The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-03-12

influenced as it was by fear of the ad-
verse effect upon the political status of
British ColumoIa, the home of the
seal pirates, which might find its re-
tiex in all of Her Majesty's North
American possessions.
Still Secretary Sherman must speed
lily elect between the total and ire
trlevable loss of the seal herds or a de-
termined insistence upon an immedi-
ate Strengthening of the protective
regulations.
THE ARBITRATION TREATY.
The general arbitration treaty, al
ready referred to, must either be press
ed atresh upon the Senate for ratifica-
ton or must be abandoned altogether.
AS Senator, Mr.. Sherman has clearly
indicated his wish for the ratification
of this pre-eminently important con-
ventlOn, so it may fairly be assumed
that he will pursue the former course.
Also as Senator, Mr.. Sherman was
the leader in bringing Congress to the
support of the administration in the
threatening period when it was oblig-
ed, by a show of actual force, to assert
the interest of the United States in
the affairs at Samoa, SO he doubtless
will be found resisting sturdily all eff
forts to surrender our charge under the
triparlite alliance which it is certainly
the wish of Germany, but not of Great
Britain, to terminate.
TARIFF.
The final enactment of the new tar
iff bill, though some months removed,
may put severe strain upon our rela-
tions with some of the great European
powers, and first of all, with Germany.
1t is understood to be the intention of
Congress to provide for active retalia-
ton upon the nations that have SO IN
justly barred American meat products
and cattle from their markets, and
among these Germany is the chief Of
fender, though she has found willing
followers in other European countries.
The diplomatic history of the last ad-
ministratiOn has many chapters de-
voted to urgent protests against such
acts of injustice.
Complaints Of the nwholesomeness
of our meats have been responded to
by the United States by the establish
ment of inspection, and our challen-
have resulted in miserable failure on
the part of the accusers TO make their
charges good.
A long series of consular reports
make clear the fact that these charges
are but subterfuges, and that the real
purpose is to exclude not only Ameri-
can meats, but any and all American
products that threaten TO COM
pete with German and French
and Belgian and Dutch agricul-
tural or industrial products. Were
this sought to be accomplished openly
by tariff so high as to be ex-
elusive, the United States could not
complain, for it might respond in kind,
but, as now applied, the prohibitive
rules are clearly an unjust discrimina-
ton. If this is NET by retaliation on
our part, as seems inevita BILE, just as
We were obliged TO retaliate against
Germany for discriminating charges on
American shipping, the outcome can
be viewed only with disquiet and APP
prehenslon.
Secretary OlHey also left to his sue
cessor as an unpleasant legacy the ne
gotiations looking to an abatement of
the restrictive regulations which have
choked the life out of the American
insurance seeking to continue the prof
liable business they had built up with
Germany. What Secretary Sherman
Will do in this matter cannot be fore
told. With France the administration
starts unencumbered by diplomatic is
sues of moment, except in so far as she
may he involved with Germany in the
settlement of the meat exclusion ques-
ton. If, however, the general arbltra-
ton treaty with Great Britain should
be concluded. it is confidently expected
that France will soon after seek to en-
ter into similar arrangement with
the United States, which ouly can be
consummated with greater difficulty,
owing to the radical difference between
the judicial systems of the two coun-
tries.
The conditions in Turkey are such
as TO require the greatest vigilance and
circumspectiOn in our dealings with
that volcanic nation. Heretofore our
efforts have been confined to strictly
guarding the interests of American citi-
zens in that country, and it is safe to
predict that this policy will be con.
tinued, so that there is little prospect
of serious disagreement, unless resist
ance is made to our demands for
reasonable indemnity for the pecuni-
AIRY losses suffered by our people dur
ing the Armenian uprisings.
With the other nations of Europe we
have no possible quarrel, the only
specks in an otherwise cloudless sky
being slight contentious arising from
the improper treatment OF some of our
naturalized citizens, so that our sister
republics in the South, aud, indeed,
the whole world outside of Europe, are
presenting no menace to our welfare.