New-York tribune., 1903-02-05
AMERICAN INSURANCE IN GERMANY.


The significant announcement is made that
there is a division Of official opinion at Berlin
on the matter of letting American insurance
companies do business in Germany. Inc re-
ported division is on exactly such lines as might
have been expected The Foreign Office, haV-
ing regard for the foreign relations Of the en-
pire and being especially desirous OF cultvatlng
friendly relations with the United States, is IN
favor of admitting American companies On rea-
sonable terms The Ministry of the Interior,
having regard for the internal interests OF fe
empire, and acting largely upon the urgent rep
reservations of the German insurance com-
panies which dread American competition, is
inclined to oppose the entrance OF American
companies into the German field with every
technicality for which warrant can be found in
law. In both these attitudes there is to be
found the engaging quality Of frankness. though
whether the latter one Of them Is altogether
equitable and will permanently, prove profit
abIe is another question open to grave cons1d-
Grafton.
American companies-life insurance or any
other-seeking to do business In Germany should
comply with German laws. That is obvious
It is also obvious that German laws on such
subjects should be impartial and reasonaDe-
No American complains because he is subjected
the
Germany as are imposed upon all other aliens.
But if there is special discrimination made
against him because of his nationality he has
good cause for complaint. Moreover-and this
is perhaps most Of all to the point-a govern
nent policy would seem to be open to criticism
which imposes technical conditions not for the
sake Of safeguarding policyholders and max
ing the business secure and stable, but solely
for the sake Of annoying, discouraging and ex-
cluding those who would engage in the bust
ness The latter, to speak plainly, has seemed
to be the policy of some German officials, and it
is against such a policy that the German For
eign Office is now protesting.
It would indeed be difficult for Germany to
exclude American companies save on some such
unworthy ground. There surely can be no OBJ
lection to them on the ground that they lack sta
bility, integrity or trustwOrthiness. Such criti-
cism of them would be dismissed with Homeric
laughter The world contains no insurance
companies more secure and trustworthy than
some of those in this country, the names of
which have long been synonymes for financial
strength and uprightness Great Britain and
France and other countries welcome them. Ger
tainly it seems anomalous that Germany alone
should regard them as unfit to do business In
her realm Her exclusion of them looks for all
the WOGlQ ike uUEedSOuluS IOI
the protection of domestic concerns from compe-
tition.
Nor is it possible to justify the German policy
on the ground of retaliation against the protec
zionist policy of the United States. Our tariff
policy INDUCES in no such determinations. 1t
treats all aliens alike. Moreover. it does not
comprise the slightest prohibition against the
doing of business here by foreign corporations.
On the contrary German and other companies
are engaged in business here on a large scale.
There is no petty nagging at them. There is
no inclination to bar them out with mere tech
nicalities. There is given to them fair field,
with no favor and with no artificial handicap.
That is all American companies ask in Ger
many. They are willing to give all reasonable
guarantees and to comply with all reasonable
conditions, and, having done so, it certainly
seems as though they should be permitted 10
do business. 1t is encouraging to see that the
German Foreign Office thinks so. Perhaps one
Of these days the whole German Government
will take the same enlightened view of the case