The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-04
GERMANY RETALIATES
THE IMPORTATION OF AMERICAN
FRUIT PROHIBITED

Large Quaotities NJ Fruit Stopped ut Port
| Of Entry-The Decree Based on All~xss
Sanitary Reasons which Have no Foan
dation suppose d &c be In Retaliation fo
our Discriminating Duty on Sugnr-Am
bassador " hite's Note of Inqairy-Com
msnts Of Leading Congres-mrn
Berlin, February 2.-The Prusstan min
lister OF finance issued a decree yester-
i day, which goes into effect Immediately
prohibiting the importation OF every
kind Of American fresh fruit. The United
States embassy was no, previously warn
| ed and uhe United States ambassador.
, Mr.. Andrew D. White, sent a formal let
ter to the foreign Office today. inquiring
| was taken.
DR.. Hugh Pitcairn. te9egraphs that 1s.-
600 barrels of American apples have been
| forbidden to be urlloaded. and that two
trains full of American fruit have also
been forbidden to cross the frontier at
! Emmerich. which. aside from Hamburg,
is the principal place of entry for Amer
lean fruit.
| On receipt OF this news. Mr.. White
sent second and stronger remonstrance
to the foreign office, calling attention
/, to the evident violation of the treaty.
| At the foreign office it was learned
| that the Prussian government prohibits
the entry of American fruit on sanitary
grounds, claiming that California and
other veynin threaten German trees and
fruit.
Washington. February 2-The state de-
partment has not yet been Informed by
Ambassador White of the decree against
the Importation of American fresh fruits
into Germany. The official statement of
the matter is awaited with anxiety, as
the department desires to know just how
far the German government is willing to
yield to the wishes of the agrarian party
which insists upon the exclusion of all
American farm products that enter into
competition with the German farmer.
If the facts on investigation show that
there is as little foundation for this ex-
ciusion decree as was the case with the
meat products, 1T is said at the state
department that the president probably
will avail himself of his statutory power
to retaliate sharply, under section s. of
the act of August 80 1890. To the knowl-
edge of The state department TO com
p1airt has ever before been made against
the character of American fresh fruit.
The reports of the United States con-
sulS show that the imports of the lat
ter have found great favor in German
cities and the universal testimony of our
consuls is that our apples are so supe-
rfOr in every respect that there Is hard
ly a market for German apples in their
vicinity. The officials of the agricultural
department have as yet received no in
formation on the subject. They are dis
posed to believe that the explanation
that impOrtatfons of fresh fruit will be
prohibited because of danger from ver-
min Is not a sincere one, but that Ger
many having in mind the recent legfs-
lajtion of the American government i'm
posing discrimination duty on bounty
paid sugar, has taken this action as a
sort of retaliation 1t is said that Cali
fornia fruit is the freeSt from vernin
of amy in the United States.
Senator Mills, a member Of the foreign
relations committee, exp1 assed the opin-
ion that Germany's action was the logf-
cal sequence of our high tariff system.
Il Should not like to see American inter-
ests suffer- he said, but we can't ex-
pect anything else under the circum-
stances
Senator Bacon of Georgia also thought
the prohibition one of the results of our
tariff system. They have the power he
said and l see nothing We can do to
prevent their exercising 1t.
Senator Perkins, of California, when
Shown the dispatch from Berlin, said that
the prevention of Importation on sani-
tary grounds was a mere pretext and
that 1t was simply to keep opt fruits
which competed with German production
and the order was no doubt ISSUED as a
retaliation against the United States be-
cause OF JHe OlneTentfal tar1H on sugar
from bounty paying countries.
Senator McEnery, OF louisiana said:
IF this country would only prohibit the
Importation of Germany's cutlery and
woolens, there would soon be an end of
any discrimination against American
products and according to my way OF
thinking that is what should be done"
Senator Lodge. OF the committee on
, foreign relations, declined to say more
than that Germanys action was in clear
violation or the treaty,
The news attracted much attention
among members of the house of repre-
sentatives. Mr.. HIT chairman OF the
committee on foreign affairs, when
shown the Berlin dispatch, expressed sur
prise at the step taken. Without dis
cussing the motives OF the movement, he
said that 1t was evident Germany based
| her course on sanitary grounds which
would exclude the idea that the move
| was OF a political and pT'oscriptive char
acter. 1t was a right which all sovereign
| it's people by such sanitary measures as
| 1t deemed wise. He felt that our au-
| rhorftfes would take steps to learn
whether any sanitary evil could be at
| tributed TO the condition Of the fruit
| crop I'm California. and IL this was es-
| tabMshed i'm the negative he had no doubt
| a courteous. but firm representation
| would be made TO the German govern
| ment with a view to showing that their
| action had been taken without a sufYi-
! cient inquiry into tine facts.
Chairman Dingley looked over the Ber-
ain cables and said: This is evidently a
| device TO prohibit the Importation OF
| American fruits on allaged sanitary
| grounds. in line with the similar prohibi-
ton Of American pork. The importation
seems to be prohibited on sanitary
| grounds in order to avoid the provisions
of our commercial traties with Germany
| which give 10 imports from the United
States equal privileges with imports from
other countries. There IS not the slight
est ground FOR the allegation chat Cali
fornia fruits are affected as charged. in
deed the evidence IS conclusive that they
are especially free from parasites. Wher
that government undertakes 20 prohibi
| the importation Of American products or
| sanitary grounds which do not exist II
| fact II violates the spirit of our com
| mercial treaties with that country Ths
| president, under the act of 1890 has au
rhority 10 meet just such discrimina
| ton as this
Representative Mcguire. OF California
late IN the afternoon introduced in tn,
| house a resolution calling upon the stat.
department for all information ard GORE
l spOndence between this government ar.s