The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-02-08
WHITE MAKES PROTEST
THE PRETENSE OF VERMIN IN
CALIFORNIA FRUIT.
RETALIATION FOR DUTY ON SUGAR
A Suggestion That We Shu. Out German
Woolens and Cutlery. Several Senators *
press Themselves FeelingIy on the
Subject. ConseQuerca Of Tariff.
SUBJECT. Consequence Of Tarjf.

~ouoJfCt. consequence CT iarlff.
Eerl.n, Feb. 2.-1ke Prussian Minister
Of Finance, DIR. Miguel. issued a decree
yesterday, which goes into effect imme-
d%iately. prohibiting the Importation Of
every kind Of American fresh fruits.
The decree has been sent to all the Ger
man ports and frontier stations. OK
cept.ng Bavaria. Saxony and Wurtem-
burg. The United states Embassy was
net previously warned. and the United
States Ambassador. Mr.. Andrew l..
White, sent Il formal letter to the For
eisn office today. inquiring upon what
authority this inimical step was taken.
Tie United States Consul At Ham
burg. Or. Hugh Pitcairn. telegraphs that
$4,000 barrels Of American apples have
been forbidden to be unloa1ed, and that
two trans full of American fruit have
also been forbidden to cross the frontier
at Emmerich. which. aside from Ham
burg, is the principal place of entry for
American fruit.
On receipt of this news Mr.. White sent
4 second and stronger remonstrance to
the Foreign office. calling attention to
the evident violation of the treaty.
vt the Foreign office it was learned
that the Prussian government prohibits
the entry of American fruits on sanitary
grounds, claiming that California and
other vefmin threaten German trees
and fruit.
DISCUSSED IN WASHINGTON.
Washington. u. c.. Feb. 2-The State
Department has not yet been informed
by Ambassador 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 German gov
eminent is willing to yield TO the wishes
of the -Agrarlan party. which insists upon
the exclusion Of all American farm pro
ducts that enter into competition with
the German farmer.
For two years the State Department
has been engaged almost fruitIessly to
secure from The German government the
reversal Of Il decree like the present one,
but applied to our meat products. The
attitude of the Germans i'll this matter
is not encouraging. and the announce
ment of this additional decree against
another great American staple export
has tried the patience of the department
sorely and there is no telling how far
we may 80 toward retaliation. if the
conditions justify it. OF course nothing
VIII be lone in the absence OF full Official
information from Mr.. White as to the
facts in the case, and it may be that the
history of the meat exclusion negotia-
TONS will be repeated. in that there may
be a long correspondence to permit the
German government to demonstrate. If
II a1n tho C-raof Ia m prS To hp looked
far III American fruits. But if the facts
Indicate that there is as little founda-
ton for this exclusion decree as was the
case with the meat products, 1t IS said
at the State Department that the Pr1sl-
dent probably will avail himself of his
statutory power to retallate sharply
under section ;, of the act of August
: Goth. 1890. To the knowledge Of the
State Department no complaint has ever
before been made against the character
Of American fresh fruit.
The reports of the United States con
suls show that the imports Of the latter
have found great favor in German cities,
and the universal testimony of our con
sulS is that our apples are so superior
in every respect that there IS hardly a
market for the German apples in their
vicinity.
The officials of the Agricultural De
partment have as yet received no in
formation on the subject. They are
disposed to believe that the explanation
that importations of fresh fruits VIII be
prohibited. because of danger from YER
min is Not a sincere one, but tnat Ter
many having in m.nd the recent leglsla-
ton Of the American government i'm
posing a discriminating duty on bounty
paid sugar. has taken this action as a
sort Of retaliation. 1t is said that Cali
forn:a fruit is the freest from vermn OF
any IN the United States.
); Senator Mills. a member Of the For
eign Relations Committee, expressed the
opinion that Germany's action was the
logical sequence of our high taIik sys-
! tenn. Il should not like to see American
interests suffer-" he said. but we can't
Expect anything else under the clrcum-
stances
Senator Bacon. of Georgia. also
thought the prohibition one of the re-
suits Of our tariff system. They have
the power he said, "and | see nothing
: we can do to prevent their exercising 1t.
: Senator Perkins. Of California, when
Shown the dispatch from Berlin, said
: that the prevention Of importation on
sanitary grounds was 4 mere preteNt,
and that it was simply to keep out fruits
" 1lltuI COIlltDtUSd Will ~ CAh
: tion and the order was no doubt is
i sued as a retaliation against the United
States because CT the ditferential tariff
! Oh sugar from bounty paying countries
: Senator Perkins said he had no doubt
that the United States could meet this
new order by retaliation.
Senator McEnery. of Louisiana, sad:
IF this country would only prohibit
8 the importation of Germany cutlery
and wOolens there would soon be an enc
of any discrimination against American
: products and according to my way OF
: thinking that is what could be done
t Senator Lodge. Of the committee on
t Foreign Relations. declined to say more
; than THAT GerInany's action was IL
/ clear violation Of the treaty.
:. Senator Burrows, of the committee Oh