The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-08-08
THEY MAY HIT BACK.
PROTESTS OF FOREIGN NATIONS
AGAINST DlNNLEY TARIFF.

All the protests from foreign govern
ments against the high duties in the
Dingley law received while that act
was pending in congress have just been
made public.
There were more than 20 letters on
the subject addressed by the representa-
tives of foreign governments at Wash
ington to the secretary of state, and if
the vigorous protests then made are fol-
lowed up by retaliatory action the Unit
ed States will soon be engaged in COM
mercial warfare with some of the most
important nations of the world, includ-
ing several which are large users of
American farm products
Attention has heretofore been direct
ed to the strong protest of Baron Won
Thielmann, the German ambassador,
against the imposition of an additional
duty on sugar imported from countries
paying an export bounty. In this COM
munication the ambassador refers to the
agreement of 1891 for the importation
OF German sugars into the United States
and for the importation of American
pork into Germany. While he does not
directly declare that the imposition of
an additional duty on German sugars
will be followed by the total exclusion
of American pork from Germany, the
clear inference of his carefully worded
letter is that such will be the result.
Baron Won Hengelmuller, the embas-
sador Of Austria Hungary, also protest
ed against the sugar duty, though he
did not intimate as specifically as the
German ambassador that his govern
ment would regard this duty as a vio-
lation of treaty obligations.
DIR. Martin Garcia Merou, the minis
ter of Argentina, is more outspoken in
his intimation of retaliation, and at
the end of a long communication pro-
testing against the duties on woods and
enumerating the advantages given arti-
Giles imported into Argentina from the
United States, he significantly expresses
the hope that his country will not be
forced to abandon the mutual and bene-
fetal commercial relations which bind
it to the United States.
Baron Fava, the Italian ambassador,
in three communications protests against
the duties on Italian products, especial
ly oranges and lemons and candied
fruits. In his last note, referring to
request from the government of the
United States for modification of an
Italian ministerial decree regarding the
importation Of American meats, he says:
His majesty's government, however,
desires to perform a friendly act toward
that of the United States by frankly
forewarning it that it could in no case
be induced to modify the provisions
containing the aforesaid decree i'll ac-
cordance with the desire expressed by
the federal treasury department depart
ment of agriculture) if the United
States should persist III retaining in
the new customs tariff the exorbitant
duties to which | have had the honor to
call your excellency's attention in my
preceding written and verbal communi-
cations. -
The Danish minister, Mr.. Constantin
Brun, protests against the duties on
beer, cement, white cabbages, hemp
seed, porcelain hides aud skins, wool,
rags, pebbles, lime, chalk, gloves,
leather, condensed milk, granite monu-
ments, dairy machinery and D0ecker
tents. He hints in yelled way that
the imposition of the duties proposed
Oh these articles might lead the Danish
government to impose retaliatory duties
on metals, grains and other articles i'm
ported by Denmark from the United
States
The Belgian minister, Count de
Lichtervelde, i'll three notes protests
against the duties ON plants and shrubs
and on sprats
The British ambassador, Sir Julian
Pauncefote, calls attention to protests
of Irish and Scotch fishermen against
the duties on cured herring and sailed
mackerel. and in this connection there
was addressed to the president a COM
munication from 30 Irish members of
the British parliament protesting against
these fish duties.
The Turkish minister, Mustapha Bey,
protested against the duty on crude
opium, and the Swiss minister, Nh. j.
B. Pioda, against the duties on watches,
clocks, embroidered goods, silks and
coal tar colors. The Chinese minister,
WI Ting Fang, protested against the
duties on silks floor mattings, rice and
firecrackers.
One of the most important of all the
protests was that of Minister Toru
Hoshi Of Japan, and it has been plainly
intimated by The Officials of the Jap
anese legation here that dissatisfaction
with the Dingley bill had far more to
do with creating feeling of resentment
in Japan against the United States
than had the proposed annexation of
Hawaii. They have said plainly that
there was more danger of commercial
war over the new tariff law and its dis
examinations against Japan than of hos
tilities growing out of Hawaii annexa-
ton.
The japanese take the ground that
many of the duties are direct discrim-
nations against them, and Minister
Hoshi complained particularly of the
duties on Japanese silks and mattings
and of the proposed tea duty, which
was still contemplated when his letter
was written. He regrets to say that the