The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-03
Action OF the Minister of the Interior
Severely Condemned by q POr-
tiOn of the Press.
AMBASSADOR WHITE ACTIVE
MAKING DAILY PROTESTS AGAINST
MEAT INSPECTION BILL.
Warning the German Government
Leo's birthday Celebrated.

BERLIN, March 1.-The Vorwaerts (or-
| gan of the Socialists) publishes to-day the
| text of the secret instructions issued by
| the Prussian minister Of the interior in
regard to answering United States consular
| inquiries. which Herr Kunert, Socialist,
mentioned yesterday in the Reichstag. The
| instructions say that under no circum-
stances must the American consuls be
given statistical information about con-
| travention of the food adulteration law, in
| cluding the sale Of spoiled or injurious
| food, etc., also toys and the adulteration
and sale thereof. Information is also for
| hidden on the subject Of trichinae. etc.,
found in home meat and the status Of hu-
| man and animal diseases. In reply to all
such queries the consuls must be referred
| to the published imperial statistics. The
Vorwaerts further asserts that, according
| to the criminal statistics, about 2,700 per-
sons are punished in the empire annually
| for the above contraventions, and adds:
I'm the Reichstag the government was not
obliged to answer the above charges, but
| when the meat bill is debated 1t Will compel
| the government to speak"
The papers this evening comment on the
disclosures regarding the Rheinbaben Sc
policy. The vossische Zeitung says: This
policy of yelling facts the government has
been following since last summer, in any
event ever since Baron Won Rheinbaben
bcame rainister of the interior. Henceforth
he will shine the brightest star In the
Agrarian heavens" "-e--rss s
The vorwaerts says: without doubt
Baron Won Rheinbaben signed that de-
| cree upon instructions received from the
central government. instructions that the
| United States must not know certain
| things so as to be unable to use their ac-
| quired knowledge against US when We
| hypocritically pretend that their INSULT
| cient inspection is our reason for exclud-
| ing their meats. The whole farce is played
| for the benefit of the Agrarians. The Ger
man consumer must be protected against
| alleged unhealthy food by driving such
| food to the highest prices. We now have
| documentary proof of the way things look
behind the curtain of the commercial treaty
negotiations
The Berliner Tageblatt has communi-
cation from one of the Liberal leaders on
| the subject Of the meat bill, in the course
| Of which he says: eff the bill becomes law
| as it now stands, then our trade, industry
| and shipping will be threatened to an ex-
| tent which it is quite impossible to foresee.
| 1t will be the business Of the German COM
mercial congress to initiate a vigorous
protest against the committees report, and
| it will be the duty of the Liberal press en-
ergetically to support the movement"
The semi-official Politische Nachrichten
says: 1T is quite probable the government
will effect an understanding with the
| Reichstag majority regarding the meat
| BILL
| The semi-official Berliner Post discusses
] the question In the same spirit.
| On the other hand the Agrarian press, as
would be expected. approves the Rheinba-
ben decree. The leading Agrarian organ,
| the Deutsche Tages Zeitung. says: "Who-
| ever remembers the persistent system Of
chicanery to which all German industrial
| products have been subjected by the YAM
| KEGS for years will deem the decree most
| rational and most appropriate" The paper
| then goes on to abuse Herr Kunert for
| "betraying things to foreigners"
The second reading of the meat bill has
| been fixed for March 8. The Deutsche
| Tages Zeitung claims that the whole Right,
| the whole Center and the greater part of
| the Nationalists will support the bill, thus
constituting a clear majority. 1t adds:
| 1--WE do not believe that the allied gov
| ernments will continue to declare the ac-
| ceptance of our demands impossible, and
we do believe that they will now acknowl-
| edge that the Agrarians have yielded as
| far as possible"
United States Ambassador White said to-
| day: 'I am keeping the German govern
nnent fully informed regarding the effect
| the meat law would have on the trade re-
lations between the two countries and Ger
| many is fully aware that a tariff war
| would result. I shall have another talk at
| the Foreign Office tomorrow on the SUBJ
| Ject."
The German Agricultural Council pub
| lished report to-day claiming German
agricultural conditions showed no improve
| ment but deteriorated during 1899 Com
| menting upon the report the Agrarian pa
| pers tell the government to draw from 1t
| the conclusion that an outspoken and vig-
| orous Agrarian policy is needed and that
small means will not do.
POPE LEO'S BIRTHDAY.