The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-03-17

UlOn on n p&rt0t the state department.
Backed by the highest kind Of expert au-
thority, Secretary Olney said at the close
of his administration of the state depart
ment, THE fur seal herd is threatened
with utter ruin unless some changes are
speedily made in the award regulations. "
Yet he was unable to induce the British
government to make these, influenced as
it was by a fear of the adverse effect upon
the political status Of British Columbia,
the home of the seal pirates, which might
find its reflex in all of her majesty North
American possessions Still Secretary
Sherman must speedily elect between the
total and irretrieyable loss of the seal herds
or a determined insistence upon an inme-
date strengthening of the protective regu-
iations
The general arbitration treaty, already
referred to, must either be pressed afreSh
upon the senate for ratification or must be
abandoned entirely. AS senator Mr.
Sherman has clearly indicated his wish for
the ratification Of this pre-eminently i'm
pOrtant convention, so it may fairly be as
sumed that ne will pursue the former
course; also as senator Mr. Sherman was
the leader in bringing congress to the sup
port of the administration in the threaten
ing period when it was obliged, by show
of actual force, to assert the interest of the
United States in the affairs Of Samoa, so
he will doubtless be found resisting stur-
Oily all efforts to surrender our charge I'M
der the tripartite alliance, which it is GER
tainly the wish of Germany, but not of
Great Britain to terminate
The final enactment of the new tariff
bill, though some months removed may
put severe strain upon our relations with
some of the great European powers, and
first of ALL with Germany 1t is under
stood to be the intention of congress to
provide for active retaliation upon the ma
tiOns that have so unjustly barred Ameri-
can meat products and cattle from their
markets, and among these Germany is the
chief offender, though she has found will
ing followers in other European countries.
The diplomatic history of the last admin
istration has many chapters devoted to ur-
gent protests against such acts of injustice.
Complaints of the Embellishments Of
our meats have been responded to by the
United States by the establishment of the
most rigid system of inspection, and our
challenges to produce evidence of the
charges have resulted in miserable failure
1Delr
charges good. A long series of consular re-
ports makes clear the fact that these charges
are but subterfuge and that the real pur-
! pose is to exclude not only American
! meats, but any and all American products
| that threaten to compete with German and
| French and Belgian and Dutch agricul-
! tural or industrial products. Were this
! sought to be accomplished openly by tar
! if so high as to be exclusive the United
States could not complain, for it might re-
spond in kind; but as now applied, the
prohibitive rules are clearly an unjust dis
! elimination.
II this is met by retaliation on our part
as seems inevitable, just as we were obliged
to retaliate against Germany for discrim-
mating charges on American shipping, the
outcome can be viewed only with disquiet
and apprehension.
| Secretary Olney also left to his successor
as an unpleasant legacy the negotiations
! looking TO an abatement of the restrictive
regulations which have chOked the life out
of the American insurance companies
| seeking to continue the profitable business
| they had built up with Germany. What
! Secretary Sherman will do in this matter
cannot be foretold
I WIN L IiItCS LAC administration starts
unincumbered by diplomatic issues of mo-
ment except in SO far as she may be in
! volved with Germany in the settlement of
the meat exclusion question If, however,
the general arbitration treaty with Great
| Britain should be concluded, it is conf
! IDENTITY expected that France will soon after
! seek to enter into similar arrangement
with the United States, which can only he
! consummated with greater difficulty ow-
! ing to the radical difference between the
! judicial systems Of the two countries
The conditions in Turkey are such as to
require the greatest vigilance and circum-
| spection in our dealings with that volcanic
nation. Heretofore our efforts have been
confined to strictly guarding the interests
OF American citizens in that country. and
1t is safe to predict that this policy will be
/ continued, so that there is little prospect
OF serious disagreement unless resistance
Is met to our demands for reasonable in
demnity for the pecuniary losses suffered by
our pee .lc dl-"inc: he ,.rn.ar3 IL. -