The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-25
GERMANY POLICY
Commercial Firm at Berlin Say
There Will Be No Territorial
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
South American Colonies Could Not
Be Defended-Commercial
Ideals.
New York Sun Special Service.

New York Sun Special Service.
Berlin, Feb ga thorough canvass Of
commercial opinions has developed a
characteristic and universal Discrimination
to comment in any way upon the kalser's
policy in South America. The heads of
commercial firms interested in the South
American trade did not hesitate, how
ever, to express their own views, which
were presented as the ground work on
which they are convinced the German pol
icy in South America is based. This gist
of all the opinions is that it Is ridiculous
to suppose that Germany has political de
signs especially the acquisition of terri
tory, on the American continent if for
only two reasons namely, distance and
lack of money and ships with which to
prosecute the war which would inevitably
result. At the same time if German in
terests in South America are threatened
Germany will use every means at her dis
posal, including force, to defend and pro-
tect them.
An officer of the Handelsvertrag verein
society, for the promotion Of commercial
treaties in an interview with a CORE
spondent admitted that 1the commercial
relations between America and Germany
| are now seriously troubled chiefly by two
! causes. The first is that German exports
do not haEe a sufficient market in the
| United States owing to the tariff and the
second is the consular fornlalities exacted
| of German exporters on this side. The
officer added that if the United States
does not lower the duties German mer-5
chants will make every effort to conquer
! the South American market as they intend
to do in China, the Levant and South AT
RIGA, but even the Chauvinists do not
dream of acquiring territory. He fur
| ther said: .-t..< -s tas E. .#i
4"Our only immediate aim is to obtain
| from the United States a new most ia
/ vored nation treaty which we hope to
force her to grant by making treaties with
1 European powers that will render us in
dependent of the. American market
He cites statistics Of German exports to
South America in 1901, as follows: To
| Brazil, IS, OOO,O 900 marks; to the Argentine
Republic, 54,000,000, and to Chill, 34,O0o,-
900. amounts which, he declared, were not
worth going to war about. He pointed out
| that Great Britain was a more serious
competitor Of the United States in South
America than Germany. and that British
trade was being gradually expelled.
I A representative of the DiScento Bank
said that the commercial relations OF Ger
many with South America We're SO close
that political rela tiOns were not neces-
sary, especially as they would involve war.
The idea in the United States that Ger
many desires territory may be ascribed to
the fact that there is q large German
emigrat ton The territory, however,
cause South America especially Brazil is
giving every encouragement to immigra-
ton and trade. :.
Dr. Jannasch director of the Export
bank. said that policy of acquisition In
South America would not only be stupid
but would be madness. ... ..-s ..
Germany has far to much to do at home
to embark upon a policy of adventure al
such a distance. Moreover, she hac
drawn lessons from recent&events in China
and South Africa. The. notion that, Ger
many was seeking territory had probably
arisen from her efforts to initiate England
regarding her colonies by aiding colonists
as much as possible and seeking to pre-
: vent emigrants from becoming nationals
in the United States and other countries
a policy that can be summed up as stuet-
zen und schuetzen, support and protect
but which is far enough removed from
} territorial ACKNOWLEDGMENT. Herr Jan.
nasch is recognized as an expert on trade
rela tions with South America. "
Another commercial authority said tina
Germany's export interests were too de
pendent upon friendship with the United
States to allow any violation of the Man
J roe hypothethis.