Omaha daily bee., 1897-02-07
Prussia Takes Off It's Hat to the American
Porker
FAILS TO lNDlCT HIM FOR TRlCHlNAe
Governments Report on Infected Pork Favors
United States
COMPELLED TO DO US JUSTICE AT LAST
All Packages of Infected Meat to Be Duly
Numbered Hereafter.
POLITICAL PARTY CONSOLIDATION
various Factions Of the Liberals M"ke
mn Effort to Get Together-Out-
fine of the Proposed
Combination.
COMPELLED TO DO US JUSTICE At LAS
POLITICAL PARTY CONSOLIDATION

Copyright. 1897 by the Associated Press)
BERLIN, Feb. 6.-The Forthcoming gov
erument report on the cases of trichnae
infected pork, offered for sale In Prussia dur
ing the period from July /, 1896, to January
IA, 1897, and seized by the authorities, VIII
be a sore disappointment to the Prussien
government and still more to the agrarian
party, both of which have all along con-
tended that the United States sends trichi-
nous pork despite the American Official
certificates to the contrary accompanying
each package of meat.
In the Prussian Diet, as well as in the
Reichstag and in the German press, and
likewise in the official correspondence be-
tween the governments, 1t has for years been
emphatically stated that these American
meat certificates testifying to the healthy
condition of the exported pork, both canned
and smoked or salted, are not trustworthy,
and that in many instances trchinae have
been discovered by the German meat inspec-
tor after delivery here. This claim mas
not been admitted by the American govern
ment. but to all demands to substantiate 1t
with more than mere allegation, the Prus-
sian government has turned a dear ear,
though restricting the claim itself from time
to time.
few cases of alleged American trich-
inous pork which were cited by the Prus-
sian government in support Of its claims
turned out, on investigation Instituted by
the American embassy here as fictitious, or
at least unproven. In one single case II
was last spring established beyond doubt
that a lot OF pork sold in American pack
ages did contain trichinae, but these pack
ages had been sent by the American ex-
porters over a year prior, and the fact that
the marks on the packages had been tam
pered with was evident, so that the con
clusion that the German packer had simply
used the American packages second time
to do up his German pork in was inevitable
In other cases, those former Prussian re-
ports contained such meager notices as 'atnf
three cases of American trichinous porl
in Cologne;" "two cases ditto in Sales
wedell" ETC.. ETC., but when the attempt was
made to identify these cases by demanding
the number of the American packages, sucf
as accompany each American certificate
such numbers could not be produced.
EMBASSY TO THE RESCUE.
The American embassy in Berlin there
upon insisted that each case of packages O.
alleged American trchinous pork be ac
companied in the official Prussan repor
with the number of the American certificates
etc.. so that the shipper and the negligent
Ap,erlcan inspector could be proceeded agains
at home Against this demand, which tht
American government hoped would show the
utter groundlessness of the Prussian claims
the Piussian government made resistance II
various forms for some length of time, bu
logt tbau ind 4
promise to comply with it. Instructions
were issued by the Prussian minister of thu
interior to all the presidents of the govern
ment districts of Prussia to add, in ever!
instance. where trchinae lad been found il
American pork, such details, numbers OF Ger
| ti6cates and facts which might enable thu
American government to trace the offending
| shippers and officials at home. And th
| forthcoming report is the result OF TIM
decree.
| The reports from the president of thu
| thirty-three government districts, com
prising the Prussian monarchy, hay'
now reached the Prussan ministe
| for the interior. In only NV
of these districts is there any reports OF al
! legged American trichinous pork, but thes
reports, in disregard to the instructions Is
| sued by the Prusssian minister OF the In
! terror, are unacccmpanied by the necessar.
| proof which would establish the fact tina
the pork in question was really of American
| origin and had been seized in the orlgina
| American packages before others had had
| chance to tamper with it. Hence even thes
| cases, of which there are thirteen all told
are worthless and do not prove the trichin
Gus character of American pork, even in
| single instance. These thirteen cases ar
reported from Muenster, West Thalia. Goes
lin, Pomerania, Linden, Hanover, Haders
| leben, Schleswig and Altoona, near Hamburg
| The regulations provide that each package o
| American pork shall be accompanied by
registered number and that there be a Ger
| tificate from the American meat inspecto
at the place of shipment bearing the sam
| number. In none of the above cases ar
these numbers given. The American em
bassy will, therefore. dispute that these case
of trichinous pork are of American origin
So far, therefore, as this government is con
cerned, 1t amounts to vndication Of Ameri
can pork.
| GOVERNMENT RED TAPE.
| This report II the American embassy oh
tain 1t, will be ready for publication abou
March /, or sooner. Meanwhile, 1t will g
through the hands Of the chiefs OF the dii
ferent departments, both in the ministry O
the interior and the ministry OF house
husbandry. If the American embassy
able to obtain this report 1t will be sent I
Washington. 1t is likely, however that tn
report, since Ii is so much more fayorabl
TO American meats in this case than wa
suspected, will not be forwarded to tn
American embassy at all, as II Is surmise
on the Prussian side that II would only fuI
nish the American government material
disprovs the allegations made so persist
emily to the diseredit Of American pork
number of statements have been made In th
Prussian Diet to the effect that America
pork in Prussia was a detriment to publ
health aud should be excluded 1t IL prof
able. now that the official report utterly dlf
proves these allegations. that the radici
and liberal factions IN the Diet and Reiehi
tag, tho favor the unrestricted importatio
-. Ial..a