SIR: I have the honor to inform the Department that this morning at an early hour an attempt was made to attack certain naturalized American citizens (Syrians) in business here. The assault was made by throwing stones into their stores as soon as they were opened for business. Many fled with their wives to the legation for protection. I immediately sought an interview with Mr. Férère, the minister of foreign relations, and with him went to the President, General Nord. I informed the President of the situation and stated that the government must immediately take steps to prevent this rioting and allow our citizens to conduct their businesses quietly, and take adequate measures to prevent pillage on the part of a class of Haitians who seemed to desire to get his Government into further trouble; that delay in the matter was dangerous. As soon as fire was placed in any of their stores pillage would at once take place, and not only property but many lives would be sacrificed. During the excitement on Tuesday I had instructed this class of citizens to close their stores and to keep off the streets; I was not willing to do this longer; other stores were open and our citizens had the right to have theirs open, and the Government must protect them in this right. * * * I informed the President that I * * * came to learn from the President himself whether his Government was taking the steps, as it should, to protect our citizens in their rights; this I demanded must be done and at once, as in a moment of time the situation would get beyond the control of the Government, and the lives and property of all foreigners would be at the mercy of a frenzied mob, and the three days of pillage of General Salomon must not be reenacted. * * * The President replied that he would issue immediate orders to have the whole district carefully guarded; that our citizens and all other foreigners could open their stores and that he would protect them with all the force at the command of the Government. * * * He again assured me that full protection would be given, and that his Government would be equal to the emergency. After leaving the palace I drove through this section of the city with the vice-consul, Mr. Battiste. On the way he met Gen. J. Carrié, the military governor of this district; we invited him to accompany us; we found troops had been posted at the most dangerous points and that the police of the section had been strongly reenforced. Those who had closed their stores were beginning to open them. I returned and conducted the women and the men who had sought safety at our legation to their homes, and told them to resume business. The excitement is somewhat intense and for a time affairs looked very dangerous, but I think the worst is over. The feelings against all foreigners is not of the best on account of the high price of food, the cause of which is laid to this class. SIR: I have the honor to state to the Department that since the Syrian trouble has occurred, I have found by accident that many of these people are in possession of false naturalization papers. These naturalization certificates, as I am informed, come from the United States circuit court of Connecticut. A man by the name of Jacobs, a Syrian, living at Leogane, a place about 40 miles from this city, requested me to send some one for him so that he could come to our legation, stating that he was a naturalized American citizen and that he was threatened by the people, etc. In examining into the matter I find that this man, while he possessed this certificate, had never been to the States, but had given for the certificate $150. I further learned that there are many others of a like character issued here, but the price paid for them varies from $10 to $150 each. I propose with the approval of the Department to arrest this paper as soon as it comes into my possession and to examine all the naturalization papers of these people in this Republic, and those that are fraudulent to retain and forward to the Department. But before doing so I would like to be informed by the Honorable Secretary if I am proceeding in the right way; also, if I find that there is some one here engaged in this business, shall I have him arrested? I will be glad to have the Department instruct me as to the course I shall SIR: I have the honor to inclose to the Department one of the naturalization certificates that I referred to in my dispatch No. 1500 of August 17. This certificate is made out to Antoine Kalil Hage, a Syrian, who, from the face of the certificate, appeared before the circuit court of the district of Connecticut, in the city of Hartford, on April 6, 1904, and recited the facts as stated on the face of this certificate. I have had this man come to the legation, and in examining him have elicited the following facts; That he was born in Mount Lebanon, Syria; that he came to New York in 1898, remained there one year, then went to Porto Rico. From there he came here; returned to New York in January of the present year and secured his certificate and returned here in April; that he had never been to Hartford, in fact, knew nothing of the place, and did not know the man from whom he received this certificate, and that this certificate had been given to him in New York. He also did not remember what he had paid for it. This is one case. There is another here whose certificate I hope to secure within a few days, but too late for this mail, in which the party has not even been to the States, having bought the certificate from some one here, name not given. I have requested this man to come to the legation, in order that I might examine him as to how he secured this paper and to find out who the parties are who are issuing these fraudulent papers. I believe there are a large number of these papers here, how many I am not able to state. I am waiting to hear from the Department as to the right of calling all who claim to be naturalized Americans and examining the certificates they hold. There is, beyond a doubt, some one, either in New York or Connecticut, who is securing such papers in large numbers and selling them to these people, from whom they receive a considerable sum, so that it is quite lucrative. There are two reasons why these people desire these naturalization papers: First, for the protection it gives them; second, in having them they are not required to pay a license tax, as they would have to do if they were not classed as American citizens. This is a great saving to them, while at the same time it affords them special immunities in their business and places them in the same class as Haitian merchants