No. 112.] The Acting Secretary of State to Minister Jackson. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, SIR: I confirm the text of the department's telegram of the 13th instant to Mr. Wilson." I inclose herewith, in further response to your dispatches referred to in the above-quoted telegram, copies of letters from the Secretary of Commerce and Labor pointing out, for the information of the Greek minister for foreign affairs, the provisions of law applicable to the cases of deported Greek emigrants on which the minister's inquiries are based. I am, etc., ROBERT BACON. [Inclosure 1.] The Secretary of Commerce and Labor to the Secretary of State. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND LABOR, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 5th instant (B-H) inclosing copy of a dispatch from the American minister at Athens, in which he requests, at the instance of the Greek minister of foreign affairs, information relative to the immigration of Greeks into the United States, with particular reference to a number coming by the steamship Patricia, May 12, 1906, destined to St. Louis, and who were deported. In response to said communication, I beg to inclose, for transmittal to the American minister, a copy of the immigration laws and regulations, inviting especial attention to section 5 of the act approved February 26, 1885; section 1 of the act of March 3, 1891; and section 2 of the act of March 3, 1903, which provisions of law relate to the exclusion from this country of aliens who have been induced to migrate by reason of assurances of prearranged employment. The party of Greeks to whom the minister's dispatch relates specifically, as well as several other large parties of aliens of the same race, was not permitted to enter the United States because an examination of their testimony, given before a board of special inquiry, in conjunction with a careful investigation conducted at and in the vicinity of St. Louis, convinced this department that the said aliens were attempting to enter this country with a view to accepting employment which had been arranged for them prior to their leaving Greece, so that their admission would constitute a violation of the provisions of law above alluded to. It is suggested that the American minister at Athens direct the attention of the Greek minister of foreign affairs to the foregoing, so that he may undertsand that the aliens were not rejected, as he seems to believe, on the ground that if landed they would be likely to become public charges, but for the reason above set forth. Respectfully, V. H. METCALF. [Inclosure 2.] The Secretary of Commerce and Labor to the Secretary of State. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND LABOR, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th instant (B-H), in which, alluding to Department of State letter of the 5th, you inclose a copy of a further dispatch from the American minister at Athens, regarding the desire of the Greek minister for foreign affairs for information concerning Greek immigration, from which copy it appears that the said minister of foreign affairs is especially anxious to learn whether there is any a Supra. particular objection on the part of this Government to the settling of Greek immigrants at St. Louis, Mo. In reply, I have the honor to invite your attention to my letter of July 7, and to state further that there could be, of course, no objection on the part of this Government to aliens settling in any particular section of the United States. The difficulty with the cases of those Greeks who have been recently deported, and who were destined to St. Louis and vicinity, was not the fact that it was their intention to settle in any particular locality, nor, as pointed out in my former letter, any question of their being able to sustain themselves in this country, or of their being afflicted with disease; but they were excluded solely because an examination of their testimony, in conjunction with a report of a careful investigation conducted at St. Louis, convinced the department that they were seeking admission to the United States in violation of the alien contract labor laws. Respectfully, V. H. METCALF. Chargé Wilson to the Secretary of State. No. 424. Greek Series.] AMERICAN LEGATION, SIR: Referring to Mr. Jackson's dispatch No. 413, of the 2d instant, I have the honor to report that the commission appointed to study the question of emigration made a report to the Greek Chamber of Deputies, in which it stated that according to the official figures of the United States Government, Greece having no statistics, the emigration of Greeks to the United States is increasing in enormous proportions compared to that of other countries. Greece is, however, by no means being depopulated, as the regions which furnish the largest number of emigrants is also the most prolific part of the country. Furthermore, the Greeks do not generally emigrate in the usual sense of the word, but after a longer or shorter absence return to settle in Greece. They remain in constant communication with their families at home, as is shown by the amount of money sent back, which increases every year. In 1906 the money orders alone reached the sum of 6,000,000 francs. The commission therefore decides that the State ought to protect such an important source of wealth, and recommends a strict supervision of the agents of emigration companies, who should be obliged to have a special authorization. It also recommends the establishment of an office for the sanitary inspection, and that measures should be taken to decide upon the foreign ports where emigrants should embark for America. I have, etc., CHARLES S. WILSON. LIABILITY OF NATURALIZED CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES UNDER MILITARY AND EXPATRIATION LAWS OF THEIR NATIVE COUNTRY. [Continued from Foreign Relations for 1905, pp. 510 et seq.] Minister Jackson to the Secretary of State. No. 360.-Greek Series.] [Extract.] AMERICAN LEGATION, Athens, January 23, 1906. SIR: Referring to Mr. Wilson's dispatch No. 331, this series, of October 20, 1905, and to your instruction No. 95, of November 8, I have the honor to inclose herewith a translation of a copy of the decision of the legal authorities-which I have just received from the Greek minister of foreign affairs-upon the strength of which Panos Indares was exempted from military service. This copy was sent me without comment. I have, etc., [Inclosure.] JOHN B. JACKSON. Decision of the Legal Adviser to the Ministry of War. ATHENS, August 29 (September 11), 1905. According to civil law, a person who becomes naturalized as a citizen in a foreign country gives up his character (idiornta) as a Greek. His wife and children born before the change retain their Greek nationality, but those born afterwards, coming from abroad, are foreigners, because the child of a foreigner is necessarily a foreigner himself. In the case in point the father of the man who was drawn by lot (to serve as a soldier) became an American citizen in 1870, as shown by the certificate from the American consul, thereby ceasing to be a Greek subject. Consequently the son who was born in 1884 is a foreigner, as his father was already a foreigner at that time. There is, therefore, no reason for his enrollment in the lists of citizens and of males, in the absence of proof that the father recovered his Greek nationality or that petition to become Greek was made by the son himself. Under these conditions the man in question has no obligation to perform military service in Greece. A. GLARAKIS, The Legal Adviser. OLYMPIC GAMES IN GREECE. The Secretary of State to Minister Jackson. