The San Francisco call., 1898-02-06
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BERLIN. Feb. 1.-The freedom
 which the Reichstag and the Prussian
 Diet conceded this week to the agra
 rians, who formulated numerous
 wishes and complaints, is significant.
 The Minister of Agriculture, Baron von
 -Loxten, promised for the
 Government that he would grant as many of their demands as possible. At the moment he was making this decla- ration measures were preparing to stop the importation of American fruit and the decree in that connection had already teen issued. The entire Liberal press openly disapproves of the policy and assert it was a Govern ment trick to obtain the vote of the Agrarians for Emperor Williams na-
 val bill.
 The leading commercial journals
 point to the i'll will and indignation such measures are bound to produce in America and to the futility of prohib- iting the importation of an article Ger many does not produce with suffi- ciency. The newspapers claim the only result will be that fruit will be imported from the south of Europe at a higher cost than is now being paid for American fruits.
 Dr. Friedrich von Kueger of the Agricultural High School, upon whose report the authorities here are under stood to have acted, has been making an extensive series of experiments and examinations of the 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.
 Dr. Heinrich Dorhru, president of the Chronological Society of Stettin, writes that the San Jose bug has long been known in Germany as the butt laus and has devastated orchards in various parts of the country, especial ly in the neighborhood of Frankfort and Stettin. He adds: The present scare is as unjustified as the late Colo rado bug scare.
 The United States embassy is continu ing it's remonstrances as a protest against the unfounded rumors alleging that 1t is weakening.
 Several of the newspapers express the opinion that the decree will not be permanent and that it was only inted- ed as a temporary act of retaliation for American treatment of German sugar. Inquiry made at the Foreign Office and at the Prussian Agricultural Depart ment, however, shows the steps taken to be only forerunnerS of others of more importance, the Government hav- ing concluded that something must be done to gratify the Agrarian demand for retaliation on the United States. There was an complication in the Reichstag on Tuesday when Dr. Hahn, a friend of Prince Bismarck demanded the prohibition of American horses, claiming the imports had increased in 1887 to 4,279,000 marks, and that some thing must be done "to show those overbearing Americans that an ener- getic German Government exists" The views of the Prussian Cabinet are gaugeable by a declaration made by the Minister of Agriculture, Baron von Hammerstein-Loxten in the Diet, who declared that American horses devel- oped influenza after importation, add ing: If the importations increase we shall certainly be forced to adopt suitable quarantine in order to pro- tect ourselves"
 The total exclusion of all living cat tie and hogs Is also under considera- tion.
 The sugar producers have petitioned 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 as- surance given that no other country will be more favorably treated.
 The Prussian Cabinet has adopted Emperor Williams plan to remove the Berlin University, Royal Library and other scientific institutions which are now in the center of the city, to Char The buildings vacated will become the residences of royalties, and the Government offices will be central ized. The plan is bound to arouse great opposition when published.
 The present years imperial army will be between the army corps of the Reichsland and Wurtem- berg. but they will not be as extensive as those of 1897. Probably no more | than 50,000 troops will be engaged.