The herald., 1896-05-06
OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE
Which the French Minister Considered
Little Fiery
Secretary OIney Vigorously Insists Upon
Americas Rights In the Matter of Ex-
porting Cattle to France

WASHINGTON, May 5-Nowhere in
the whole OF the correspondence of the
United States had during the year with
the countries fEurope, which corre-
spondence is just now being made pub
lie through advance sheets of the United
States red book. is there exhibited a
more vigorous insistence on the rights
of America than in the course of the ne
gotiations with France respecting the
exclusion by the government of that
country of American cattle. The presi-
dent himself dictated a small but most
important portion of the correspond
ence in it's earlier stages, and the con-
Guiding chapters contributed by Secre-
tary Olney sweep away like cobwebs
the spacious explanations put forward
10 justify the exclusion and make it
plain that retaliation may be expected
IL the unjust restrictions are not abated
| or justified. In March of last year, just
after the fact that the exclusion order
had been Issued would be known to the
state department through Mr.. Vignaud,
our charge at Paris. Secretary Gresham
cabled that officer that he had failed to
state the reasons for it's issue; that the
secretary Of agriculture has asserted
ease, and that ''in view Of these state
ments the president directs that you in
form the French government that the
United States regards this prohibition
as a needless and unfriendly interfer-
ence with an important branch oflegiti-
mate trade, and that you demonstrate
against its enforcement"
The charge was apparently dismayed
at the strength Of the message and
sought to delay its delivery until an op-
portunity could be had to consider the
propriety of modifying it. on account of
other facts entering into the negotia
tions, but another cable message from
Secretary Gresham three days later left
him no recourse, and when he did admit
1t even the French minister of foreign
affairs, who happened to be then, as
now, in of1ce, admitted that the protest
was a little fiery"
Negotiations at length ensued, in the
course OF which Ambassador Eustis, by
the instructions Of the state department.
pressed the French government for a
statement Of its reasons for the issue Of
the order of exclusion and showed that
these reasons were not based on actual
bona fide cause of disease in any Amer
lean cattle that had entered France, but
apparently were founded on desire to
exclude American cattle from competi-
tlon with French farmers. Finally
secretary Olney summed up the position
or his government in letter dated Oc-
tober H. last, showing that the French
argument was based almost entirely
upon newspaper publica tions; that this
-is'" e' Juo' Slouiu loF cOHl-
plant on that score in view of the care
IL mad exercised to secure the inspection
or the cattle exported, and finally wind
ing up by an intimation that if the
French government persisted in regard
ing 1T as necessary for the protec-
tion of their cattle to exclude the
herds of the United States, the same pro-
cess OF reasoning would make it equally
essential to the protection of the cattle
CT the United States that French cattle.
especially the Norman breed which is
now attracting so much attention here.
should be excluded from the United
States.
From the correspondence, which closed
soon after this passage, it appears that
the secretary was prevented from MAX
ing good this implied threat, owing to
representations that a new French
ministry would be favorable to the Uni
ted States,