Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-02-03

Washington, February 2.-The Ber-
lin cablegram announcing that Ger
many had closed her ports against
American fruits attracted much atten-
tion among members of the House of
Representatives. Mr.. Hit, chairman
of the committee on foreign affairs,
expressed surprise at the step taken,
particularly that it should not be pre-
coded with notice to our representa-
tive at Berlin. Without discussing the
motives of the movement, Mr.. Hit
said that it was evident Germany
based her course on sanitary grounds,
which would exclude the idea that the
movement was of a political and
proscriptive character.
Other members of the House for
eign committee expressed the view
that this was part of Germanys
retaliatory attitude toward the United
States
Representative Barlow, who repre-
sents the Sixth California district, in
which is located the fertile San Joa-
quin valley, one of the great fruit dis
tricts of the State says that SO far as
California fruit is concerned the Ger
man degree prohibiting the importa-
ton of American fruit is a mere pre-
text California fruits" he said,
ARE singular free from vermin or dis
ease of any kind. No doubt exists in
my mind that it is purely a retalia-
tory measure"
'The reason advanced by the Ger
man foreign Office said Representa-
tive Hilbourn, of California, lis the
thinnest kind of pretext Nowhere
in the world is fruit so free from dis
ease as in California, and nowhere is
there more care to keep it free from
parasites and disease of all kinds. We
do not even allow fruit to come into
the State from other States without
inspection"
Other members of the California de-
legation expressed similar views.
Chairman Dingley looked over the
Berlin cable and said:
This is evidently device to pro-
hibit the importation of American
fruits on alleged sanitary grounds, in
line with the similar prohibition of
American pork. The importation
seems to be prohibited on sanitary
grounds in order to avoid the provis-
ions of our commercial treaties with
Germany, which give to imports
from the United States equal privileges
with imports from other countries.
There is not the slightest ground for
the allegation that California fruits are
affected as charged. Indeed, the evil
dence is conclusive that they are espe-
cially free from parasites. We have
no objection to Germany's putting
whatever duty it sees fit on imports of
any kind. That is her business. But
when that government undertakes to
prohibit the importation of American
products on sanitary grounds which do
not exist in fact. it violates the spirit
of our commercial treaties with that
country. The President, under the act
Of 1890. has authority to meet just such
discrimination as this
Representative Tawney and other
members Of the ways and means com
mittee endorsed Chairman Dingleys
view. and said if Germany began such
a course it was a game in which two
could play 1t was said also that the
result would work serious results to
German wines, hosiery. shoddy and
many other lines of goods brought in
great quantities to this country.
Senator Mills. member Of the
foreign relations committee, expressed
the opinion that Germany's action was
the logical sequence Of our high tariff
system.
Il should not like to see American
interests suffer- he said, but we can
not expect anything else under the cir
cumstances."
Senator Bacon, of Geargia also
thought the prohibition one of the re-
suits of our tariff system. They have
the power" he said, and | see moth
ing we can do to prevent their exer-
cising it,
Senator Elkirs said: