The morning news., 1897-05-04
GERMANY IS STILL GROWING.
CONT Won KANITz BRINGS on a
NEW TARIFF DEBATE.

Are EnfOrced-BarOn Marshall Won
Uieberstein Makes a Long Explain
otory Statement Concerning the
commercial Relations OF the Two
Nations and Precedents in Tariff
Matters.
berlin. May s.-In the Reichstag to-day
count Won Kanitz, the agrarian leader,
ipterpellated the government on the sub
ia.+ of the proposed new United States
toriY He said the Dingley bill implied
less an increase of American customs rev.
snue than the successive expulsion of Eu-
r,,ean imports from American markets,
and asked if the government wished to
continue the agreement of 1891. Continu-
ipg Count Won Kanitz remarked: THE
industry most prejudiced is the German
sngar trade We should not exaggerate
the consequences to ourselves of abrogat-
ing the most favored nation treatment
hut we could give preference to Russian
against American petroleum place obsta-
cies i'm the way of imports of maize, raw
conner. bacon, hams, sausages and cot
TON from the United States and the
government it is hoped, will take such
measures as will tend to the advantage of
our industry, commerce and agriculture,
and of the whole country"
The Interpolation was answered by
Marshal Won Bieberstein, minister for for
eion affairs who said he would confine his
remarks to the measures of the imperial
chancellor Prince Hohenlohe, to counter
act the danger threatening German trade,
as to the United States tariff, which was
still in suspense.
ture and show how matters will shape
themselves if the decision of the United
states House of Representatives becomes
law.
After an historical review of the de-
veloDment of Germany's politico-commer-
cial relations with the United States, he
continued: 1T is true that no treaty ex-
lists between the United States and the
German empire. There are, however,
treaties of former times with individual
German states, especially that of 1928 with
Prussia The latter has repeatedly APP
pealed to both sides in the question of its
validity and scope, but the matter has
never been thoroughly discussed between
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 foundation of the empire the
validity of the treaty of 1928 was expressly
recognized by both parties, inasmuch as
hereunder rights had been claimed and
obligations fulfilled"
Inc minister OF IOrelSn AFFAIRS tQen Clleu
instances in support of his observations.
Baron Marschall Won Bieberstein further
said that when, in 1855, the imperial chan
celor issued a notification concerning the
Spanish commercial treaty with the>Unit-
ed States, Sweden and Denmark were in
cluded in the list of most favored nations.
When doubts were expressed as to Wheth-
er the United States was one of those ma
tions, Prince Bismarck declared the ques-
tiOn must be answered in the affirmative
because of the existence of special trea-
ties with individual states, which could
not be separated from the empire
Germany, he continued, had frequently
obtained recognition of her rights from the
United States by virtue of the Prussian
treaty. for instance in 1884, in connection
with the Dngley shipping act. He also re-
called the fact that when the United
States was upon the point of concluding
a treaty with Spain, granting exemptions
from duty on sugar from Porto Rico,
Prince Bismarck demanded that the ex-
empuOn be extended without delay to Ger
many
The minister of foreign affairs then ex-
planned that there were precedents on the
side of the United States. The latter, al
the time of negotiations, relative to the
Dingley shipping act. did not raise the
objection that the Prussian treaty was
not still in force. The United States had
also made representations in 1884 on ac>
railroad tariffs to American petroleum for
the benefit of Russian petroleum. Upon
that occasion the United States minister,
in note to the foreign Office, referred
10 the existence of the most favored rela-
tonship by virtue of the treaty of 1928 ana
added that the treaty was particularly ap-
plicable against any kind of differential
treatment in the way of taxation or i'm,
posts of one governmtnt to the detrimen,
of the other.
The minister for foreign affairs did not
think Count Won Kanitz was right in
ascribing all the fluctuations of German
American trade to tariff legislation. In
the speakers opinion ''the fitful changes
which are peculiarly characteristic of
American economic life have had a
greater effect upon trade. II confess"
continued Baron Marschan Won Bic
erstein, Il fear that the view
in America is that we have OBJ
tained the greater advantages from the
treaties. That is a mistaken opinion, and
If legislation is taken on that basis dis
appointment will certainly follow. No
doubt we are bound to give the United
States the tariff reduction recently grant
ed to Austria and it would be a breach of
good faith if after claiming favored nation
treatment ourselves by virtue of a treaty,
we suddenly denied our own contention
when America asked the same of as,
IF, formerly. in spite of the clearly de-
fned state of affairs, negotiations occur
red, resulting i'm an exchange of notes. 1t
was because the Mckinley tariff defeats
when we were legally assured 1t would
complete reciprocity.
That agreement was confirmed by fav-
ored treatment and made clear how cresu
legislation would effect it,
BY the concession of favored treat
ment the United States in nowise aban-
uoned the right to change the tariff, any
more than we undertook TO permanently
reduce the wheat duty S1A marks. The
entire bearing of the Saratoga notes Is
limited by tariff legislation. The United
states is only bound to grant us freedom
from duty for certain products while free
dom from duty Is grated 10 other states.
The same applies to us in respect 10
wheat.
The introduction of a general sugar
tariff of 40 per cent in the Wilson act was
no breach Of the favored nation right;
put surtax on sugar from bounty-pay-
ing states would have been a breach. ana
M NNN NNaH