The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-21
Germany and tho Dineley Bill.

It Is assumed In quarters disposed to find
fault with the Administration that Ger
many's reason for threatening this country
with a tariff war is to be found in the Ding
ley bill, but the assumption is without real
justification. The Dingley bill is merely
a pretext. The reason is far older in fact,
it is almost as old as the tariff question.
The critics have but to read the German
newspapers of the last month to perceive
their error. German protectionists n
free traders. titled landowners and untitled
business men, all agree that the last
changes in the German Emperor's Cabinet
mean a triumph Of the high tariff German
nobility, whose avowed policy for a genera
ton or more has been to discourage the i'm.
portation of all American products which
compete with their own. MIGUEL, PosA-
DowsKY, and THIELMANN, who are now the
powers in German official life, ~sympathize
with this anti-American agitation. BoETTI-
CHER and MARsCHALL questioned It's wis
dom; therefore they were dismissed from
Office in disfavor. No matter what tariff
this country has, the German counts and
barons and their representatives in the Ger
man Government wish to kill our export
trade with Germany. They were as irrec-
oncilable under the Mckinley tariff as
they are now under the Wilson tariff, and
as they promise to be under the Dingley
tariff. They do not want to take our grain
and meat, whatever we may be ready to
accept in return. A merely cursory glance
at the German journals is sufficient to dis.
cover this disposition. The Berlin Boersen
Courier said two months ago that the
ARrarian nobility Of Germany were seeking
a tariff war with the United States. The
Koelnische Zeitung and the Mdgdeburger
Zeitun1, and several other German dailies
of equal authority lave reiterated the
same declaration. simultaneously the
Kreuz-zeitung and Reichsbote and other
organs of the agricultural nobility have
been demanding DANGEROUSLY the most sum
mary measures to stop the importation of
grain from America and Russia.
The Agrarian noblemen of Germany or
ganized years ago as the Bund der Land
wirthe or Farmers Alliance. Their leaders
are Count KANITz, Count M1RBACH, Herr
o MANTEUFFEL. Herr Won HEYL, Count
LIMBURG-STIRUM, and Herr Won PLoETz,
who at the same time are the moving forces
in the Conservative party. The German
Government is always more or less depend.
ent on this party In the Reichstag. In 1t
the young Emperor must find the backbone
OF the coalition necessary to pass the anti.
Socialist laws and the large naval appropria-
tions which he intends to demand. Hence
the Farmers Alliance is a power of the
first magnitude in German politics just
now, to be deferred to even to the extent of
recognizing the Cabinet.
Encouraged by the Emperor's surrender,
this Alliance has come forward with its
programme, even before T~HIELMANN and
PosADowsKY and MIGUEL have been fairly
settled in their new seats. They have filed
with the Cabinet officials a petition for the
total suspension of certain grain imports.
The petition is said to fill four columns OF
the Agrarian newspaper organ. In brief,
1t requests that for a period of six months
the Government forbid the importation OF
all grains used for bread. Owing to
the recent heavy influx of foreign grain,
the Alliance asserts. German grain
cannot be sold at a profit; hence, I'm.
til domestic grain brings a profitable
price, foreign grain should be ex-
cluded. Russian grain is mentioned
especially in this petition. AS Russia
has no trade quarrel with Germany at
present, 1t is evident that no question of
mere retaliation is ~aRitating the Agrarian
mind, n that In her negotiations with
US the Dingley bill is merely the excuse
put forth by Germany for the sake of ap-
pearances. 1t serves the purpose which
trlchinosis served when the competition of
the American hog became pressing, or
which Texas fever served when American
beef crowded the cattle marketed by the
German nobility and gentry to the east.
ward of the Elbe.
The Magdeburger Zettung gives a clear
idea of the motives that led the German
Emperor to recall Baron T~HIELMANN from
Washington to make him Secretary of the
imperial Treasury. In commenting upon
the negotiations, preceding THIELMANN's
appointment, it says:
eff these NEGOTIATIONS should DO successful, tina
AErAdanS woE'd have . me opportunity TO show ths