Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-02-08
OUR HORSES DOOMED
The American Equine Next in
Line for Exclusion.
GERMANY HAS INTIMATED AS MUCH.
Alleged Development of Influenza
Given as n REASON Why Such Ac-
tion May BE Necessary-Con-
sidered n Mere rrctext.

Berlin, Feb. 5. = Baron Won 1limmer-
stein-Loxten. the minister of agri-
culture, at Fridays session of the Prus-
sian diet, declared that American horses
developed influenza after importation.
He added: "If the importations i'm
crease we shall certainly be forced to
adopt a suitable quarantine in order to
protect ourselves"
Views of Congressman.
Washington, Feb. 5.-When the cable
as to the prospective quarantine of
American horses was shown to Chair
man Hit, of the house foreign affairs
committee, he said this move was a
Fart of the general movement toward
exclusion shown by the recent action
against American fruit. His colleague
on the foreign affairs committee, Mr..
Adams (Pa) said the dispatch sug-
gested that it was time to discover a
bacillus in German wines, and it would
be desirable also to determine as to the
sanitary character of the process of
making German sugar sent to the
United States. Mr. Cousins Qa.), an
other member of the foreign affairs
committee, said: "Our state depart
ment should give distinct notice that if
there is any desire to stop trade with
us this should be done in straightfor-
ward way, and not 10y indirectly attack
ing our products on sanitary grounds"
Chairman Bingley, of the ways and
means committee, said this was in line
with the German action ON American
fruit. A quarantine was not an abso-
lutte prohibition. however, Mr.. Dingley
said, and it remained to be seen whether
quarantine so vigorous as to be pro-
hibition would be put in force. The
officials of the agricultural department
emphatically discredit the probability
of American horses carrying the infiu-
enza into Germany, and say that if they
do develop it after importation it is con-
tracted from animals in that country
The statements of the German minister
of agriculture, Secretary Wilson says,
are unwarranted.
The growth in the shipment of Amer
lean horses to Europe in the past four
years has been enormous. These ship
ments i'm 1897 aggregated in value $4,-
76o,265, as against $71s,607in 1898 The
value of those sent to Germany in 1897
was $S22,2 $50, as compared with $79,95O
in 1893.
The Modified Fruit Decree.
Washington, Feb. 5.--The state de.
partnent has been notified by Am
bassador White at Berlin of the moditi-
cation of the original decree issued by
the Prussian minister of finance, DR..
Miguel, prohibiting the importation of
American fruit. According to the am
bassador's cablegram the decree does
not, as he advised Thursday, apply to
dried fruits, while fresh fruit will be adj
mitted to entry if an examination
shows its condition to be satisfactory
Ii this modification has been made in
the decree it would appear that the
prompt representations made by the
United States have received an equally
1t is certain that if the decree. as orig
inally promulgated, had been applied
to shipments of fruit in transit, as its
terms indicated, the shippers would
have had right to claim indemnity
from the Prussian government for the
damages sustained by them and ii
would be regarded by the United States
government as matter of duty to sus,
tain this demand for indemnity.
The Duty of the Government.
The state department is now Obliged
to await receipt of full advices Of The
exact nature of the modified decree and
watch its workings. 1t is hoped that
the examinations of the fruit may not
be made unduly severe. for it is believed
that as in the case of meat products, in
the early stages of the exclusion de-
rrees, it will be possible to make this in
spection SO harrassing to importers of
fruit that there will be no inducement
to continue the. trade. If such a dispo-
sition is shown it will be the duty of the
state department to lodge firm pro-
test, otherwise the success of the Ger
man government of excluding this i'm
portant fruit trade will have an effect
upon the government of other Euro
pean nations which, under agrarian in
f1uences, nre seeking opportunities for
cutting down the competition of the
American farmers.
Another Protest.
Berlin, Feb. 5.-Mr. White has lodged
another formal protest with Baron Won
Buelow, as in spite of the bundesrath's
resolution, American fresh fruit is
everywhere excluded. The United
States consul at Dusseldorf telegraphed
Friday that only dried fruits had been
released, and. that there We're about III
900 barrels of apples in the bonded
warehouses there. The United States
embassy during the week has been
flooded with appeals from fruit mer-
chants, dealers and shippers who have
been injured by the decree and all OF
them have thanked Mr.. White for the
vigorous measures he has adopted. II
appears that DR.. MIGUEL and Baron Won
Hammerstein-LoXte issued the decree
without the authority of the Prussian
cabinet or of the bundesrath.
Big Reduction in Force.
Omaha, Neb., Feb. 5.-An order re.
ducing the shop forces between Omaha
md Ogden ten per cent. was issued Fri
day night. Two hundred and seventy
five men are dismissed from the shops
at Omaha. Grand Island. North Platte
Sidney, Cheyenne, Laramie and Ogden