No. 673.
Mr. Russell to Mr. Fish.
Caracas, January 7, 1875. (Received February 20.)
I have the honor to inclose a communication, with translation, from the minister of foreign affairs to the gentleman in charge of the French [Page 1363] legation. This is in reply to a request from M. L’Hôte, that French passports delivered up by French immigrants to Venezuelan officials might be restored to them.
It will be seen that the government of Venezuela claims that all immigrants who receive the benefit of the immigration laws, (meaning, as I suppose, by receiving free passage, food, and shelter at the immigration rooms, and the like,) are Venezuelan citizens at once, although exempt from military service; and that the intervention of the respective governments of these persons will not be allowed in any case in which diplomatic action may be asked. Government claims that every immigrant coming hither under government auspices thereby elects to be a citizen of Venezuela at once upon his arrival, and that his children also become citizens, losing all claim to the protection of their native country, (or adopted country.)
There are many immigrants from the United States remaining here, and it is safe to say that not one of them was aware of this law, or had any intention of renouncing his allegiance or of losing the protection of the United States Government in proper cases.
I therefore respectfully ask for instructions as to the course to be pursued in case of a claim for diplomatic intervention made by any United States citizen who has immigrated to Venezuela. Pending an answer, I should act precisely as if such persons were entitled to all the rights of United States citizens.
I ought to say that while I have had no occasion for official intervention in behalf of any of this class, I have had almost daily occasion to make informal applications in their behalf, and always with success. For example, the rule of government is to refuse passports to any immigrant who has not been here for three months; and without a passport, no one is allowed to leave the country. Yet every application which I have made has been promptly and courteously granted; and more than twenty immigrants having been shipped to work their passage, by the exertions of Mr. Kingan, acting consul at La Guayra, have in this way been enabled to leave Venezuela.
The action of the authorities in this matter may have been prompted, not only by their manifest desire to stand well with the United States, but also by a natural wish to rid their country of such a class of persons as many of the recent immigrants have been.
Awaiting a reply, I am, &c.,
- This seems to be an error for “shall come.”—T. F.↩