Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-16

formation concerning the refusal Of France
TO admit American pork. A letter from
whitelaw Reid to Prime Minister Ribot is
the most interesting feature.
WASHINGTON, August 15.-In COM
pliance with the resolution of the Senate OF
last July, calling for all correspondence not
already submitted to Congress and now in
the Department OF State touching the efforts
made BY this government to secure the
modification or repeal by the French Gov
ernment of its decree of 1881 prohibiting
the importation into France of American
pork and kindred American products, the
President to-day sent to the Senate a letter
from the Acting Secretary of State on the
subject, together with q large volume OF
correspondence between Minister Reid and
Secretary Blaine, beginning July, 1889.
The acting secretary, in his letter of trans
initial. states that the correspondence dis
closes the important fact that the French
Government now practically places its ex-
clusion of our pork products upon economic
instead of sanitary grounds.
AN UNJUST DISSEMINATION.
As this policy of exclusion, says Mr..
Wharton, as a measure for the protection of
the domestic products of France, is applied
only to the United States, the depart
ment has not failed to protest against the
discrimination as unjust.
The correspondence is quite volumlnous,
including statements by the Secretary OF
Agriculture to the Secretary of State, of the
prohibitive edicts and regulations, but the
most important portion is contained in a
long letter addressed by Mr.. Reid to Mr..
Ribot, on July 3. last.
Mr. Reid reminds the Minister that he is
waiting for the fulfllment of assurances
unoficially given by M. Vigniaud, in con-
nection with the Mckinley administrative
bill. He SAYS:
.'You will recall that while advising you of
my earnest efforts to procure the desired re-
moval of needless or unjust restrictions upon
your trade, pointed out once more that the
greatest obstacle arose from what our people
consider the persistent injustice of France in
the prohibition of the great
STAPLE AMERICAN PRODUCT
on the inde1ensible ground that it is unwhole'
some. Your Excellency was good enough then
to intimate that the government would be
willing to propose the repeal of this prohi-
bition. Such steps now would be most
timely and could not fail to have a
beneficial effect While the belief was
current that this course would be speedily
taken, the House of Representatives voted to
remove the duty of per cent on pictures and
statues. Seeing now that it is not taken and
beginning TO believe that it will not be, the
Senate committee has already amended the
tariff bill by imposing this duty, and there !:
danger that the Senate will approve their &C
tion. 1t is only candid to explain that the ma
iority of the Senators and Representatives, in
cludIng especially those from the great corr
growing and pork producing states, regard tht
attitude of France as without warrant In fact
This old and growing feeling arises, unlike
your recent complaints about our tariff bills
from no mere objection of duty you choose
impose, although within recent years you hav'
greatly increased IL, or to minor details In youl
Custom House methods. 1t springs from
grievance more serious and deep-seated-youl
persistent discrimination in favor of the prod
ucts of Germany, Italy, England and othe
countries against those OF your historic 1rleno
which you absolutely prohibit on the charge o.
their bad quality.
AN ACT OF JUSTICE.
We ask the repeal of this prohibition as 81
act of naked justice, too long denied. 1t ha
been excused only by alleging the unhealthful
ness Of American pork. Now this product Il
perfectly known not TO be unhealthful, and W,
no longer hear of any serious belief in an,
quarter that it is. Your Academy of Medicin,
long since decided in its favor. Your own Ex
position gave it the highest award last year, ii
competition with all the world.
After that award, through letter which
had the honor 10 address to your successor, Mr.
Spuller, We challenged and invited a most rig
orous examination by your sclentlhc experts
and it was made to their apparent satisfaction
We forwarded all the information that wa
then asked, and have never been told that
was insufficient or that any more was desired
Certainly it seems to lis that there is no reasol
to seek for more. This pork is clean and whole
some and enormously used-but nowhere s.
much as by our own people They are tn
largest pork-Sonsuming nation In the world
and yet from the time the disease of trichinosi
was first observed down to this day it is be
neved that there have not beer in the Unite'
States so many actual deaths from it altogethe
as there has been In single year from stroke
ofhghtning.
SOME STRONG LANGUAGE.
There is not an authentic case Of the uiseas
recorded except when The pork was eaten raw
II it were a question Of importation among
nation of savages, possibly .there might be
valid reason for its exclusion but not in th
nation which marched at the head Of the civil
zation of Europe.
Relations between governments are best an
most enduring when they rest upon basis Q
mutual good will and mutual interest OF tn
mutual good will in the case of our countrie
there is happily no doubt-the world has see
more than century's evidence OF 1t Bu
/ would like TO show that the action "
now ask is in the mutual interest Of tn
two countries; that il is greatly to the oenef
of France and that it is especially to the il
terest of the very classes in France for which
wise Government always cherishes the mo.
solicitous care, and to which republican GO
ernmeut is especially bound.
This might seem TO tend toward question
able discussion of your domestic AFFAIRS. n
lying, however, upon the courteous permissio
Your Excellency has given Us 70 pursne IN
phase of the question, beg you to believe th'
even with this permission l only do so In Il
firm belief that the facts demonstrate your Il
teres1s and ours to be harmonious and not col
ficting.
STATISTICAL INFORMATION.
In the last year before the prohibition
American pork QSSO) France imported in 8
IS To 800 kilos of pork of which 81 247 800 xii,
came from the United States. As your in
port. from all other sources has averaged {,
the past three years just about Il
same as it was in lSS0-say in rour
numbers 100000 kilos per year
it is plain that you have not made up
duties on this article from other countri,
what you have lost in duties from the Unite
States That loss at the old rate Of duty an
assuming that there would have been Z
natural growth in the buslness-a most unlike
supposition-Woulds still have been for the ma
l225OO0O francs. At the present rate of dut
and assuming that the advance was not tc
great to check importation, even If it did pr
vent the natural growth of the business yol
less has been 2sl1, 900 francs per annum, or, f
the nine years Of exclusion in round number
2aOO0OO0 francs, which we should have pa
into your Treasury.
But, considerable as this item is. IL won
appear 70 be tee smallest part of your actu
loss for beside you have deprived your Frens
steamers of q valuable line Of freight yS