New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-18
IN EORELGN PRISONS

The arrest and imprisonment of an American
citizen in a foreign land is always an unpleas-
ant incident. Indeed, it is unpleasant for one
to be locked up here. But it is much worse
abroad, because there are always suspicious
that he may not be justly tried, and also fears
that he may be i'll treated in prison The codes
and practices of other lands are different from
ours. In France q prisoner is assumed to be
guilty until he proves his innocence. In Ger
many a man may be arrested and punished for
Iese majesty In Russia he may, or might re-
Gently have been, condemned TO the knout
Down in Central America conditions of inn
prsonment and trial are not always the most
admirable. There are grewsome stories of the
deposed President of one of the states-nOt
Nicaragua, which is at present under cOnsid-
eration-being chained to post in an open com
pound by his cousin and successor, and kept
there in all weather for many weeks; also of
prominent men being imprisoned in vaults until
large ransOms We're paid for them. There is
no thought that any such fate has befaIlen or
will befall the two Americans who are now
under arrest in Nicaragua. Nevertheless. it will
be reassuring on other grounds for our govern
ment to watch proceedings in their case, Just
should be glad to have any foreign gov
eminent observe our administration of justice
to any Of its citizens who had infringed our
laws.
On the other hand it is we'll to bear in mind
that there is always a possibility that an Amer
lean arrested abroad is culpable and deserving
of arrest This nation is not so Scrupuously
law bidng at home that its citizens are to be
regarded incapable of transgressing laws
abroad. On the contrary. there is here great
deal of precisely the kind of disregard for law
that is most likely to get a man into trouble if
practised in some other lands. The ordinance
against defiIing public streets with litter and
rubbish, for example, is practically dead letter
to a large part of this community. But when
a New-Yorker INDUCES in his mclean and
sovenly habit in Vienna, he quckIy-and
rightly-fnds himself being led to the police
station A scandaIous license is often enjoyed
here by snapshot photographers, but when one
tries to make pictures of the Notifications in
some foreign city he is properly locked up and
is deserving of no sympathy.
One Of the hardest lessons for nations to
learn is to see themselves as others see them
and also TO see others as those others see them
selves. 1t is an axiom of international law that
all states are equal in point of sovereignty vet
that is of the last things a people practically
recognizes. The dominant note of vox populi
is 1--WE are the people" 1t was we believe
an Englishman who described the Characteristic
attitude of his nation toward all others as one
of you be damned ness" The description is
equdiH dppll'dDle 10 otHeI hdtoH9' perhaps 10
all of them, or, if there is difference, it is
that the Englishman is more outspoken, using
the ObjurgatiOn in the direct second person.
while others less frankly put it into the indeti-
mite third. So far as our Latin American neigh
bors are concerned It will be well for them to
understand that men from the United States
are not all flibusters. and are not all trying to
ride rOughshod over them, and it will be equally
we'll for us TO remember that they down there
are as truly entitled TO have their sovereignty
respected and their laws and customs OBJ
served as we ourselves. On both sides, more
over it cannot be too carefully remembered
that man visiting foreign land is under COM
pusion to acquaint himself with rs laws in
order not to transgress them. and that If there
are any of it's laws which he is not willing or