Birmingham state herald., 1897-05-04
MOUNTAIN OF 4 MOLE HILL An IntI- eIIation of the German
 Ls Government ON GE DlNGLEY MEASURE Calledz an Exhaustive Review of Relations ieen Germany and inc United
 States on Tariff Issuss
LcE DlNGLEY MEASURE

OCoANt Oli NetilALD, tLFS dSlRliali iNdoSAS interpenlted ths government on the sub jest of the proposed new United States tariff. He sald the Dingley b.Il implied less an increase of American cusd5ms Isrevenue than th= successive expulsion Of European imports from Amer.dan mar kets, and asked if the government wished 10 continue the agreement of lS9l. Con- tinuiLg, Count NCn Karjtz remarked: The industry most preJudlcsd is the German sugar trade. We Should moi eX- aggerate thu consequences to ourselves or apIOga ting tha most favored national LrtGI,ment, but we could give pr ference to Russian ag2dra-lt American peroleum, | place obstacles in the way Of impo3ts Of maize, raw copper, bacon, hams, sau- sageS and cotton from the United States | and Gh,a government, Jt is hoped, will taks such measures as will tend to the adVant- age of our Industry, oommerce and agri- culture and CT the whole cl1unltry. The interpretation was anSWered by Baron Marscha1 Von Bi4brestein, the mln-E7. .'sr for foreign affairs, who said he would confine hts remarks to the meas ures- of the imperial chancellor. Pr1ncs Hohs sn1ohe, to couIteract the danger threatening German trade as to the United States ,hriff, which was still in suspenlae. He add 5i: But I cannot un- roM a picture and show how matters will shape themselves if the decision of the Unised States house of representa- dives become law.
 After an historical review of the devel- opment of Germany's political and com mercial relations with the United State2, he colEJtinued: 'It is true tha: no treaty exists between the United States and the German empire. There are, however, treaties of former timss with individual German states, especially that of 1928 with Prussia. The Ia;ter has repeatedly appealed to both sides on the question of its validity and scope, but the matter has never been thoroughly discussed be:ween the two countries. The federal govern ments have always acted on the legal principle of the rights and duties of such treaties passed by the German empire. After the foupla ion of the empire the validity of the treaty of 1928 was express ly recognized by both parties, inasmuch as thereunder rights had been claimed and obligations fulfilled"
 The minister of foreign affairs then cited instances in support of his observa- tions.
 Baron Marschan von Bieberstetn fur ther said that when in 1885 the imperial ollanlyelfor Issued a notification concera- ing the Spanish commercial treaty With the United States, Sweden and Denmark were included sr the list of most favored nations. When dou bts were expressed as to whea ther The United States was one of those nations, Prince Bismarck declared the question must be answered in the af- firma tive because of the existence of special treaties with individual states WHJc1 fCS'II1 De SepdTdkGl ITOHl lHe empire.
 The minister or foreign affairs then ex- planed there was pre'cedents cn the side o2 the United States. The latter at the ytme of the negiotfa tfons relative to the Dingiey shipping act did not raise the ob- je1tdom tLlht the Pruss,a1 treaty was not still in force. The United States had al- so made representations in 1884 on ac- count of alleged injury done by German railroad traffcz to American petroleum for the benefit of Russian petroleum. Upcl1 that occasion the United States minister, in note to the foreign office, referred to the existence of the most fa- vored Relationship by virtue of the treaty of 1928 and added that the treaty was particularly applicable against any kind of differential treatment in the way of faxation or imports of oae government to the detrmelnt of the oher
 'I confess" continued Baron Marsehall, "Itfeah that the view in America is that we have obtained the greater advantages from the treai1ies. That is a mis taken opinion, and if legislation is taken on that b1sis a disappointment will certainly fol- low. No doubt we are bound to give the United States the tariff reduction recent ly gTa nted to Austria, and it would be a breach of good faith if. after claiming favored nations treatme-t ourselves by virtue of a treaty, we suddenly denied our own contensicn when America asked the same of us.
 If, formerly dn spite of the clearly
 
 cured, resulting in an exchange cf notes, 1t was because the Mckinley tariff doubts when we were legally assured it would complete recJprCcity.
 That agreement was confirmed by fa- vcred treatment and mede clear how fresh Legislation would effect 1t.
 By the concession of favored treat ment the United States In no wise aban- doned the right to change the tariff any more than we undertook to permanently rA6uPp the Uhaat dllfV 21h marks The entire bearing of the Saratoga notes is limited by tariff legislation. The United States is only bound to grant us free dom orn duty for certain products, willie freedom from duty is granted to other states. The same applies to us in resaect to wheat. &
 'The introduction of a general sugar tariff of 40 per cent. in the Wilson act was no breach of the favored nation right; but surtax on sugar from bounty paying states would have been breach and we immediately protested. The United States admitted the justice of the protest and President Cleveland called upon congress to remove the surtax. The house of represen tatives acceded, but the serate refused.
 We have not followed up our protest. first because the United States admitted legally, our contention and secondly be- cause the fears that our sugar exports to the United States would be dimin- ished have not been realized.
 We have, however. again protested against the surtax of the Dingley bill de- c,aIing that in the event of its adoption, Germany would have to consider whether she could continue the advantages of American imports, especially agricultur- al products.
 We did not protest against the other Dingley bill provisions which injured German industry on the ground that we believe these interested should complain.
 Tt would be the geratest mistake to adopt definite resolutions in the present unsettled state of affairs Doubtless the position is difficult, even serious, but can only ask the reichstag to have con- fidence in the federated governments I believe they are conscious of the difficult ty of the task and when decisive resolu- tions must be taken they will combine with the firmness which our rights war rant and the cool, calm consideration to which the great worldwide interests in- volved have full claim" (Appausd from the left)