in like enterprises. While I have not an accurate return of the number of these people who claim to be American citizens, I believe in the Republic there are about 400 who make this claim. I have, etc., W. F. POWELL. Mr. Powell to Mr. Hay. No. 1525.] AMERICAN LEGATION, Port au Prince, September 5, 1904. SIR: I have the honor to inclose to the Department the certificate of naturalization of Joseph Jacobs, a Syrian. This is the certificate I expected to have received before the last mail closed and to which I referred in my dispatches, No. 1500, August 17, and No. 1520, August 31. If the honorable Secretary will examine these papers he will find them almost identical, the only difference being the name of the applicant and the date of issue. * * I have, etc., W. F. POWELL. No. 1530.] Mr. Powell to Mr. Hay. AMERICAN LEGATION, Port au Prince, September 5, 1904. SIR: I have the honor to communicate to the Department a dispatch received from the foreign office from the Hon. M. Férère, in regard to the fraudulent naturalization papers of Syrians. In this communication he refers to certain statements made to him by the Hon. J. N. Léger, the Haitian minister at Washington. I also inclose copy of my reply. W. F. POWELL. [Inclosure 1.---Translation.] Mr. Férère to Mr. Powell. DEPARTMENT OF STATE FOR FOREIGN RELATIONS, MR. MINISTER: I thought it my duty recently, on the occasion of a step undertaken by your legation in favor of a Syrian residing in Haiti, to place you on your guard against certain individuals who might attempt to deceive your good faith by pretending to have acquired through naturalization the right to have recourse to your intervention and of claiming your assistance. I would take good care against insisting more than reasonably on such a question, the more so as I am firmly convinced that you have not failed to take the most minute precautions to avoid mistakes, if an unexpected incident, of which doubtlessly you are already informed, had not come, recalling that fact and thus showing that the amicable observations that I had previously submitted were not entirely inopportune and that they deserved your attention. It has in fact come to me from an authorized source that the Department of State at Washington has in the few days past seized the occasion to give to our country a new proof of its good will and a testimony of its sympathy, for which we are particularly grateful. This is the subject: A Syrian, Habib J. Aflak, styling himself a merchant established in Haiti, applied to the American authorities lately for a passport. Suspecting that the certificate of naturalization produced by Aflak in support of his request might have been illegally obtained, the Department of State refused the passport. An inquiry was quietly begun, from which resulted, on the 16th of the present month, the arrest of Aflak on board of the Dutch steamer Prins Wilhelm II at the very moment that he was leaving New York for Port au Prince. “This arrest,” adds Mr. Léger, our informer, “led to the discovery of an organized band that for pay procured false certificates of naturalization for Syrians going to Haiti.” While this affair is being judged, it may appear to you perhaps, as to me, that the moment has come to examine the situation of those Levantines who, residing on our territory, pretend to be citizens of the United States. Also, being aware that, besides the other requisite conditions necessary, a residence of five years in the territory of the Union is needed to become a naturalized American, I am convinced that you will not hesitate, being inspired by your habitual courtesy and equity, so perfectly in harmony with the sympathetic disposition of the Department of State, to lend us your powerful support in order to foil certain guilty maneuvers and to elucidate a question that interests in so high a degree the excellent relations so happily established between that Department and your legation. And, to that end, I would thank you for furnishing me with a list of the names of all the Syrians or other Levantines residing in Haiti, and who pretend to have acquired by naturalization the quality of citizens of the United States of America. With my anticipated thanks I renew, etc., M. FÉRÈRE. [Inclosure 2.] Mr. Powell to Mr. Férère. AMERICAN LEGATION, Port au Prince, September 2, 1904. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's favor, in which you call my attention to the naturalization of a certain class of persons who claim to be American citizens. I have the honor to state to your excellency that this legation has been for some time engaged on this matter, and that it is awaiting further instructions from the honorable Secretary of State, Hon. John Hay, in regard to it. Accept, etc., Mr. Adee to Mr. Powell. W. F. POWELL. No. 637.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 13, 1904. SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your dispatch No. 1520, of the 31st ultimo, in continuation of the subject of your No. 1500, of August 17, 1904, in regard to the fraudulent United States naturalization certificates in the possession of Syrians residing in Haiti. I am in receipt of a letter of the 8th instant from the Acting Attorney-General, to whose Department the matter was referred, in which he requests the Department to ascertain, if possible, whether these certificates are forged, or whether they have been secured in the United States courts through fraud and perjury, and also whether they are sold by a citizen of the United States or by a resident of Haiti. You will endeavor to secure the desired information and report the results of your investigation to the Department. I am, etc., ALVEY A. ADEE, Acting Secretary. Mr. Powell to Mr. Hay. No. 1537.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: I have the honor to inclose to the Department three naturalization certificates that I believe have been issued fraudulently; one was issued by the United States district court of Connecticut to Metry Khoury. In questioning this man I found he was born in Tripolis; spoke English fairly well; stated he was in business as merchant; had been to the United States, but did not know how long he stayed there; did not know the street he lived on; had never been to New Haven; did not know the name of H. Hoarse (name of witness in certificate); received this paper in New York; paid, he thinks, $3 for it; did not know the one who gave it to him. This was the only paper he had ever had; was asked no questions by any person when certificate was given. The second, Salim Kalil, has certificate issued by the circuit court FR 1904 M- -26 |