Mr. Lincoln to Mr. Blaine.
London, April 29, 1892. (Received May 9.)
Sir: I have the honor to acquaint you that on the 26th instant Mr. Sigmund Ehrenbacher made an application at this legation for a passport, of which a copy is inclosed, which was unsigned for the reason that upon the taking down of his statement it was at once submitted to me.
It appears that Mr. Ehrenbacher is the native-born son of a naturalized citizen of the United States, and left the United States as a minor at the age of 20, and has since been continuously abroad, and is permanently residing and engaged in business in London as a hop merchant. His declaration is that he intends to return to the United States within five years, but I was told that when he came to that point in the declaration he first said that he intended to go back when he had made enough money, and that he hoped that would be within ten years. Upon that being suggested as remote, he said that perhaps he could do it in five years, and asked that time to be inserted.
Upon examination of his application, dated May 2, 1889, it was found that he had then stated the time to be “a few months.”
I then had a conversation with him myself, and learned that his father (who, as above stated, was a naturalized citizen of the United States) had himself left the United States in 1869; that is, ten years before the son, and has never returned and has no intention of returning there. At some time, the date of which I did not get, the father established a hop business in London, into which he took his son, but [Page 227] has himself retired and lives somewhere on the continent. The applicant told me that in his business he received hops from correspondents at San Francisco and New York. Our archives show that since his departure from America he has been assiduous in keeping himself furnished with a passport. I inclose a list of them. He said that he has relatives in the United States, but no home there, and that he has no idea of giving up or losing his American citizenship. The personal impression he made upon me was that he has in fact no definite intention of ever returning to the United States, and that he is as firmly settled here in business as anyone.
In view of the premises I felt so much doubt of the propriety of the continued issuance of passports to him that I informed him that I deemed it necessary to take your instructions; and I have therefore the honor of requesting them.
I have, etc.,