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 21, 1906. SIR: The President having accepted the honorary presidency of the American committee on the Olympic games at Athens, from April 22 to May 2, 1906, and the Government of Greece, through its consulgeneral at New York, having invited this Government to be officially represented on the occasion, you are, by the President's direction, hereby designated to be his representative at the games. I am, etc., SIR: Referring to your instructions of February 21 and March 20,a I have the honor to report that the Olympic games were formally • Not printed. opened in the Stadium in this city, on the 22d ultimo, by His Royal Highness the Prince Royal of Greece, Duke of Sparta, in the presence of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Greece and the King and Queen of Great Britain. Copies of the prince's speech, together with a French translation of the same, are transmitted herewith. The games were closed on the 2d instant, after the prizes had been delivered by King George. Technically, the French athletes won the Olympiade, members of their team winning a large number of prizes in competitions which took place outside the Stadium (fencing, shooting, lawn tennis, and bicycling) and in which there were no American entries. In the real Olympic contests, however, the Americans won 11 first prizes out of a total 27, scoring the largest number of points in events which took place in the Stadium and winning the 100 meter swimming match as well. Mr. James E. Sullivan and the American team reached Athens a few days before the games began, and most of the members expect to leave by the 6th instant. Americans are usually favorites in Greece, but, apart from what was to be expected, our men have been received with enthusiasm and their conduct has excited much favorable comment. Mr. Sullivan and the members of the team generally have won much popularity by their sportsmanlike qualities and their discipline, readiness to accept the decisions of the judges, and abstention from entering useless protests, and, as the representative of the United States, I have had every reason to be proud of them. On the other hand, all the members of the team speak with enthusiasm of the Greek princes, two of whom, Prince George of Crete, as president, and Prince Nicolas, were among the judges, who mixed freely with the athletes and showed absolute fairness in all their decisions. When a Canadian runner (M. D. Sherring) entered the Stadium as the winner in the Marathon race, Prince George ran alongside of him as far as the goal in order to make impossible any hostile demonstration, much anxiety having been felt as to the possibility of such a demonstration in the event of the winning of this race by a foreigner. Four of the princes--the Crown Prince (or Prince Royal) and the Princes George, Nicolas, and Andrew-spent the evening of May 3 at this legation, where they met the team and other Americans in an informal way. In a speech delivered at a luncheon at the palace, which was given for the delegates to the games, on the 2d instant, just before the distribution of the prizes, the King thanked the governments of the states which were represented for their participation, and extended an invitation to take part in Olympic games which are expected to be held in Athens again in 1910. As a matter of general interest, however, I beg to add that a German scientist examined the hearts of a great number of the athletes before and after the various competitions and races, and that he found practically no irregularity in the case of the Americans, while many irregularities were found in regard to almost all (except the British) other athletes. This result is considered as being in favor of the American system of training. I have, etc., JOHN B. JACKSON. CHANGE IN EXTRADITION TREATY BETWEEN GREECE AND ITALY. Minister Wilson to the Secretary of State. No. 319.-Greek Series.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, Athens, September 20, 1905. SIR: I have the honor to inclose herewith a copy of the Greek official paper of the 6/19th instant, containing a change in Article 13 of the extradition treaty of November 5/17, 1877, between Greece and Italy. The above modification was voted by the Greek Parliament and signed by the King on July 9/22, 1905. I have, etc., CHARLES S. WILSON. [Inclosure.-Translation.] DECLARATION. The Government of His Majesty the King of the Hellenes and the Government of His Majesty the King of Italy, having agreed on the opportunity of modifying the dispositions of Article 13 of the Convention on Extradition existing between the two countries, of November 5/17, 1877, the undersigned, duly authorized, have agreed on the following text, which shall henceforth form an integral part of the above-mentioned Convention: * * * * * * under the is not extradited "ART. 13. If the party claimed and arrested conditions of the present Convention, and returned to his country within three months after his arrest, he shall be given his liberty and shall not be liable to be requisitioned for the same cause." The present Declaration shall be in force in each of the two countries from the day of its promulgation in the official journal and shall last as long as the Convention of November 5/17, 1877. In faith whereof, the undersigned have signed the present Declaration pending its approbation by the Hellenic Chamber of Deputies. Done in duplicate at Athens, March 16/29, 1905. [L. S.] [L. S.] A. SKOUSES. VISIT OF THE AMERICAN SQUADRON TO PIRÆUS. Minister Jackson to the Secretary of State. No. 378.-Greek Series.] AMERICAN LEGATION, SIR: I have the honor to report that Rear-Admiral Charles Dwight Sigsbee, "commanding third division, Atlantic Fleet, detached," in his flagship, the U. S. S. Brooklyn (Capt. Arthur P. Nazro), and accompanied by the U. S. S. Galveston (Commander William Gifford Cutler) and the U. S. S. Chattanooga (Commander Alexander Sharp), arrived in the harbor of the Piræus-where berths had been prepared in accordance with my request-on the morning of Thursday, March 1, and that the admiral and his ships left again yesterday afternoon for Beirut. |