Mr. Terrell to Mr. Gresham.
Constantinople, October 28, 1893. (Received November 13.)
Sir: I inclose copy of your telegram of the 27th instant, in response to my telegrams of the 2d, 5th, and 11th instants, regarding the arrest and imprisonment of Paul D. Redighian, a naturalized citizen of the United States, of Turkish origin.
In demanding the release and surrender of the man to me, I acted under the authority of instructions from Mr. Bayard to my predecessor on the 28th November, 1885.
The contention at the Porte has been its claim of right to treat as [Page 700] Turkish subjects those Turks who have been naturalized in the United States since 1869 without consent of the Ottoman Government.
Under the authority of the instructions to this legation above referred to, I could not do otherwise than regard the man Redighian as the equal of any native-born American citizen.
So regarding him, I could not do otherwise under the fourth article of the treaty with the Ottoman Porte of 1830, than claim for myself and the consul here the exclusive right to arrest and try him, and to deny utterly their right to imprison him if he had committed an offense.
While recognizing under the instruction of your telegram the right of the Porte to exclude returning Turks, I deem it necessary, in the interest of humanity, without waiting for instructions, to secure, if possible, the issuance of an order by the grand vizier to his subordinates, exempting our naturalized citizens from arrest unless they refuse to depart and requiring them in all cases to report the presence of undesirable citizens of the United States to the nearest consul or consular agent.
Of course, it will be difficult to formulate any rule that may apply to all cases; cases of great individual hardship will certainly occur.
I have, etc.,