The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-02-03
AMERICAN FRUIT SHUIOUT
PTuSSIQl Minister OF FiR01ce F)TbIdS
importation Upon Sl1iQTy Grounds.
TRAIN LOADS STOPPED At THE FRONTIER
Decree Vnriousiy Regarded In Wash>
ingfon-in Itne With Previous Or,
d"rs ENciuding American Meats
The President HIas Authority 10
Enforce Retniint0ry Measures.
Berlin, February /, 1898.

Berlin, February l. 1898
The ?russian Minister of Finance, DR.
| Miguel, issued IL decree yesterday
which goes lnto effect immediately
| prnhil'.ting the Importation of every
kind of American fresh fruit. The de-
| cree has besn sent tu all the German
ports and frontier stations, excepting
bavaria, Saxony and Wumcmburg. The
! United States embassy was not pre-
viousiy warned. and tn. United s. ates
Ambassador, Mr.. t.ndrew d. White.
sent formal lstter to Uhe foreign of
lice to-day, inquiring upon wha, author
| fly this inimical step was taken.
The United States consul MT Hamburg.
Dr. Hugh Pitcairn, tclepraphs that
| i6,o00 barrels Of American apples havc
| been forbidden to be unloaded ana that
fwo trains full Of American fruit iluyt.
also been forbidden to cross rhe fron-
tier at Emmer!ch. which, aside frcn
Hamburg, is The principal place OF ,m-
| try for American frluit
On receipt CT this news Mr.. Wi.ri:e semi
4 second and stronger rcrnons,ti,lnca TO
inc foreign office, calling attention TO
bhe evident violation Of the treaty
All she foreign office 1T was learned
rhat the PruSsian government prohibits
lhs entry of American frua; on sanitary
grounds, claiming that California and
| other Nerllin threat en- German ,:r,a.s and
| fruit.
WHAT 1T MEANS.
Washington, Feb 2.--rhe State De-
! partmeirt has not yet been informed by
Ambassad'2r White Of lhe decree
| against 'th. importation of American
fresh fruits into Germany The official
statement of the matter is awaited with
ahNloty, as the department: desires to
hr0W just how far til German govern
anent Is willing to yield 10 tha' wishes
cf the Agrarian party. which insist.
uPSh the exclusion If all American
l:'rm products arE cntsr into cs.npatj-
tlon with the German farmer
fof Two years the state Departmn1r
mas b&en engaged almost fruitlessIy to
secure from the German governments
'ht reversal OF decree like the pressn:
\ ne lhat applies to our nCaf 'ptoduni.
I'he attitude Of the Germans in mis-
matter is nct encoura g'ing and the an
houace!ncrt of this additional decree
aSa1nSt another great American exn,rt
mas Giied the patience Of the depar:,neni
Sofely, and there is no tellin. huw FIR,
we may so toward retaliating If ,.hc
."iihl'innS justify x. or course nCth-
'ilS Val be done in th@ ahscnc OF fun
ni''c1hi !hiorTnat'Nn fran Mr.. White as
W me iac;S IN fhe case, and il may ba
1hit the history of :he meat eycI,ie;nn
heS"iationS will be repeated i'm that
IhShs may he n long corr spnndenc. to
pehhlit 'uhe German government 10 DEM
ohstrate, il IL can. the rrreat d,n.rars
70 DE looked Dor in American frII!,s
i;,,,, ;", u me lacts Indicate that there is as
istS!e foundation for this exclusion dc.
cree as was che case with thr ,p,,,
products, it is said al the Si,,o re,
pantment that the Pre- :ident urcIr,lIv
VIII avail 'him5slf of his syatutor, 49,
e' 70 r";ai!aie sharply under sslr;n.n
oi 'he act of August 3G;h 1SgO ,rn
'"he knowledge of the State Dcn,,,non,
no complaint has ever before been
| fresh fruits 'S-'i
The reports; Of the United states 90,
suiS show that the imports nf ,ha Ia o,t",.
nave found great favor in German Gil
'.N ana me universal testimony Of our
I"HsuiS Is that our apples ara sn go
pc!iUr IN every respect that there is
hardiN any market for the German on-
pies IN their vicinity.
me oiitciGls of the Agricultural Dc-
phrttlent nave as yet received no in
formation on the subicct. Thav aro
disposed to believe that tn, nxn1,na
lion that fmpor.ations of fresh fruit viii
De prohibited because Of danger from
| per!hih ls not sincere one. but that
germany having in mind the recen, leg
iSEttion of the American government
imposing discriminating dIIty on
ponnty-paid sugar, has taken this oc-
tioh as sort o. retaliation It is s,id
that California fruit is the freest from
Nerinin OF any in the United States
senator Mills, member Of the For
clgn Relations Committee, expressed
the opinion that Ge!manys action w,.
The logical consequence Of our high
tariff system. 81 should not like tn Geo
american interests suffer- said he
bnt we can't expect anything else under
the circumstances"
Senator Bacon. Of Georgia also
thouGht the prohibition was one of ,bn
results of our tariff system. "They have
the power" he said, ''and | see nothing
we can do to prevent their exercising
it,"
Senator Perkins. Of California, when
shown the dispatch from Berlin. said
that the prevention of Importation on
sanitary grounds was a mere Dretey, /
and that it was simply to keep out
fruits which competed with German
production and the order was no doubt
issued as retaliation against the
United states because of the dinerentlal
tariff on sugar from bounty-paying
countries.
Senator Perkins said.he had no doubt
tina; the United States could meet this