Evening journal., 1896-12-04
THE GERMANS MUST PAY
Cleveland Reimposes the Ton
mage Tax on Vessels.
A RETALIATION FOR. UEFAIRNEss.

Reopens an Old Controversy.
WAsHNGToN. Dec 4.-President Cleve-
land has issued a proclamation rcvoking
his proclamation Of Jan. 90 1888, exempt
ing from tonnage dues in United States
ports all vessels arriving from German
ports
Though it might he suspected that the
action OF the president had been influenced
by the Determinations which it is contend
cd. the German government has made
against American meat products and
American insurance companies, it is stated
BY HIGH officials that no such considers
tions entered into the matter at all hut
that the proclamation had been issued
simply because il had been ascertained that
American vessels in Germany were not ac-
corded the same exemption from tonnage
taxes that vessels arriving from German
ports were in American ports
The proclamation of 1855 was issued in
accordance with an act passed in 1856,
providing that If any country exempted
from tonnage dues American vessels en-
tering its ports, i'm return the United
States would exempt from tonnage dues
ali vessels from that country. The first
country to take advantage of this law was
the Netherlands and proclamation was
issued by the president, on April 22, 1887,
oxempting from tonnage tax vessels from
that country.
The German government, through
Baron Won AlVenslaven at that time Ger
man minister to the United States, had
entered into negotiations to have vessels
from Germany also exempted, and the
proclamation of 1883 was issued two days
after the receipt by Secretary Bayard Of
letter from Baron Won Alvenslaven, in
which the German minister stated that no
tonnage or lighthouse duties or any equiv
alent tax or taxes whatever were imposed
upon American vessels entering German
ports
The German government set up two
principal contentious One of these was
that the taxes were not imposed by the
imperial government and the other that
they were not tonnage dues in the mean
ing of the term as employed by the statute
of the United States, being simply local
charges for the maintenance of harbor inn
provements or harbor lights.
These contentious were not admitted by
Secretary Olney to be sound. 1t was held
that it made no practical difference whether
the taxes were imposed by the imperial
government or by the governments of the
maritime states, and that the objects for
which the taxes were collected were as
much national Objects as the object for
which the tOnnag6~ taxes arc collected in
this country-the maintenance Of the ma
rine hospital service-and that the objects
for which the German taxes were collected
were charges which in the United States
wero paid for out Of the general revenue.
Discrimination Against Americans.
lt is further contended by the admins
trntion that this exemption of vessels COM
q
been a direct discrimination against Amer
lean vessels The European terminus Of
the American line is southampton. At
this port also vessels Of the North German
Lloyd in clearing from Bremen, touch for
passengers and mail, and thus come in di-
rect competition with the American line
As the German steamers have cleared
from Germany they have been exempt
from tonnage taxes, while the American
line steamers, clearing from Great Brit
ain, have been required TO pay the tax
Thus the steamship st. Louis, ON entering
the United States. pays nearly Si00 tom
mage taxes, while the competing German
vessels have been exempt by our own law
from the payment of like tax.
Again. the vessels of the Hamburg
American line touch at Havre and COM
pete for passenger and mail with the Tou-
and hy our own law the German vessels
have been exempt, while the French YES
sells have been required TO pay tho tax.
This has naturally been a source of COM
plant to the United States on the part of
the French government
Germany would have had bv far tn,
bost of the bargain under the operation OF
the proclamation of 1888, even if Amer
lean vessels had been totally exempt from
the charges in German ports, for. Will,
the vessels arriving from Germany, whicl
have been exempt. would have paid unGel
the tonnage laws of the United State
about 5000, 600 annually. the exemption.
+ which it was supposed American vessels
arriving in Germany were getting hay,
net averaged more than 5000 per year
Mr.. von Rcichcnau, charge d aiiaircs d
the German embassy, declined TO express
AN opinion regarding the proclamation
He simply stated i'm d general way ha
Il the matter had been the subject of CORE
sp0ndenCc for some time but that he coul,
neither anticipate what action the imperi
al government would take nor did he carr
TO express am opinion regarding it,
German Proies, Expected.
it is not believed that the German gov
crnment viii consent TO the imposition o
"a discriminating tax ON German vessel
without at least "a more vigorous protes
than has vet been made The German con
tention, it is understood is that the t1i
81 complained of is not imposed solely ol
American vessels. but upon vessels of al
nationalitics, including German vessels
evidences of an unfrendly disposition
on the part Of the German government to
wr0 the United States have been accu
mulaing over since the dinerential dut
ON bounty paid German beet sugar wa
imposed by the Wilson tariff law. Amer
lean cattle have been excluded on the pr,
text of danger of contagion from Texa
fever which cannot exist i'm northern cl
mates. American hog products have bee
excluded oven though cooked and inclose
IN cans, on the allegation that these cool
4. cd products might contain tricbin,
s which cannot exist I'm cooked food Amer
u lean oleo, glucose and petroleum an
rany other exports which formerly ver
S. % the German empire have followed. on
5 after the other.
All these matters have been made m