Mr. Jackson to Mr. Hay.

No. 1926.]

Sir: I have the honor to report that on January 20 the embassy made intervention at the imperial foreign office (F. O., No. 1087) in behalf of the brothers Albert and Nathan Eisemann, to the end that the order expelling them and their families from Frankfort-on-the-Main might be revoked. These brothers were born at Mosbach, Baden, in 1856 and 1859, respectively, and both had emigrated to the United States when about 16 years of age, after having obtained release from their German allegiance. Both became naturalized as American citizens. “Having been very successful as wool merchants, and having become quite wealthy and prosperous, they returned with their families to Frankfort in 1901, expecting to settle there for a few years for the purpose of educating their children.” Two or three months after their arrival they were summoned by the local police and told that they could not remain in Prussia, and the following day (December 14, 1901) a notice was published in the Frankfort Amts-Blatt stating that they and their families had been ordered to leave the country. Upon this they applied to the Regierungs-Präsident at Wiesbaden, the immediate superior of the Frankfort authorities, who suspended the order temporarily, but finally told them they must leave before March 15. They thereupon came to Berlin and presented their case to the ambassador in person. Not only was formal intervention made in their behalf, as stated above, but Mr. White spoke and wrote to both the chancellor of the Empire and the secretary of state for foreign affairs about the matter; and, since the ambassador went on leave, I have brought the question up on several occasions and have urged that a favorable answer be given. In fact, everything possible has been done in behalf of these gentlemen—more than in any other case during the time in which I have been connected with this mission.

To-day, however, I am in receipt of a note from the foreign office stating that the Royal Prussian Government has investigated the case thoroughly, and that, to its regret, it was not in a position to comply with the embassy’s wish to have the expulsion order canceled; but, in view of the intervention made by the embassy, the brothers and their families would be permitted, as an exception, to remain in Prussia until the 1st of next October. The foreign office states that the records [Page 452] show that these brothers emigrated in 1873 and 1876, respectively, shortly before arriving at the age of liability to be called upon to perform military service; that their emigration was obviously for the purpose of evading the performance of such service, and that their father had been especially warned, before the granting of their release from German allegiance, that they would not be permitted to return and sojourn in Prussia.

This information has been communicated to the Messrs. Eisemann through the United States consul-general at Frankfort.

I have, etc.,

John B. Jackson.