CORRESPONDENCE. CIRCULARS. CERTIFICATES OF INSPECTION OF NURSERY STOCK. File No. 811.612,50. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 21, 1912. To the Diplomatic Officers of the United States. GENTLEMEN: I enclose herewith copies of a circular' issued by the Department of Agriculture on December 20, 1912, containing the text of an Act of Congress known as the "Plant Quarantine Act," approved August 20, 1912, and the Rules and Regulations for carrying out the Act. It is desired by the Secretary of Agriculture that you will transmit one copy of the Act to the Governments to which you are respectively accredited, inviting their special attention to the conditions imposed in Regulation 7 relating to foreign certificates of inspection and informing them that after July 1, 1913, foreign certificates of inspection of nursery stock (which are a condition of entry) will not be accepted except when issued and countersigned or officially sealed by duly authorized officials of foreign countries or their agents in accordance with the provision of the regulation mentioned, and with section 1 of the Act. After July 1, 1913, imported nursery stock not certified, or improperly certified, will be stopped at the customhouses and its entry will be impossible. I am [etc.] P. C. KNOX. INTERNATIONAL RIFLE-SHOOTING TOURNAMENT. File No. 811.4064/43. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 30, 1912. To the Diplomatic Officers of the United States. GENTLEMEN: I enclose herewith an invitation addressed to the riflemen of the country of your residence by Lieutenant General John C. Bates, U. S. A., Retired, President of the National Rifle Association of America, to take part in an International Rifle-Shooting Tournament to be held at Camp Perry, Ohio, in September, 1913. You may accordingly, on behalf of the Association, transmit the invitation to the Foreign Office and request that it be forwarded to the appropriate officials to the end that it may be given publicity and come to the knowledge of those interested. In doing so you will say that the National Rifle Association of America will conduct the tournament as a private organization and that the tournament will not be under the auspices of the Government of the United States, which will, however, be glad to learn that the invitation is favorably received. I am [etc.] PLANT QUARANTINE ACT. File No. 811.612/72. P. C. KNOX. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 7, 1913. To the Diplomatic Officers of the United States. GENTLEMEN: With its circular instruction of December 21 last' the Department enclosed to you a circular issued by the Department of Agriculture on December 20, 1912, containing the text of an act of Congress known as the "Plant Quarantine Act," approved August 20, 1912, and the rules and regulations for carrying out the act. In order that the appropriate officials of foreign countries may have the information which will enable them to comply with the requirements of the act with respect to inspection and certification, the Department of Agriculture has prepared specific directions, a print of which is enclosed herewith' for transmission by you to the Governments to which you are respectively accredited. To comply with section 1 of the act and the regulations quoted in relation thereto the Secretary of Agriculture states that "it is expected that there will be for each country a chief inspection official, who will be responsible, either directly or through his assistants, for the examination and certification of all nursery stock offered for export to the United States." It may occasionally be desirable, he adds, "to have a number of such officers for the principal subdivisions of a country; but the appointment by local authorities of inspectors for towns or small districts of a country, such inspectors not being under the control of a central or chief official and not necessarily experts, will not be considered a compliance with these requirements. It is expected, in other words, that there shall be chief or State inspectors, as there now are in Holland, Belgium, and France, who will have control of the whole inspection service, through as many subordinates as the work may necessitate, and therefore this need should be presented directly to the Central Government of each country. Many of the reports so far received in relation to such foreign inspection indicate that consuls, to whom this matter has been referred, have made local inquiries, and this has led to provisions for inspection by towns or limited districts, and by local inspectors who can not be looked upon as experts and who are not responsible to any central control, and therefore not at all meeting the requirements of the Plant Quarantine Act and Regulations." I am [etc.] P. C. KNOX. 1 See ante. Not printed. EXPATRIATION OF NATURALIZED CITIZENS. File No. 136.2/57a. No. 193. Special Instruction. Consular. