The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-06
SOP TO THE AGRARIANS
MORE SERIOUS STEPS TO FOLLOW THE
GERMAN FRUIT DECREE
Tariff Retaliation Looked Upon by
the Liberal Press as Trick to
Win Votes for the Naval Bill
All Cattle May BE Excluded
Next.

BERLIN, Feb. 5.@The freedom which
| the reichstag and the Prussian diet
conceded this week to the Agrarians,
who formulated numerous wishes and
complaints, is significant. The minis
ter of agriculture, Baron Won Ham
merStein-LoXten, promised the govern
ment would grant as many of their Qe-
mands as possible. At the moment he
was making this declaration measures
were preparing to stop the imports of
American fruit and the decree in that
connection had already been issued
The entire Liberal press openly disap-
proves of the policy, and asserts it was
government trick to obtain the vote
Of the Agrarians for Emperor Williams
naval bill The leading commercial
, journals point to the i'll Will and indig-
nation such measures are bound to pro-
duce in America and to the futility of
prohibiting the importation of an arti-
Gle Germany does not produce with
sufficiency. The newspapers claim the
| cnly result will be that fruit will be
imported from the south of Europe
at higher cost than is now being paid
for American fruit
DR.. Friedrich Won Kusger of the agri-
cultural high school, upon whose report
the authorities here are understood to
have acted, has been making an exten-
| s1Ve series OF experiments and eXami-
nations of American plants and fruits
supposed to be infected by the San
Jose bug. After many failures he
finally discovered the bug in three
specimens of peaches and pears.
The ReichsanZeiger this evening pub
fishes the text of an imperial ordi-
nance dated today and worded as fol-
lows:
In order to prevent the Introduction of
the San Jose shield Jouse, the Importation
OF living plants and fresh plant refuse from
America, also barrels and boxes and other
objects used in the packing or keeping
thereof, is prohibited until farther notice.
The same prohibition applies to the des-
patch CT fresh fruit and fresh fruit refuse
whenever the examination at the place of
entry may establish the presence of the
San Jose louise.
More to Come.
This prohibition does not apply in
any way TO goods which enter by ships
and remain on the ships. The inn
perial chancellor has been empowered
to grant exceptions and to take the
necessary preliminary measures.
The United States embassy is con-
tinuing it's remonstrances as a protest
against the unfounded rumors alleging
that it was weakening.
Several of the newspapers express
the opinion that the decree will not be
permanent and that it was only in
tended as a temporary act of retalia-
llOl 1Oi treatment VI 0CA-
man sugar.
Inquiry made at the foreign office
and at the Prussian agricultural de-
partment, however, shows the steps
taken to be only forerunners of others
of more Importance; the government
having concluded that something must
be done to crafty the Agrarian de-
mand for retaliation on the United
States.
The total exclusion Of all living cat
tie and hogs is under consideration.
The sugar producers have petition
ed the imperial chancellor, demanding
that no tariff agreement shall be ac-
cepted unless the United States tariff
on German sugar is reduced 20 per cent
from the present scale and an assur-
ance given that no other country will
be more favorably treated.
1t is the governments intention that
the quinquennial elections of 1S9S-1903
should occur in July and that the
| Prussian diet elections should take
place in October, although the pro-
gramme may be changed, should the
reichstag reject the naval bill, which,
however, is now quite unlikely. Elec-
ton agitation is already pronounced,
especially In the provinces where the
Agrarians are sweeping the field. The
| Socialists and Conservatives are hav-
| ing a hot preliminary campaign and
| both parties expect to make large
| gains from the National Liberals,
Freissiniges and other middle parties.