The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-05
RUSSIAN POLICY IS TO BAR TIN
FOREIGN TRADER AS MUCH
AS POSSIBLE
FACTS ON THE TARIFF WAR
Ozar's Government Opposed TO I'm.
port"tiOn Of Anything That Can
Be Produced Within
His Domains
IS AFTER FOREIGN MONEY

ST PETERSBURG, Tuesday. Julv
When Secretary Cages action In limos
! ing countervailing duties on Russ. n
| sugar exported to the United Sta es vas
IoIlowed by so dsproportionate rer,r,eaI
as the imposition of 80 per cent Increased
uutles on the most important Aroe, -,
| Mnportations here, the importers of AM
lcan tooLs and machinery seemed ST. .nnelt
LHey were disposed to support Russia ON
! uIe regal aspects, but some of them er-
eAaHIhed the matter and CONCLUDED that
| the RUSSIAN sugar regulations amount IN
Pr@ctlcal compusion to manufact Ire foI
| export. They still doubt the e,Dadiarc,,
Oh Secretary Cages action, but latteriv
they nave concluded that the policy W..
mistaken OF which after all Washington.
| knowing the complete facts and foster.ps,
American interests throughout the word
! was the best judge, it does MT foIlo,U
Inat packdown Is now expedicnt Thew
cIalm that such precedent would weak.
| en- american commercial and LoIiticaI
! PrestlSe. 1t Is, of course. lnclnvenie,t
Aor Importers, whose incomes dependeh
! on russian trade, but it is rtallzeI thoA
'itS russian market compares unfavor-
ably TO others and that It always viii.
! Inc actual effects of the discriminating
| duties have not been as disastrous as ev..
pected. The decrease in AsiaLc Imports
Is chleHy due to the abolition Of the open
| port at Vladivostock. Attention is dire,t-
ed to the increasing disinclinat on OF the
RUSSIAN authorities to permit the impor.
tation of any goods which Russians can
produce, no matter what they co t.
RAISING THE BARS
Ihis policy, more than the tariff, obs
| structs foreign trade. Ii Is recalled thai
the government recently narrowly re-
stricted the use OF foreign goods in thI
| Russian army and navy factories and
| that M 10
! the government influence exttnIs. Inas.
| much as this influence is limited merely
| py WILL somewhat pessimistic view II
uhe future OF foreign trade is held he O.
! Lawyers representing the largest nnan-
clal Interest in America who were re-
Gently here, offered $4),OOO,OO0 10 build the
| Vlatka railroad, provided a certain pro-
| portion of Amer can materials was used.
| The categorical reply from the finance
| ministry was that not one pound of such
/ material could be used The syndicate
then refused to accept the conces. ion, aa
1t did not want bond Investments, but
was chiefly desirous Of securing anotheD
! outlet for American goods. The corres-
! pondent Of the Associated Press was au-
tnortatiVely informed that under these
| circumstances import of foreign materr
| lal Is impossible. The syndicate declined
extensive fishing concessions in Eastern
| Siberia because Russian machinery was
| to be used and the Russians were 20 havd
| full control. The import Of foreign goods
| Is almost annihilated under the prOhlbLs
! tory arrangements.
The correspondent OF the Associated
| Press here talked with the representative
| Of a Russian house whose bus ness is
suffering from the tremendous tarin
! duties as well as from the prohlb.tion
! He said;
RUSSIAN SUGAR BOUNTY.
Undoubtedly the Russian sugar reg1I-
| lauons contain cunningly devised bOun-
| ty. The cardinal point is that a COM
| pany capable Of producing over $1,000
! poods annually must sell part of the ec-
| abroad, since the share of each company
| In the domestic market, excepting the
| $1,000 pools allowed each Goa ern, 10
! prorated according to the total OF the
| previous years production. and exported
| sugar is not taxed. Producers therefore,
! calculate the point where tho losses on
| foreign overbalanced the profits on pro-
| tected and regulated domestic sales. NJ.
| de Witte. the finance minister, shrewdly
| pitted steel against sugar. He is quoted
! as repeating the charge that Secretary
| Gage Is taking an interest In the Amer
| lean sugar and oil trusts. This - some-
| what unguarded on his part, considerine
the close relations between the Russian
sugar and steel interests and thS BoV4
| ernment. He apparently displayed mOrs
| feeling than the intrinsic value of the
sugar trade with the United States no.
|
to the fact that the imperial family and
other ofEclal people are largely interested
IN the sugar interest. Whether Secretary
Gage acted wisely IN the first instance Is
one question. Whether trucking is now e
profitable expedient is another.
FOREIGN GOODS NOT WANTED.
1.-THE United States must meet RussiG
half way. But II Russia desires a COM
mercial war, we should fight Russia
| does not intend TO allow the United
! States, Germany or anybody else %
| have permanently a profitable trade here.
| Russia wants foreign money, not foreign
goods Whether Russia Is trying TO
bluff or bully, the Americans who sup
port NJ. de Witte against Mr.. Gage are
playing her game. 1t is declared here
that Russia will never allow Washing
ton to construe her sugar laws. But
neither can the United States recognize
the Russian Interpretation Of our tariff
1t is known mere that the United States
ambassador, Charlemagne Tower, who
fastened back to st. Petersburg from his
leave of absence, has during the past
few days been In personal consultation
with the foreign minister, Count Lams-
dorfH and III. dc Witte, upon tho tariff
arrangements, and 1t can be said on the
best of authority that negotiations are
being carried On in the most friendly
manner, and that Russian manufacturers
hope for and expect a speedy and amica-
BILE adjustment Of the Questions in dis
pute.