Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-17
CONSIDERABLE ANTAGON|SM Over the DingIey Tariff Bill in.
 France. A DISASTROUS POLICY
  Would It Prove Were lt to Antagonize French Prodncts-M. Hanatoux Answers Some Questions on the Subject.

Paris, April 16.-The Dingley tariff bill has aroused considerable antagonism in French mercantile circles, where 1t is pointed out thac ,tha measure may lead to a policy disastrous in its effects on cer- tain French industries. Some reprdsent- ations of this mature having already been made to members of the French govern ment, i.he Associated Press sent to M. Hanltoux, the French foreign minister. a number of questions bearing on the tariff situa ton and the relations of the two republics. The French foreign office returned the following writ,en rlply:
 ''The federal government at Walning- ton will succeed without any doub, in drawing closer the bonds which unite France and the United States by abstain ing from oyeraXing imported French goods, such as sparkling and still wines, biandies. silks, wooLen5, gloves, works of ant, etc. iTo shut 'sur of the United States by quasi prohilbitive tariffs the produce of French industry and art will evidently have a contrary effec..
 -Tt is to be hoped this will not event. ually ibe dome LAt the present time there are no differences between the two repub- lies. They are bound together by 100 many memories and traditions for yer 1table spirit of hostility to grow between them. lI'he solution of small current questions which give rise to negotia lions between the two countries is, however, something rendered difficult by the argu- mentative spirit of the American s.alte department.
 Although France has no grounds for complaining of the diplomatic and con- Sular representa- ton of the United Stats there is nevertheless reason for stating that she has been. surprised at the atti- tude of certain American consuls. One of them admitted to exercise his func- tions in one Of the great ports of France seems quite recently to have undsrtaken thS task of disparaginS the produce of French vineyards. Incorrect statements, denied after inquiry by competent au- thorities, have been reproduced in off cial reports by the gent in question and made public in administrative documents.
 Another agsnt who has also exercised thssfunctions of consul in one of the great tnwnsa spoke of French wines-n the courss of lecture delivered in the United States--in the most unfavorable terms the worst terms. Both th.se agents rep resented French wines as watered, a1ul- terated, 1lnixed with plaster of Paris and composed of all sorts of noXious ingre- dientSS ,ly <t3,
 pl"Cases such as thsse denote the de- plorabler Tendencies and want of p7u- dsnce of certain American agents.'
 hsIif reply to the question whether FTsiieasw6nld retaliate in case the tariff onT French goods should be very much raised the French foreign office said:
 lssfThe3s a hswsr to that is that France prefers, t9Ibsfieve that congress will ex- 'slfhiue the question with strict impar- uafftyf aud it will decide in a spirit of goodwill ayttfGjustice upon any proposals to- charge high duties on French inn en,1Hrreply Io-a question as to arbitra- tfon the following was said:
 "7F'ra,fcs' 1oFes peace and dsyotes her self to .rfe serving it. She is consequant- RyiIa no twayihestile to measures the ob- iect ,rsf which are ia q general way to safeguard peace. But bsfore pronounce ing 0ffan agresment such as the one pro- pGsssa bet%d6n Great Britain and the United states France would prefer to wait the final action of the senate and to see the res1lt,of the experiment, if any is to be rld1e,
 Iq 9nswsr to a question as to what CO., opesatfon France would give to bring ab3,u an international bimetallic con- ferehcs, M. Hanitoux said:
 'The cooperation which France could give the United States in the assembling of a n1onetarX conference would natural ly depend upon the state of the relations Between the two countries As regards bimetallism itself, opinion in France seems very much divided"