Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-12-14

Ehe People of the Old World
Not Slow in Catching On.
Progress of the Crusade on the
Other Side.

terview, Says Foreigners Readily Real
ize the Value of Maize as Substitute
for Other Breadstufrs-SpeciaI Agents
Report Now in Press.
WASHINGTON, Dec. IA. - Secretary
Rusk was asked in reference to his work
on behalf Of Indian corn in Europe.
81 have just got the report Of my special
agent out Of the hands of the printer, VI
said the secretary. This report covers
his work up to the 1st of October last,
and, therefore, practically includes only
his work in Great Britain, for | sent
him from London to Berlin in Septem-
Der, The fact of the matter is, how
ever, that great deal of important work
has been done since Oct. /, for our agent
has had the cordial support Of our min
lister to Germany, and the German gov.
ernment has taken hold of the matter
quite warmly. The subject of Ameri-
can maize and its use as a human food
has been quite widely discussed in Ger
many, and our agent is faily swamped
with letters on the subject, received
from all parts of that country: More
over, interesting letters on the subject
have been given by members of some of
the learned societies, one of whom, at
least, is an official of high standing in
the employ of the government.
Colonel Murphy had number of
loaves baked consisting of corn meal
and rye meal in equal parts, suppose
you know that the lower classes in that
country use rye bread almost entirely,
and this mi-2d bread is not only cheaper,
but has been found by all those who
have tried it to be more palatable than
the bread made of rye only. This, of
course, is very important matter to tie
Germans, owing to the fact that their
entire supply of Russian rye, of whi, h
they have hitherto imported large guam
titles yearly, has been cut off by the acts
Of the Russian government prohibiting
the exports of cereals from that coun-
try. The price Of rye is accordingly, |
understand, very high. This mixed
bread has been submitted by our agent
to a committee, who have reported IA
vorably for its use as an army ration. Its
use for this purpose alone would assure
a market for very large quantity of
corn meal, as | suppose the daily rations
Of bread for the German army can not
be much less than 800, 900 lOaves."
In reply to an inquiry based on dis
patch regarding the receipt by the Rev.
Mr.. Francis, pastor of the Anglo-Amer-
lean church in St Petersburg, of a
quantity of cornmeal, with instructions
how to use it, the secretary stated that
he understood Colonel Murphy had sent
some 200 pounds of cOrnmeal to Mr..
e. -.
use in making this mixed bread, mush,
etc, as the result of an item which he
saw in some American paper suggesting
the propriety of Americans contributing
literally for the aid of the sufferers in
the famine districts in Russia, and urg-
ing that a large donation be made in the
form Of Indian corn.
"You know" added the secretary,
"that something Of this kind was done
for the Irish during the famine of
1848-49 in Ireland, and, although at
that time for want of sufficient instruc-
ton as to the use of cornmeal, much of
it was wasted; nevertheless, enough per-
sons learned how to use it, and found it
so palatable that more American corn is
used to this day as human food in Ire
land than i'll all other parts vf Europe.
l have not seen the newspaper
paragraph referred to myself, nor
do | know Of any movement ac-
tually undertaken for the purpose of
supplying the Russian authorizes with
a liberal donation of American corn for
their famine-stricken people, but | do
not hesitate to say as an individual, and
as the result Of my own experience in the
effort to introduce our corn to Europeans
e fl,,f Il, l..
glad indeed to see suCl, q movement un-
dertaken. Americans must ALWAYS re-
member very gratefully the position as
sumed by the Russian government with
reference to this country during the war
of the rebellion, in face of the antagOnis-
tic sentiments prevailing in many other
European countries; but, apart from any
questions of gratitude, it is, in our
opinion, most becoming, that in
cases of widespread suffering in any part
of the world, aid of an international
character should be forthcoming, and in
been foremost. In this particular instance,
indeed, we might say that self-interest
should dictate an effort of this kind, if
it could lead, as it certainly would in
nv opinion to introducing into Russia,
WIFI IlS l'NullllS BpPui'tultils SUM a
cheap and nutritious substitute for
other cereal foods as Indian corn. While
it is true that Russia usually pro-
duces a surplus of wheat and rye,
there are always liable to be years
like the present one, of shortage i'll one
or other, or both of these crops, and
am sure that i'll such cases the Russians
would rather depend upon the products
of this country than upon those of other
countries, their trade relations with
which are liable at any time to be inter
rupted by political complications. In the
absence of congressional legislation, it is
of course not within the functions of this
department to undertake the initiative
in a movement of this character; that is
a matter for public-spirited citizens, and
for such organizations as boards of trade
and produce exchanges and others inter-
ested in the extention of our markets in
all directions. All that l can say, for my
part. officially, is. that We're such a
movement undertaken, | should be glad
TO afford those in charge Of it all the in
formation which we have gathered for
the purpose of carrying on our corn
work in Europe, which would doubtless
enable them to accompany their gift
with such instructions TO the Russian
authorities as would secure the protita-
BILE use of all corn meal which might be
sent to them
Caprivi Defends the United States.
BERLIN. Dec. 14.-In the reichstag