The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-10
THE AMERICAN HOG ABROAD.
The Insult Offered to the United States
by Two Great Powers.
An Extensive Packer and Exporter of Hog
Products Thinks War or Retaliation
the Only Alternatives.
Chicago Tribune.

full product of our free and enlightened country
has been subjected to at the hands of despotic
German government, that man is Mr. Sam
Shoenemann, of the firm of Shoenemann Broth
ers packers and exporters of hog products. Mr..
Shoenemann exported the first American pork
to Germany, established an enormous provision
trade with Germany by way of Antwerp, and
resided several years abroad, devoting him
self TO the development of German
market for the product of the Chicago packing
houses Some months ago he abandoned his
residence in Antwerp and came back to Chicago
because the prohibition of American pork in Ger
many bad reduced his business to one-tenth of
its former extent. During the time he staid
abroad, after Bismark had issued his order ex
1luding the American hog from the German
mNS-kets, Mr.. Shoenemann studied the causes
that led to this order very carefully, and thor
oughly familarized himselfw with the subject that
he may well be considered an authority. re
porter met him by accident, and it was not long
before the conversation led on to Mr.. Shoene-
Inann's favorite subject.
"Do you know" he said, 'that Mr. Finerty is
right in a certain sense when he says that Amer
lea is afraid of the European powers and ready
to pocket any insult"
''Why2 Not because America permitted
O'Donnell to be hung" asked the reporter
mo not by any means although it is not the
fault of the papers that America did not get en-
tangled with the British government on account
of the assassin O'Donnell. Did they not try
their best to work up interest for this muir
derer by duvoting whole columns to accounts of
his deed and of the endeavors to save his worth
less neck by trying to prove that he acted in
self defense and was no avenger at all2 And all
the time those very newspapers had nothing to
say about the insult offered nation, and the
injury done our great commercial interests, by
France and by Germany. Let me tell you the
German government would never have dared to
prohibit the importation of American pork had
not the United States submitted SO quietly to the
prohibition of the same article in France two
years before that. When the French govern
ment barred its ports against our pork, | wrote a
letter from Antwerp to the Chicago Tribune
calling attention to this outrage, and suggesting
that Congress Immediately adopt retaliatory
measures against France, because, as | stated in
my letter. felt sure that Germany would imi
tate the example of France if the government of
the United States pocketed the insult offered its
commerce by sister republic"
''How was it an INSULT"
SIT was the worst insult imaginable because
the prohibition accompanied by the in
famously malicious statement that it a
measure IN the interest OF puDllc health ana that
the American hog was riddled with trichin9
Now, the real reason for the prohibition of Amer
lean pork was retaliation for the high duties lev
led by our government on French manufactures
for the benefit of a few Eastern manufacturers,
but they did not want to say so, and so cooked
up the story about the prevalence of trchinB in
American hogs. This was all the more infamous
as there never has been in France a case of
triehiniasis which could be tracedto the cOnsunp-
ton of American pork. Unfortunately, our own
PROF essor Detmers, by his injudcious talk, fur
inished material to build this preteXt on. Well.
had my warning at the time been needed and
had the Congress of the United States replied
to the prohibition OF American pork i'll France
by prohibiting the importation of French
wines-for which the best sanitary reasons ex-
list, as there is hardly drop of caret exported
from France which is not adulterated-had that
been done, the French government would quick
1y have altered its mind and taken back the de
cree. But the United States. forgetful of the
duty it owes its citizens, took the insult
Offered by France in the meekest possible spirit,
and so paved the way for the prohibition of
American pork in Germany"
What is the actual reason for the latterF
'It is a two-fold one In the first place. the
Junker element in Germany, the owners of the
large landed estates in northern Germany. did
not like to see the importation of American pork
which could be sold at considerably cheaper
prices than they were in the habit of selling
pork. They cannot raise hogs enough to supply
The actual demand in Germany, but that does
not trouble them. On the contrary, they prefer
that meat should be a luxury and be found only
on the table of those who can pay good price
Now, American pork was becoming immensely
popular with the labOring classes, especially in
the manufacturing districts of Westphalia
and the Rhenish provinces, and
found its way gradually into the
markets the Junkers had monopolized
before Then the Junkers do not like America
because the people of Germany look
upon our country as an ElDOrado, and are emf
grating to our shores as fast as they can. to get
rid of the oppression they are subjected to at
home. Then the German manufacturers grum-
bled at our tariff and often expressed the opin-
ion that American products should be admitted
to the German market only under the same re-
strictions to which German products were sub
jected in America SO the landed interests and
the manufacturers united in the demand that
American trade should be restricted on the Ger
man market. But Bismarck saw still further.
He does not like Americas taking annually thou
sands of the young men of Germany away, and
fully appreciates that the prosperity America is
enjoying on account of her free institutions is
Strengthening every day the Liberal, Republican
element in the German empire. He wanted to
strike a blow at Americas commercial interests
and not only prevent the exchange of American
products for German money, but also inlure
the American exporters in all the
markets of the world Therefore, re-
taliation for the American tariff was
while the official organs teemed with the most
malicious attacks on our meat products of all
kinds, and with demands that they be excluded
from Germany because they endangered the
health of the German people,"
"Did these attacks have any effect on the COLI
sumersN
mot the slightest. In Westphalia over IA, 900
heads of families signed petition against the
exclusion of American pork, and the independ-
ent local press of that portion of Germany has
always defended the American hog, and is even
now on every occasion anxious to show that the
hogs raised by the German Barons are by no
from tpip toll hnGn tocfc
will be of no avail as long as the United States
will permit its commerce to be tramped upon by
Bismarck. That the latter was by no means
sure our Congress would stand declaration of
war on the part of the German government on
the American hog is fully shown by the fact that
the order of prohibition, although agreed upon
for some time before, was not promulgated until
after the adjournment of Congress. This | was
ILL l,rtl IL. 81, l.. e