Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-05
TRADE WITH GERMANY
Pending Discriminative Legislation NJ
Action Will Be Taken.
Omcials Awaiting to See What Eject
RatifytnE French Reciprocity
Treaty vim Have.

| Whle, TECHNICALLY speaking, negotiations
| looking to the making Of a reciprocity
| treaty bebetween the United States and
Germany are still in progress, practically
nothing whatever has been accomplished in
that direction since the departure of the
German ambassador, Herr Won Holleben,
| for Germany early last summer.
There Is no disposition whatever on the
part Of the officials of the State Depart
| ment to embarrass the German government
| by any insistence at this time upon an
active prosecution of the negotiations.
While far from satisfactory, the exist
ing conditions of the American export trade
with Germany can, 1t is believed by the
officials, be tolerated for, short time. The
| officials are hopeful that the time will &C.
tually be short, resting their belief not
upon any direct assurance from German
authorities, but rather upon reports of
| the political situation in Germany. It is
understood that when the German govern
ment has secured what it regards as certain
| essentials of legislation from the reichstag,
| 1T will be in better condition than it is at
present to meet the expectations of the
| United States At any rate 1t is a convic-
| ton of this kind that has inspired the
United States government to avoid any
urgent representations connected with the
reciprocity negotiations at this stage.
There is perhaps another reason for the
That is desire to learn just what effect
| the ratification by the United States Sem
ate Of the pending French reciprocity treaty
would have upon the German government.
| 1t is said by the officials here that as the
French treaty gives preferential rates to
many articles which figure largely in the
list of German exports to the United States.
the effect of the practical application of the
| French treaty would be to confer upon
France all that share Of the American
market now occupied by Germany. To
\ t- 1o-
facturers, Germany must. 1t Is argued, Sc
cure a similar reciprocity treaty, and this
can be secured by only an abatement of
| the restrictions upon the importations Of
American meats and other products. Thus
by a natural working Of the laws of trade
and commerce, 1t is conceived by the Off
Gals that our government may be able to
entirely avoid a recourse to the tremen.
dous powers Of prohibition of trade with a
nation that discriminates against the
United States lodged in the President by
existing law.
Nothing to BE Done Now.
It is said in official circles here that there
| is nothing for the United States govern
| ment to do at this stage in the working
| out Of the policy Of the German govern
| ment respecting the treatment Of American
meats. Our government has uniformly
| insisted that no foreign power had any
right to catechise 1t respecting matters Of
| legislation pending before the legislative
| part Of the government. Where in isolated
| instances foreign ministers In Washington
have disregarded this injunction, they have
| been sharply reminded of their breach of
| international etiquette. So, as the meat
bill, offensive as it is to the United States
government, is not a matter Of complete
| legislation. but is still pending before the
reichstag, the State Department cannot find
| a proper place just now for any official re-
monstrance against the proposed addition
| to the restrictions upon American COM
| merce.
l.. Discrimination In Effect.
| It has been suggested unofficially that as
| the United States Is not named in the Ger
man meat bill. it cannot be said that Ger
| many discriminates against the United
| States therein. On this point the experts
of the Agriculture Department have been
collecting data to demonstrate that In the
| least the bill does directly discriminate
| against American meat in imposing condi-
| tons as to the attachment Of certain por-
| tons of the intestines Of the carcasses Of
| beef imported which are impossible Of COM
! pliance by American shippers owing to the
long ocean voyage. while easy to meet by
| like Belgium, Russia, Austria and Holland.
After the year 1904, it is true, these coun-
tries will be in the same case as the United
81 ates, the bill excluding all meats after
that date; but meanwhile great injury will
| be sustained, 1t is said, exclusively by the
| United States packers.
= The officials here show no open resent
ment at the recently discovered effort Of
| the German government to prevent our
consuls from acquiring any information as
| to the adulteraion of German goods and
the existence of disease among German ami
! mails. but they are quietly collecting evil
dence through other channels on those
| points that, it is hoped. will be quite as
convincing. For instance such as COM
plete analyses of German wines entering
| the United States which now being
| made by the Department of Agriculture
with special view to the detection Of
adulteration. The wines imported are, by
| the way, regarded as particularly dear to
the German agrarian interests. being, as
| they are, products Of German soil.