The Portland daily press., 1897-06-21
JAPaN's PROTEST.
Courteous but Firm Utterances on the
yariff Bill.

Washington, June 19.-The protest
made by the Japanese government against
the pending tariff bill is formally en-
bodied in note from Minister Toru
,Hoshi. of date as late as the third of the
present month. The note is couched in
the most courteous language, but there
is a firmness of tone observable that in
dictates that the remonstranee may be
followed by acts of retaliation if disre-
garded. The note begins with an apology
for expressing an opinion, that under
ordinary conditions, might be regarded
as trenching upon domestic affairs, but
cites as a justification the fact that i'm
portant japanese interests are involved,
and in the opinion of the minister, the
proposed increase of duties will injure the
United States no less than Japan, by re-
tarding the growth of promising COM
mercial relations. The articles of japanese
production that will be most seriously
affected, says the protest, are light weight
silks, silk handkerchiefs, mating, hemp
and jute rugs and carpets and tea In
the case of silks the minister says the pro-
posed duty will amount to an ad valorem
rate of between 95 and 100 per cent, and
upon handkerchiefs the duty will be 10
per cent more. These rates, it is stated,
are practically prohibitory, and bear
upon cheap silks, peculiar to Japan.
An extensive and prosperous trade has
been built up in japanese mattings, now
admitted free and in general use among
the poorer classes. The proposed duty
says the minister, will be SO heavy that
the trade cannot survive in this article
not now manufactured in the United
States:
Thesdnty upon hemp and jute rugs and
carpets will amount to nearly 80 per cent
and be another severe blow to japanese
commerce. AS to tea the minister says
the sudden change of the policy OF the
United States from free importation tt
a duty from so to 100 per cent has awak
ened in the Japanese mind the gravest
for years in "a depressed condition, al
though furnishing two-thirds of the tea
imported into the United States.
The minister says that while the i'm
perial government does not share the
general belief that this legislation was
intended to discriminate against Japan
.ese commerce it is an unfortunate colncl
dence that the imports from Japan mos
finjuriously affected are specialties o.
Japanese productions. In conclusion the
minister says:
LAS have had the honor to state, thu
Imperial government are lar from sharing
in a belief for which they find no war.
rant in the cordial attitude always main
tanned by the United States toward
Japan, but nevertheless they do not thinl
it either wise or prudent to ignore 6
sentiment which, under certain circum
stances might have most unfortunate
effect upon the relations of the two coun
tries. They hope, moreover, that it will
not be forgotten that this feeling may
be attributed in some degree to the fact
that no article of American importation
to Japan pays at present anything more
than nominal duty; and to the further
circumstance that the legislature Of
Japan has already signified its intention
of hereafter levying only the most mod
crate imports upon American com
merce