New-York tribune., 1901-02-21
prsSIA'S RETALIATION.
,p OF 4 TARIFF WAR RAPIDLY
STBSIDING.
,-urR PosTPoNEMENT OF REPRIsALs
rxpFcTED-EFFECT OF NJ. DE WHITES
DECREE OK AMERICAN IRON
AND STEEL TRADE.
inv rEIEaRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l !


,e',ss,s and this country is rapidly subsiding.
-, have been the case with temperate con-
ns...,,or Of the facts. and the prediction is
20, bszarded in high quarters that the matter
' sn sho-,ly avindle down 10 its proper insig-
80, proportions Not only in the United
.-,as hun throughout Europe the conviction
s,-ce6 upon those whose opinions command
-, that the Russian authorities will quickly
.,,,e their unreasonable position. as well
-, the unjustihahle panic that has occurred
~ osrtain American manufacturing intererts
IN a,ssipate itself as suddenly Il was
created
rbst Russia Is already regaining her COM
.sr,e 10 some extent is indicated in dispatches
Ino,nc,nr that Finance Minister DE WHITE has
-.,,oned the enforcement % his reprisals for
,.,o weeks IN the hope that by that time the
.ssnective increases Of duties viii have counter
..,ss each other This is equivalent 10 a con-
s.,o, that he acted hastily in the first instance
= ,,o,r sees the wisdom az awaiting the
-, % an appeal 10 the Board of Appraisers by
,,,orters Of Russian sugar from Secretary
coqes order imposing the cOuntervailing duty.
oa-hsps bv that time. II the appraisers sustain
-. order another postponement at 81. Peters
.,rV NAV follow 20 enable an appeal 20 the
,,ri,e5 States District Court, ana further repe-
,i,,ons Of delay may he expected while the ap-
neal goes n turn 10 the circuit Nouft ana the
snDrsme Court. In this manner it is not i'm
rossible that several years may be consumed
ana within that period the whole question viii
ha relecated 10 the limbo of closed incidents,
,hroueh ,be steady development of the Cuban,
hawaiian and Porto Rican cane sugar planta-
,,ors and the continuous growth Of the domestic
sugar industry. rendering the United States ah-
solutelv independent Of Europe, so FAR as its
sugar supply is concerned
The sensational turn which was given 20 Secre-
tarv Cages order apparently for speculative
r,-posss and the attention II therefore created
n now turns out. were largely responsible for
,hr drastic nature of the Russian threat and
,bis IN turn. was utilized by promoters for fur
thrr manipulating the market.
SECRETARY CAGES SUGAR ORDER
With a more deliberate appreciation Of the
acton of the Secretary Of the Treasury the
chief support OF the flimsy fabric OF a demoraliz-
irg tariff war is swept away and the whole
structure Is likely 10 tumble Of its own weight
II cannot De said that the Secretary has acted
either arbitrarily precipitately in the matter
In spirit OF fri@ndHness toward Russia, and IN
the expectation that a satisfactory reciprocity
,reatv might ultimately he negotiated, the coun-
tervailing duty imposed upon the sugars i'm
ported from that country was suspended in May
last. pending an effort Of the Treasury Depart
rnent 10 determine whether the Russian Cow
ernment paid a bounty or not. That suspension
was temporary only and bound this Govern
ment 10 nothing In a further spirit or friend
illness toward Russia the Secretary, in his recent
decision. took care 10 leave the question in
position where the Russian Government might
sppeal 10 the courts II dissatisfied with his de-
cision. He did not say outright that the Rus
sian Government paid bounty, though he inti-
mated strongly that he believed IL did-a view
which was shared by the Brussels Conference
N 1895 which found unanimously that the Rus
s.an system OF fixing the price and controlling
the domestic consumption OF sugar was In fact
a cloak 10 hide a more than liberal bounty 10
the producers OF sugar IN Russia. What he ala
say was that the question was surrounded by
grave doubts and that Il could satisfactorily
he settled only in the courts which had the
power 10 secure evidenc- and summon witnesses
As representing the administrative branch OF the
Government he was, CT course, bound TO give
the Government the benefit of the doubt and
decide IN its favor. In this sense, then ne
had no alternative except 20 order the reimposl-
ton of the countervaIling duty. His refusal ar
bltrarily 70 terminate the dispute which 1t was
clearly IN his power 10 do. by simply saying he
had found that Russia was paying bounty In
stead of being received by NJ. DE Witte as an
evidence Of the friendly spirit Of this country,
Is treated now as an act hostile 10 Russian in
terests and as an unjust discrimination against
her sugar industry.
n Secretary Gage erred al all, IL was I'm the
direction ~ too great an Indulgence of Russian
pretensions He practically suspended the oper-
ations Of certain features Of the Dingley act for
nearly nine months and il the beet root and
cane sugar growing interests of this country did
not az once feel the disastrous effect Of the with
d-awal ~ the protection which these provisions
~ the Dingley act were intended 70 give them,
Il was not due 10 a desire on the part of Russia
not 10 food this country at once with the enor-
nous output of the last year and with the ac-
cumulated surplus of several seasons past, but
70 the fear Of Russian exporters that cargoes
afoat might on their arrival in the ports Of the
Tinted States be confronted by reimposed
countewailing duty.
TRADE WITH GERMANY AND RUSSIA
Russian officials having bafled the efforts %
this country TO have the bounty controversy
settled IN the open. the United States was finally
forced 10 action when neighhoring European
sugar exporting countries affected by the coun-
teryailing clause OF the Dngley bin assisted in
exposing tho system. and demanded uniform
treatment. with implied warning that con-
tinued American determinations in Russia's ia
vor would he resisted. When this new phase of
the case was developed the Russian market AZ
the price demanded seemed not worth the can
die How Insignificant Il is and has been com
pared with single customer, next door neigh
bor 10 Russia at that. and one with many times
the interest in the item of beet sugar. is shown
ny the following Official trade tables Of the
United States Treasury Bureau Of Statistics for
tho last ten years:
United STATES COMMERCE WITH GERMANY