The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 56, December 2, 1897 | Page 3

seven years, but that his term is generally cut short by insurrections.
A good many Germans have settled in Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti, but, white people being so scarce in the island, the consuls are kept busy trying to secure justice for their countrymen.
Last fall, the German consul to Haiti, Count Schwerin, was asked to adjust the present difficulty.
The servant of a young German named Lueders was accused of committing some crime, and, according to the story, a dozen stalwart Haitian policemen went to Mr. Lueders' house and forcibly arrested him.
Mr. Lueders went to police headquarters to complain of the conduct of the officers, and was at once arrested and charged with interfering with the officers while doing their duty, and also with attempting to kill them.
He was at once fined $48 and sent to jail for a month.
Mr. Lueders claimed that he was innocent and could prove it, and asked for a second trial. When this was given him, he brought forward witnesses who proved that he had not attempted to interfere with the police.
In spite of this, he was again found guilty, and sentenced to one year's imprisonment and $500 fine, presumably to punish him for demanding the second trial.
The German consul had followed both the trials with great interest, and when the second decision was rendered he felt that it was time for him to interfere.
He telegraphed to Berlin for instructions, and in reply received orders to demand the immediate release of Lueders, and to insist that damages to the amount of $1,000 be paid by Haiti for every day Mr. Lueders had already spent in jail--twenty in all, and an extra $5,000 for every day's imprisonment after the request for his release was received.
At first President Simon Sam refused to listen to the demand, and Mr. Lueders remained another six days in jail.
Then the German minister sent word to the President that he had hauled down his flag, sent his valuable papers to the care of the United States consul, and had broken off all relations with the Haitian government.
This announcement caused considerable excitement in Port-au-Prince. The Germans and the natives both became indignant, and the feeling ran so high that the angry blacks threatened to attack the German Legation and burn it to the ground, and then lynch Lueders.
Fearing a serious outbreak which might call down the wrath of Germany, President Simon Sam decided that the wisest thing to do was to get rid of Lueders; so the young man was hurried from his prison and put on board a steamer bound for New York.
By the time this was done Germany's pride had been aroused, and a war-vessel had been ordered to sail for Port-au-Prince, and insist upon reparation being made, under pain of bombardment of the town.
Of course, this is not a pleasant outlook for Haiti, but the natives are not so frightened as they might be, because it is well known that Germany has not an alarming navy, and it will probably be a good long time before she can send a ship to Port-au-Prince, and in the mean while other things may have occurred to make her forget the difficulty.
As a matter of fact, the only vessel available for the purpose is not ready to go to sea, and cannot be made ready before December 10th, and it will then be some time before she can reach Haiti.
The Germans are much annoyed that they will have to put up with the little republic's impudence for so long a time, and one political party in Germany is taking advantage of the opportunity to urge the necessity of enlarging the navy.
The Emperor of Germany has for some time past been insisting that it should be increased, and has asked that large grants of money be made for that purpose, but the majority of the people have not been in sympathy with him.
Germany's sea-coast is very small, and they think it a waste of money to build and maintain an expensive navy to defend it.
The party in favor of the navy are now declaring that, if Germany wants to keep the respect of other nations, she must maintain her dignity by having war-vessels ready to punish offenders.
The Germans in Haiti are in full sympathy with this idea. They complain that they are not treated with half the consideration and respect that the American residents are, and they say that President Simon Sam behaves better to the Americans only because he knows that he would have a United States cruiser after him in a very few hours, if he attempted any high-handed dealings with our citizens.
We have lately been accused by both England and Japan of being discourteous in our diplomatic relations with other countries; it is therefore some satisfaction to know that the Germans