Mr. Fogg to Mr. Seward.
Sir: Having received no response to my despatches Nos. 58 and 59, dated April 16 and 29, communicating the proposition of the federal council for an amendment of the existing treaty between Switzerland and the United States, I beg to recall your attention to the subject.
In this connexion it has occured to me that possibly the treaty might be modified with advantage to the citizens of both countries in some other of its provisions. For instance, article 2 provides that while “the citizens of one of the two countries residing in the other shall be free from personal military service, they shall be liable to the pecuniary of material contributions which may be required, by way of compensation, from citizens of the country where they reside, who are exempt from the said service.” The practical operation of this provision is believed to inure exclusively to the Swiss, inasmuch as Americans residing here are required to pay a military tax, while I apprehend no such tax is ever levied on Swiss in the United States.
There may be some other provisions which ought to be modified, and which may occur to the State Department in looking over the existing treaty.
But possibly you do not deem any modification necessary for the present, and decline the proposition of the president of the confederation which I communicated in my former despatch. If so, I would like to be informed to that effect, and be enabled to communicate the response of the State Department to the federal council.
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With the highest respect, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State of the U. S. of America.