The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-02-03
AMERICAN FRUIT EXCLUDED.
a Decree Is ued 10 G Tmlny Going Into
Effect Immediately.
ENB lSSADOR WHITE ACTS PROMPTLY
ity to Retaiiate-The Dingley Tariffs
Supposed by some to be RESPONSE
BILE for Germ,ny's Prohibition.

I
1 cr2e yesterday which goes into eject i'm
| mediatey prohibiting The importation OF
! every kind OF American fresh fruit.
1 The decree has been sent to all the Ger
man ports and frontier stations, except
| Ing Bavaria, Saxony and Wurtemburg. 4,
The United States Embassy was not
| previously warned and the United States
| Ambassador. Mr.. Andrew ID. White sent
formal letter TO the Foreign Office to-
day inquiring upon what authority this
inimical step was taken.
FRUIT STOPPED.
The United States Consul at Hamburg,
| DR.. Hugh Pitcairn, te.egraphed that &c.
/ 600 barrels OF American apples have been
| forbidden TO be unlOaded, and that TWO
| ua.ns full OF American fruit have also
/ been forbidden 10 cross the frontier at
! Emmerch. which, ASIDE from Hamburg.
Is the principal place OF entry for Ameri-
/ can fruit.
On receipt OF this news Mr.. White sent
| a second and stronger remonstrance 20
| the Foreign ONCE. ca ling attention to the
evident violation Of lne treaty.
AZ the Foreign Office it was learned
| that the Prussian government prohibits
| the entry OF American fruit on sanitary
grounds, claiming that California and
| other Vermin threaten German trees and
| fruit
|
| WASHINGTON. Feb. 2.--The State De-
| p3rtment has not been informed Dy Am
kassador 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 Ger
| man government Is willing to yield TO
| the WISHES OF the Agrarian party which
| Insists upon the exclusion OF all American
farm il
| ton with the German farmer.
For TWO years the state Department
/ has been engaged almost frultsessly TO
secure from the German government the
reversal OF decree like the present one.
| but applied 10 our meat products. The
| attitude of the Germans In TINS matter
| Is not encouraging and the announcement
| or this additional decree against another
| great American staple eApVit mas tned
/ the patience or the Department sorely
and there is 40 telling how lar we may
go toward retaliation II the conditions
| justify H.
OF course nothing will be done in the
| absence of full ouicial information from
A,r. W hite as 10 the facts In the case and
It may be that the history OIL tne meat
| exclusion negotiations wiz be repeated
In that there may be long correspond
| ence TO permit the German government
| 10 demonstrate, IL II can, the great dam
| gers TO be looked for In American fruits.
tut II the + Gus inuicate mat there Is IS
| little foundation for this exclusion de-
{ rec as Was the case with the meat pro-
ducts, 10 is said at the state Department
that the President probably WAL avail
himself Of his statutory power 10 act
sharply under section Of the act oil
August 80. lss0.
FIRST COMPLAINT.
To 10 the knowledge OF the State De-
partment no compla mt has ever before
De.n made against the character OF
American fresh fruit. The reports of the
United States consuls show that the I'M
ports of tie latter have found gr, nj favor
In German cities. and the universal tesu-
mony Of our consuls Is that our applies
are so superior In every respect that
there is hardly a market for the Germad
apples In their vicinity.
The officials OF the Agricultural De-
partment have as yet received no infor-
nation on the subject Thy are dis
Iosed to believe that the explanation that
importaiions Of fresh fruit will be pro-
hibited because OF danger from Verinlh Is
not a sincere one but that Germany nav
ing i'm mind the recent legislation OF the
American Government imposing a as
eliminating duty on bounty-pa.d sugar
has taken this action as a sort or re-
tallation. II Is known that Cal tornia
fruit Is the freest from vermin OF any
in the United States.
HIGH TARIFF.
Senator Mills. a member Of the Foreign
Relations Committee. expressed the orlu-
ion that Germany action was the losl-
cal sequence OF our high tariff system.
'I should not like 20 sec American IN
terests suffer" he sad. but we cam
expect anything else under the clrcum-
Senator Bacon. Of Georgia also thought
the prohibition one Of the results OF our
tarlff system. "They have the power.
he said. "and ! see nothing we can 90 10
prevent thfir eYercisin~ u
shown the diem tch from Berlin said that
Senator Perkins. Of California. when
the prevention OF importation on sanitary
grounds was a mere pretext ana that "
was simply 10 keen out fruits when
competed with German production ana
the order was no doubt issued as a re-
taliation against The United states pc
cause OF the dinerential tarir on houhty
sugar. Senator Perkins said he had no
doubt that the United S'ates could meet
this new order by retaliation.
Senator McEnery. of Louisiana. said:
''If this country would on,y pr0nlnt IN,
Importation Of Germany cutlery and
/ ". eic~e 'tora would enon be an end 70
any discrimination against American pro-
ducts and according 10 my wav OF think
ing that is what should be done
VIOLATION OF TREATY.
Senator Lodge. OF the Committee on
/ Foreign Relations. declined 70 say more
than that Germans action was in clear
violation of the treaty.
Senator Burrows Of the Committee on
| Finance, thought the matter should be
| thoroughly investigated. He had no doubt
| that II would be by the executive branch
| OF the government
The news attracted much attention
among members Of the House OF Repre-
sentatives Mr.. Hit chairman Of tho
Committee on Foreign Affairs when
| shown the Berlin dispatch expressed sur
| prise at this step taken. without dis
/ cussing the motives or the movement Mr..
/ Hit said Il was evident that Germany
! based her course on sanitary grounds
! which would exclude the idea that the
| move was Of a political and proscriptive
character.
Mr.. Hit thought the present case look
| ed much like the exclusion or American
hogs In that case tho right n tha pov-
ernment TO adopt sanitary restrictions
| was not questioned. but the United
! States rrade a dignihed showing that the
| facts did not warrant the restrictions
and they were modified.
In the present case Mr. HIT felt that
| our authorities would take sters n lerrr
| whether any sanitarv evil could be at
tributad 10 the condition OF the fruit
| crop In California and If this was estab-
| lshed in the negative he had no doubt ?
| courteous but firm representation would
be made 10 the German government N
| n view N showing that their action had
heen taken without a sufficient enquiry
| into the facts.
Committee expressed the view thht thiS
| wa a part Of Gerrs4ny's retaliatory at
titude toward the United States.
DlNGI EY'S EXPLANATION.
| Chairman Dingiey looked over the Ber-
lin cable and : "a: This - evidently
a device to prohibit the importation or
! American fruits on allegef SAINT ~
grounds, In line with the similar pronioi-