The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-09
OTHER FARMERS MARKETS IN
PERIL.

When General Harrison became Presi-
dent. American meats. and particularly
American hog products, were practically
shut out of the continental markets of
Europe. Mr.. Cleveland's Commissioner of
Agriculture in 1887 closed a report with the
declaration that he saw no way TO make
a market in Europe for another bushel of
American wheat or pound of American
the Republican Congress of 1SS9-91 set
themselves to the task of opening these
markets. The meat inspection law was
passed. which prevented the export of
American meats without inspection, and
had a retaliatory clause for such govern
ments as refused the admission of our
meats to the peoples which they repre-
scented. This was followed by the famous
reciprocity provision of the Mckinley law.
These were the weapons with which to
make markets for the American producer,
and specially for the American farmer.
Germany was one of the governments
which had prohibited the importation of
American hog products except through one
port. 1t was first proved to Germany that
our meats were rigidly inspected; this was
not sufficient. but there remained one more
argument which commercial nations heed.
ducing countries in the world, and her
hundreds of sugar producers wanted a
chance to sell their sugars in the United
States. BY the provisions Of the recipro-
city clause of the Mckinley law, high du-
ties were imposed upon the sugars of such
countries as would not enter into a re-
ciprocal treaty advantageous to the people
of the United States. When Germany saw
that unless it should make concessions to
American products it could not sell sugar
In the United States it not only agreed 10
ucts. but gave such meats and other farm
products a discriminating duty of great
value to the American farmer. OF the
working of this treaty a Washington dis
patch of the Associated Press says:
An official of the Agricultural Depart
ment said to-day that German retaliation
probably would be disastrous on the export
trade from the United States to Germany.
He pointed out that under the existing
treaty American meat products, live stock
and 1.-THE American hog had been given
a market in Germany after years OF effort
in that direction; Last year, the export of
ly Is, 000,0 600 pounds, an increase of 300 per
cent. from the year previous. A similar
advance had been made in our export OF
fiour sold in Berlin for the first time In
competition with Hungarian -four. Corn
meal, wheat ana some rye mas also peeh
In spite of all efforts to prevent it. the
Democratic Congress in its tariff law has
revoked all these reciprocity treaties and
has retained a special duty of one-tenth of
one cent per pound on the sugars of all
countries which pay a bounty on exported
sugar. which shuts out the raw as we'll as
the refined sugar of Germany. Now comes
the threat from the German government
of retaliation upon American meats and
other farm products If the tariff shall not
be changed. Thus nave the voorheeses.
and Democrats generally, with their eyes
open to the result, voted to close the farm
ers' market in erman and continental
Europe, which only the persistence and the
skill of the Harrisons. the Blaines. the
Fosters, the McKinleys and other Repub-
licans had opened. Such action is worse
than stupid; ii Is malignant.