The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-01-12
GROWING SERIOUS.

nv
United States for Gross Errors of Our
Congress in EnactinG Legislation in Con-
~traventiOn of international ~Law-Secre-
tary Gresham, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Olney
and Secretary Carlisle in Consultation.
WASHINGTON, Jan. livery indica
ton points to a combined move on the
part of continental European powers
to resent the alleged violation of treaty
provisions embodied in the discrimina-
ting duty levied against German beet
sugar because of the German bounties
given to German sugar producers un-
der German law.
The German government especially
is exhibiting remarkable ingenuity in
calling the attention of the United
States to the errors of its congress in
enacting legislation in c~ontravention
to the principles of international law,
the most recent instance being a pro-
test presented by the German ambas-
sador against an alleged unwarranted
perversion of consular prerogatives.
This new protest which has just
been presented, caused a conference
between Secretary Gresham, Attorney
General Olney and Secretary Carlisle
Saturday, after which Secretary
Gresham spent some time with the
president, but it is not understood that
a final conclusion as to the course OF
this government was reached.
As far as can be definitely learned,
Germany claims that the rights, privi-
leges, immunities and duties of her
consular agents and those of the
United States holding Office in the re-
spective countries are rightly defined
in the treaty of December II, 1871,
which was negotiated and ratified
solely for that purpose. However,
congress has by the quarantine act OF
February Is, 1898, and others, it is
claimed, imposed duties upon consuls
in Germany which were not contem-
plated by the treaty and which are
therefore in violation of the agreement
by the two countries.
The quarantine act, which the Ger
man government objects to, provides a
fine of S., 900 for any vessel which shall
enter Dr. attempt to enter a port of the
United States without a bill of health,
signed by the American consul, or the
medical officer of the American marine
hospital service where such officer has
been detailed by she president for the
purpose at the foreign port from which
the vessel cleared.
1t is also understood that Germany
charges upon the United States viola
tions of the treaty obligations in the
respect that treaties entered into with
German countries, since incorporated
into the German empire, gave to Ger
nan citizens the right to frequent all
the coasts and countries of the United
States without obstruction" and ito
reside and trade there with the same
rights and privileges of the most
favored nations
Germany claims that these treaties,
though of ancient date, have been alb
solutely observed by the German EN-
pire and are now being violated by the
United States.
Not only Belgium. but France, also
is following Germany's lead. A ship
ment of 500 cattle from the west to
Bordeaux, France, is now in quaran-
tine, in New York, because the French
consul refused to certify to their i'm
munity from Texas fever or some
other imaginary disease.
So little trouble was anticipated
with regard to shipments to France
that bills of lading on the cattle were
discounted by New York banks.
Nevertheless, the cattle are still in
New Jersey stock yards. with small
prospects of ever making an ocean
trip.
On all hands it is admitted that the
interruption of foreign trade growing
out of the alleged violation of treaty
obligations with Germany in regard to
beet sugar is growing to be a serious
matter.