The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-10-27
German Hostility to American
Food Stuffs.

ling American goods. He gives the
real reason for Germany's hostility to
American foodstuffs and describes q
condition of things among German
herds that is simply appalling. We
make the subjoined extract from Mr..
Bigelow's letter:
There is an industrial exposition
now going on in Leipsic, where Ger
mans go to admire the enterprise of
German manufacturers, which 10 an
excellent thing. This enterprise, how
ever, needs looking after by our peo-
pie. To illustrate my meaning: The
jury of awards was about to give q
medal to manufacturer who protested
to have made an exceedingly ingenious
lock. There happened to be an Ameri-
can upon this jury, who was struck by
the resemblance between this and SINH
lar American articles; 30 he asked per-
mission to scratch the enamel upon the
alleged German prize product, and
there found, to the surprise of all but
himself, that it was strictly Yankee
lock, whose trade mark had been dis
honestly concealed. II this were a sim
gular case it would not be worth not
ing, but our embassy in Berlin has it's
attention called almost daily to practi-
ces of this kind.
Another trick which Injuries Ameri-
can commerce more than we suspect is
this: A German manufacturer Sc
cures the exclusive agency for certain
American patented articles. He then
orders one of each and has them &C
fol pnnio1 md y,1oood ha
market as genuine German products.
Of course he makes these in every way
cheaper than the American, and man
ages to evade prosecution by advertis-
ing them, not as American, but
based upon American patterns. Thus
the genuine American article becomes
discredited in German eyes through the
cheap limitations.
1t has happened that boxes of Amer
can produce. packers have been used a
second time by German agents in or
der to sell bad German beef or pork un-
der an American label. These tricks
are so shabby, and find 80 little con-
domination at the hands of the German
official and agrarian press, that our own
government ought to step in and give
our manufacturers not "protection" on
the Dingley bill plan, but the protec-
ton of common justice that is nominally
guaranteed by our international treaties.
1t is strange at this time to learn that
about seventy-fve per cent of American
consuls in Germany are Germans, and
by no means men fit for the grave re-
sponsibilities of their position.
We Americans are inclined TO think
that if we have good case against a
foreign country, and furnish satisfac-
tory evidence, we will, as matter of
course, obtain justice, whether we
have good consuls or bad consuls to
watch our interests. That is mistake
springing from our idealsm in matters
political. Germany, for instance, does
not desire the competition of American
wheat or American pork, or American
foodstuffs of any kind. We furnish
her with abundant evidence that our
provisions are vastly better than what
she herself places upon the market, yet
she courteously but firmly reiterates
her proposition that American food is
tainted, and therefore unfit for Ger
man consumption. Within a mile
from where my house-boat is anchored,
pigs, chickens, and cattle are in state
of epidemic disease, yet no one forbids
these tainted articles of food poisoning
the neighbors roundabout The Ger
man lives in a state of mild panic re-
garding disease in his meat and drink.
About Berlin, at least, the person who
dares drink glass of fresh milk is re-
garded as reckless defer of Provi-
dence. In country where the most
beautiful landscapes are concealed by
the multiplicity of police warnings, it is
yet found impossible to produce an
average COW fit to be MIXED, or an
average pig fit to be killed.
Yet food is dear in Prussia, and con-
sequently the people are poorly fed.
Near me lives hOtel-keeper who is q
tenant of the German crown, and he
keeps COW, which eats most of the
swill of the neghborhood That COW
has not been out of her stable the whole
of this past summer; and before know
ing this / bought some of her milk
This milk produced no cream, and was
as tasteless as the "Kaffir milk" Of
Delagoa Bay. That COW is dying from
want of light, air, exercise, and fresh
fodder. In the al joining village, which
is part of one of the Emperor's parks
Oil thO SOWo arc iOChCd up ulgHt AIT
day throughout the year in dark, ILL
ventilated quarters, under the same
roof with the peasants. The wondel
to me is lot that the cattle die of con
tagious diseases, but that they live Ions
enough to generate the necessary
germs. Yet am referring here to {
little village of about thirty houses, five
miles from any railway station, in th'
midst of an imperial domain rarel,
trodden excepting by government Off
Gals. When these officials permit suci
cruelty to animals as this, can we won
der that they lend themselves to fanati
cal persecution of American foodstuff'
If the facts were known, the worlt
would be convinced that while Europ,
has no need to fear American beef ant
pork, we, on our side, should rigorous
ly prohibit German food of like nature
even when it has passed government
inspection.
Scotty-Yep; that's ole Howling Ike
Useter be the terror of the camp. Wis
| itOr from the EAst-YOu don't saw an