The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-26
WINE MAKERS PROTEST..
American COnsuI's Report Declared
to BE Incorrect.


WASHINGTON, April 25.-The prom
ised statement from the department of
state touching the report on the French
wine trade by United States Consul
Chancellor at Havre has been com
pleted and will appear in the May num-
Der of the United States consular re-
ports. The department briefly recalls the
fact that MI. Chancellor in his report
of July IA, 1896, alleges that much of
the French wine was not the product of
the vineyard and that $4,000 casks of
so-called wine had been destroyed by
the Paris municipal laboratory, having
not drop of grape juice in it all. He
had also alleged that the great deficit
in the wine crop caused by the phyl-
loxera had been made up from a fluid
made of raiSins, currantS, lees and such
materials. 1t is stated that M. Hano-
tauX last December called the attention
of our United States ambassador to
Paris to the >fact that the Bordeaux
chamber of commerce had protested
against the statements of the consul,
and that the official investigation had
called forth denial from the municipal
laboratory that it had destroyed any
such quantity of wine. The statements
were referred back to Mr.. Chancellor
who replied that he had obtained his
information as to the destruction of
the $4,000 casks of wine from a reliable
English journal but the name of the
journal he was unable to recall. While
in Paris in 1887 under commission
from the governor of Maryland he had
investigated the wine sheds and was
there told that large number of casks
would be destroyed and that this action
was not unusual. In support of state
ment that large quantities of sugar
were used in the preparation Of wines
from lees, Mr.. Chancellor referred to
debates in the chambers, in the course
of which A M Vilge had protested
against the prohibition of the manufac-
ture of this kind of wine on the ground
that it caused the consumption of no
less than 100000 tons of sugar yearly
Having thus laid down the case and
Mr.. Chancellor's defense of his state
ments, the state department. prints the
! following statement made by the
| French embassy here under date Of
March last: THE attention of the
French wine merchants has been called
to a report entitled 'Wine-making in
! France, published in the consular re-
/ ports, No. $50, September, 1885, by G. w.
| Chancellor, United States consul at
! Havre, France, and containing some in
! correct statements which might cause
prejudice to French commerce and
/ which it seems desirable to rectify.
| Il. Mr.. Chancellor, having probably
1 in mind the decrease of wine production
! from which France suffered during a
! long period after the appearance of
! phylloxera, says that large quantities
/ of wine fabricated in France contain no
/ grape juice. Statistical information
i shows that over 1000, 900 acres of vine
! yards were partially infected by the
/ plague during the last twenty years,
! 100000 of which were already re
planted up to 1896 On the other hand
the production of wine has been in the
last two years exceptionally abundant
/ as will be seen by the following official
/ statement:
Vineyards, Total pro- Value
1885 ...4153'coo 71s' 800 0oo s1s2 $50 eco SO. q
/ 1896 -. 49,. II, 183, 1888 900 286, $50 900 rs
1T is hardly credible that when such
! enormous quantities of natural wines
! are produced, French merchants would
resort to the fabrication of artificial
fabrication could be profitable only III
! countries producing no wine, or bur
| little.
80 Mr. Chancellor, referring to in
formation published IN an English jour-
nal, and reproduced in American pa
pers, added that the French govern
! ment recently destroyed $1,000 casks OF
adulterated wines.
From an official inquiry, it appears
that there is no record at the municipal
laboratory of Paris of such destruc-
ton. The occasional seizure and de-
| struction Of small quantities Of adul-
! terated wines are rather TO the homo,
of the French government, which thus
| protects the health of its citizens
Measures have, besides, been taken fol
the purpose of prohibiting over-alcohol-
ization Of wines and the addition there
| to of water, or of any element what
| ever of adulteration.
at may be added that, according to
medical inquiries made by highly com
petent authority, moderate consump-
ton Of French wine is beneficial &c
| public health. The official statistics in
this regard are worthy Of attention
they show that drunkenness is less
| frequent in understanding countries.
Out of 100 cases of public drunkenness
| punishable by the law Of 1873, 20 cases
were recorded in the northwest OF
| France and "a in the north, where spir-
i it's are mostly consumed; while 8 cases
were recorded in the center, 8 in the
southwest and only in the south,
where the use Of wine among the Ia
| boring classes is general"