The sun., 1897-05-17
eERxAxT's QUARREL WIrH Us.
Mer Powerful PsTty That wants rariR war
nt Any Price.

| Her FOWerhuh PETTY Hnht NNonta IHNtu WEE
at Apy Prioe.
From time to time Americans got glimpse Of
light on tho methods Of the German party which
has caused all tho diplomatic friction Of the last
three years between the United States and Ger
many. This party is the Tory Agrerian collec-
tion OF counts and barons who agitate without
ceasing against tho importation Of American
| products. It claims the credit for discovering
| tho harmfulness Of the American pig, tho peril
that Turks in American beef, the deletorious Of
| focts OF American canned goods. and tho fevered
| condition OF American cattle. There IL no end
TO tho animosty felt by this party toward every
thing that America brings forth In competition
| with the German agricultural producer.
This state OF affairs suggested a few
weeks ago by tho United States Consul-General
in Berlin, and moro recently by the United
States Consul in Chemnitz. Both officials spoke
OF tho effort Of the Tory Agrarians to kill the
United States export to Germany Mt any cost
or under any pretence The bitterness and reck-
lessness with which tho ARrarians pursue their
object were best illustrated at the timo OF tho
sugar debate in the Reichstag about two weeks
ago. It was perfectly clear at that time that
what the Tory Agrarians wanted was tariff
war with the United States, In order that the
German agricultural producers might be re-
lieved of American competition. How this war
was PROVOKED IDey ulu uOJ hiu w NV Soio
especially. Sugar would be a good excuse;
beef would be another pork or canned goods
would serve the purpose; general unfriendliness
of the Dingley tariff would be available II all
else failed. In any case, there must be tariff
war and an excuse must be found for It. DR..
Barth. who is not Tory Agrarian but an in
teligent man, objected in the Reichstag during
the debate that tariff war was q two-edged
weapon. At once Baron Stumm denounced him
as deputy from the United States." who had
contributed largely to the election Of Mckinley
and the passage Of the accursed Dingley bill.
Barth exclaimed: "Ridlculousi' Thereupon
Stumm shouted that he was ready to settle the
point on the field ofhonor, that is. with pistols.
This incident, which tie cablo did not record is
related merely to show how the Tory Agrarians
have deafened themselves to argument; how
intent they are in fighting the United Statos as
well as in fighting everybody who would hold
them back from fighting.
Because they are so fanatical It must not be
concluded that the Agrarians are rated as
cranks in Germany. They arc not They are
the elect of the land They are the nobility, the
landed nobility, who supply to the court all its
courtiers, and pose in politics the "pillars OF
throne and altar" Their influence is enormous
oven with man like Marschall Won Bieberstein.
Secretary of the Foreign Office, who hesitates to
concede their preposterous demands Anybody
who has followed the course Of the Berlin
Foreign Office toward the United States since
the Tory Agrarians have become American
haters see this. Never before was 1t GUS
tomary for German In Marschall's high place
to speak with such flppancy Of American pre-
tensions" and American nisapprehensions."
Now that the Tory Agrarians have set out to
pick trouble with this country at any cost. and
Marschall. as the Government representative.
tha;,.
even though not adopting their programme. the
Germans who are neither Tories nor Agrarians,
but merely plain business men, are becoming
alarmed, and are trying to check the brow
beating and menacing proclvities of the noble
men who arc steering straight for a trade boy
colt on America. In commenting on Count
Kanitz's sugar Interpolation in the Reichstag,
the Bourse Courier which represents the manu-
featuring class, comes out thus with the truth:
THE object of this Interpolation is as plain
as daylight. The Agrarians desire to plunge
into a tariff war with America. The Agrarians
aim to disturb our peace with the whole mer-
camille world to undermine tho foundations of
our system of trade treaties. At every turn
Germany 10 to be met with quarrels with tho
treaty nations, so that finally there shall be no
such thing possible the renewal of a trade
treaty with u.s." After having thus exposed tho
true state OF mind behind Germanys COM
plant regarding trichinosis Texas fever. poison
GUS substances in American canned goods and
unjust provisions of the Dingley tariff. tho
Bourse Courier says:
There is absolutely no ground for recrimina-
tion regarding Americas sugar policy. McKin-
ley wishes protective tariff for American cane
sugar; he wishes an additional tariff to the ex-
tent necessary to counterbalance the export
bounties paid by other countries. Germany Is
not treated diferentially in this case, but exact
ly as every other bounty-paying country is
treated. Every representation and protest we
make in this connection can be answered by
America with the statement that We began it,"
The Weser Gasette is conspicuous among the
many other Liberal newspapers which recognize
unreserved1y tho turbulence ofthe Tory Agrarian
policy toward America and warns the Govern
ment against conjuring up further excuses for a
commercial conflict with the United States. The
German export to the United States. 1t says. has
averaged more than $50, ,0Oo, 900 year for the
last four years. or more than 10 per cent. of the
total export of the empire. For this tenth of
our export trade we must have the American
Market" 1t adds. I'VE cannot spare 1t. 1t
would be much easier for the United States
with their food products. to cut loose from us
than for us to cut loose from them We
should be obliged TO buy our food elsewhere
and the United States would then have only to
cover the demand In the new market. The most
important article of import from the United
States is cotton, which our factories simply can
not do without. Such reasons must prove to tho
satisfaction of our Government that 1t would be
grave mistake to plunge into tariff war;"
1t Is noticeable that German manufacturers
hardly agree with Baron Marschall's offhand
statement that the United States must under
stand that Germany can get on without them.