things:
 Deemed Public Enemies.
 The declaration of the minister of war that all foreigners should be deemed pub lic enemies cannot but be regarded as gratuitously offensive and this govern ment must remonstrate against such char acterizations of its citizens avaiIing themselves of their conventional rights to visit and sojourn in Colombia. It should have been made the occasion of instant and vigorous protest
 The attitude of this government toward the seizure by Colombia of property of Americans for military purposes Is shown by the following instructions sent by Dr. Hill, as acting secretary of state. to the American legation at Bogota
 You will notify the Colombian govern ment that this government will hold it responsible for any proven cases of seiz- ure of American property for military purposes without due compensation"
 Among the other subjects of the diplo- matic exchanges between Washington and Bogota contained in this volume are the seizure of vessels and alleged discrimi- nation against American enterprises in Colombia; the reopening of United States schools at Baranquilla Medillen and Bo- gotta, closed by the Colombian authorities, and the question of neutrality of aliens.