File No. 14148/2.
The Acting Secretary of State to Minister Furniss.
Washington, July 23, 1908.
Sir: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your No. 389 of the 3d ultimo inclosing copies of correspondence exchanged between your legation and the Haitian Government relative to certain fees exacted from Americans for permits to leave Haiti, and requesting instructions as to what further representations you should make in the matter.
The department has considered the questions raised in the correspondence and observes that the note of the Haitian minister is rather indefinite on the point which you suggest in regard to the failure of the Haitian local officials to receive the same character of evidence of American citizenship—namely an American passport viséed by an American consulate, as is received in the case of German subjects and presumably in the case of other foreigners. If such discrimination as you report in your note to the minister for foreign affairs in regard to this point continues, you should again take the matter up with him, to the end that Americans may receive the same treatment as other foreigners in this respect, and that an American passport properly viséed may be accepted as evidence of American citizenship without any further certificate from the American consulate.
As regards the question of the apparently illegal exaction of small fees in connection with the permits to leave Haiti, which foreigners are required to have, the minister’s note having pointed out what taxes are proper, and admitted that all other taxes are “improper and subject to restitution if they have been collected,” you are authorized, in case specific instances, properly authenticated, of improper collections are brought to your notice, to bring such instances informally to the attention of the minister for foreign affairs and request that restitution be directed.
I am, etc.