Mr. Stuart to Mr. Sherman.
Montevideo, April 9, 1897. (Received May 24.)
Sir: Herewith inclosed find statement of passports issued by this legation during the quarter ended March 31, 1897.
These three passports are irregular in that the persons receiving them have all been absent from the United States more than two years, but they are native-born citizens, and in danger of being surreptitiously seized and forced into the army and sent to the front, as is being done to foreigners as well as natives, and when seized they are not allowed to communicate with anyone, and as no lists of the killed are made public their fate would never be known if they fell in battle.
Hence I have taken the responsibility of issuing them passports, holding that prevention of the outrage in these countries is better than any amount of reclamation after the harm is done.
I have also issued protection papers in another form to eight native-born and six naturalized citizens of the United States, to wit: Native-born: John J. Golden, William Clagett, Ernest Clagett, Samuel John, Wilson Kellogg, Edward Hall (colored), Henry Estrazulas, William Decker, James E. Lensby.
Naturalized: Antonio B. Macree, Antonio Labriole, Gennaro Ruggiero, Charles Querollo, Lewis Lawrence Richards, Fred. H. Olsen.
These papers are as follows:
Legation of the United
States,
Montevideo, ______
(date),
To whom it may concern:
This is to certify that the bearer, _____ (name) _____ , is a citizen of the United States, and is entitled to protection as such.
Description: Age, _____ years; height, _____ ; eyes, _____ ; nose, _____ ; mouth, _____ ; hair, ____ ; complexion, _____ .
[Red seal of legation.]
(Official signature.)
I charged no fee for these papers, and as soon as this civil war now raging here is over will cease issuing them, and also passports, unless the parties are clearly entitled to them under the instructions of the Department, and I trust my issuing these papers will be approved in consideration of the terrible state of affairs prevailing here.
I have felt it my duty to use every means in my power to protect any and all American citizens, and have issued these papers for that purpose.
I have, etc.,