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 28, 1913. To the American Diplomatic and Consular Officers in Central America, Mexico, Panama, and the West Indies, and the Consular Officers in Canada. GENTLEMEN: With reference to the circular instruction of April 19, 1907, and amending instruction of May 14, 1908, prescribing rules whereunder the presumption of expatriation arising against naturalized American citizens under the provision of the second paragraph of section 2 of the act of March 2, 1907, may be overcome, you are informed that the Department has come to the conclusion that exceptional treatment should be accorded certain naturalized citizens temporarily residing in countries near to the United States for reasons and in a manner not inconsistent with the retention of American citizenship and protection. Accordingly, in pursuance of the discretionary authority vested in the Department by the law mentioned, the following rule is prescribed in addition to the existing rule: (Special rule a): In the case of a naturalized American citizen residing in Canada, Mexico, the West Indies, Central America or Panama, the presumption of expatriation may be overcome upon his presenting to a diplomatic or consular officer satisfactory evidence that he is employed by a legitimate corporation or company or principally engaged in any legitimate concern, which is effectively owned and controlled by a citizen or citizens of the United States and materially promotes the interests of this country, and that he intends to return to the United States to reside. When there seems to be any doubt as to the application and effect of the above rule in a particular case the matter should be referred to the Department, with a full statement of the pertinent facts and circumstances, for its determination. In this connection it may be observed that, in the case of a person against whom the presumption of expatriation has arisen, if it is shown that he has retained in good faith in this country a residential house or other property, such fact, although not of itself decisive, should be given due weight in determining his status, and particularly the question of his intention of returning to the United States to reside. I am [etc.] P. C. KNOX. Index under: Expatriation; Citizenship. The provisions of this circular apply to the diplomatic and consular offices in Canada, Central America, Mexico, Panama, West Indies. For. Rel. 1907, p. 3. For. Rel. 1908, p. 2. SPEECH OF SENATOR ELIHU ROOT IN THE SENATE, JANUARY 16, 1913, REPUDIATING SENTIMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO HIM IN RELATION TO LATIN AMERICA. File No. 710.11/90a and 90b. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, January 14, 1913. To the American Diplomatic Officers in Latin America. GENTLEMEN: The Department learns that within the last few months articles have appeared in various newspapers in South and Central America commenting on an alleged speech of Senator Root dealing with Latin-American affairs. Senator Root is quoted as saying, among other things: It is only a question of time until Mexico, Central America, and the islands that we still lack in the Caribbean Sea, will be brought under our flag. and other statements of a similar nature are attributed to him. This matter was first brought to the notice of the Department by the American Minister to Honduras', after an article of this character had appeared on October 26 last in "El Cronista," a newspaper in Tegucigalpa. Upon this article being brought to his attention, Senator Root authorized the following statement, which was transmitted by cable' to Minister White [at Tegucigalpa], and subsequently appeared in the press of Tegucigalpa: WASHINGTON, November 25, 1912. The newspaper "El Cronista" of Tegucigalpa published on October 26, 1912, certain alleged extracts from some speech of mine. These are impudent forgeries. I never made any such speech. I never said any such things. The expressions contained in these spurious and pretended extracts are inconsistent with my opinions and abhorrent to my feelings. They are the exact opposite of the views which I have expressed on hundreds of occasions, during many years, both publicly and privately, officially and personally, and which I now hold and maintain. ELIHU ROOT. Should newspaper articles of the character quoted above, attributing utterances of this nature to Senator Root, appear in the press of the country to which you are accredited, you will cause such publicity to be made of Senator Root's statement as in your judgment may be necessary to counteract the effect of such articles. I am [etc.] File No. 710.11/134. P. C. KNOX. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, March 13, 1913. To the American Diplomatic Officers in Latin America. GENTLEMEN: Referring to the Department's unnumbered instruction of January 14 last, concerning the publication in "El Cronista," a newspaper in Tegucigalpa, of an alleged speech of Senator Root dealing with Latin-American affairs, the Department encloses herewith a copy of the Congressional Record of January 16, 1913, beginning on page 1609 of which is printed the public repudiation in the Senate by Senator Root of the sentiments attributed to him in the ar File No. 710.11/83. Not printed. |