POWER UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW. 135 



arousing international controversy.-^ So also a concurrent resolu- 

 tion could not be made effective to denounce a treaty. The effort 

 of the Senate to incorporate a reservation in the Peace treaty of 

 1919 giving a concurrent resolution, this efifect would have proved 

 futile. The treaty, not being able to amend the Constitution, 

 could not make a concurrent resolution a law of either international 

 or domestic effect.-* 



17. Self -Constituted Missions Forbidden. 



To prevent private negotiations with foreign nations, the Logan 



Act of 1799 was passed, after the attempt to make peace with 



France of the self-constituted mission of Dr. George Logan, a 



Philadelphia Quaker, had annoyed the government. The statute 



provides a fine of up to 65,000 and imprisonment up to six months 



for every citizen of the United States : -^ 



'■ Who without the permission or authority of the government, directly 

 or indirectly, commences or carries on any Verbal or written correspondence 

 or intercourse with any foreign government, or an officer or agent thereof, 

 with an intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign gov- 

 ernment, or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or 

 controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the gov- 

 ernment of the United States ; and every person, being a citizen of, or 

 resident within the United States, and not duly authorized, who counsels, 

 advises or assists in any such correspondence with such intent." 



This act expressly excepts application by American citizens to 

 foreign government for redress of injuries, and in general presen- 

 tation of claims by an individual is not considered a violation of 

 the principle that the representative organs of government com- 

 municate ofificially only with the representative organs of other 

 governments. However, in practice the department of state in 

 the United States and the foreign office in other states generally 

 refuse to consider claims not officially presented by the claimant's 

 government.^" 



^3 See House Resolution on Ireland, ]\Iarch 4, 1919, Senate Resolution, 

 June 6, 1919, and proposed 15th reservation to the Treaty of Versailles, 

 passed by a majority of the Senate ^larch 18, 1920. 



-* Infra, sec. 62. 



25 Rev. Stat., sec. 5335, Moore, Digest, 4 : 449. 



-6 Moore, Digest, 6 : 607-610, supra, note 3. 



