New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-18
BY sRINIVAs r. WAGEL

evltable, one Oh Lhe hlOSV iiiiPOi 80
questions to come up for immediate
decision would be the manner of deal
ing with enemy property in tins
country. There are vast German
holdings in the United States.
American holdings in Germany, how
ever. are inconsiderable. Few Amer
lean citizens reside in Germany; but
the number of German citizens resi-
dent in the United States is placed
ut over 100000, and the properties
owned by them here are valued at
several hundred millions.
Four classes Of property holdings
are to be considered. There are first
American corporation securities, IN
which the German investment is esti-
mated at not less than 81 100000,
IN spite Of the fact that consider
able amount Of such securities have
been repatriated since the outbreak
Of the war. On the other hand,
American holdings of German securi-
ties are negligible.
Under the second class comes real
estate, improved and unimproved, In
Guiding farm lands. German hold
inps of this character in the United
States are very large, because many
immigrants who have never become
citizens have settled on farms, pur-
chased homes, and the like. Ameri-
can holdings Of such property in
Germany are so small as to be OF
little Importance.
German Money
Held Here
The third class of property con-
sists of moneys due from the gov
ernments and citizens Of an enemy
country for goods supplied or SER
vices rendered. Very large guam
titles OF goods of German ownership
are warehoused in our ports. Amer
ican property Of this class IN Ger
many cannot be considerable. The
money due to German citizens kept
in the banks of the United States
also comes under this category. 1t
has been the custom of foreign Sc
cIritv holders TO allow the banks
here to collect dividends and dis
patch them on favorable occasions.
Such moneys must amount to large
total, and there is no Offset.
The last class of property consists
OF merchant ships and war vessels.
As il a matter of common knowledge
many German vessels have sought
refuge in our ports or have been in
tsrned here since the outbreak Of the
war. There is little or no American
tonnage detained in German ports.
What will happen to these prop
critics, if war is declared? Accord
ing TO international law and the sew
eral Hague conventions, the right to
control properties, requisition them,
and even seize them is given TO the
belligerent governments; but that
right is subject to the obligation Of
the requisitioning governments to
pay for the goods when the war ends,
20 return the ships TO the owners at
the end Of the war, and to settle
money claims. But the law has been
so much stretched and violated by all
the belligerents in Europe that there
Is absolutely no guidance for a coun-
Try which is newly entering the war.
Before discussing the various steps
which may be adopted by the United
States government, the several
changes that have taken place during
the last two and one-haf years, in
connection with the international
procedure in respect to enemy prop
erty, should be considered. The
steps taken by England and Ger
many against each other furnish
sufficiently comprehensive premise
for such discussion.
International Law
Disregarded
1t is hardly correct TO state that
the changes took place in interna-
tional law; neither Of the belliger-
ents paid the least regard 10 law or
even precedent. / refer TO interna-
tional law in the sense Of the estab-
lished precedents previously accepted
By both belligerents. Everything
that was done was dictated solely by
the intensity Of the feeling against