New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-11
n THE GERMAN EMPIRE
Ignorance of affairs in the United
Sales.--future of 4Esdce-LovMine.
Berlin. November 90

rate knowledge Of other nations is general the
iepths OF ignorance regarding the political life
ma the social institutions of the United States.
indeed. Il is true even to-day that the average
educated German knows vast deal more Of
Bulgaria or the North Polar regions than ne
Ices about the United States on occasion OF a
recent visit to the chief editor OF one of our
great Berlin dailies in his sanctum, the CONVEX
istion drifted incidentally 10 American topics dt
ras in the Presidential campaign, and he said
n an offhand manner: But what's the use of
discussing this? Our readers more inter
tsted in politics almost anywhere else. in
he Balkans, than in American affairs" And he
'poke the truth. II is strange especially when
one reflects the close commercial and in
iustrial relations subssting between the two
countries and on the further fact that some
millions Of native born Germans have found
second home in America. But the fact itself is
not to be denied.
II would be easy to give a "Bluthenlese" "a
batch % fair samples OF this astounding Ger
man ignorance OF American affairs as displayed
anew the result of the recent quadrennal
Election, and doubtless ii would provoke many
smile among readers. However il may merely
be said that this ignorance of the principal
issues involved. of and methods. seemed to
be pretty evenly balanced between the German
Liberals and the Conservatives. Ii even
shared by such serious and weighty publica-
lion as die Nation" the editor of which IS
accounted one of the greatest friends the United
States has here and who has paid several visits
on the other side Of the Atlantic.
With few exceptions, the sympathies Of the
German people and press in the recent political
struggle were the side OF the Democrats. tho
reasons given being because Democratic
President and Congress would abolish the Ding
ley tariff and substitute more favorable TO
Parker's victory would have ended American
imperialism" and because honestly intimate re-
iations between the two countries are only pos
sible in the latter contingency. President Roose-
Velts victory is here looked upon rs the firm
establishment Of American plutOcracy' and OF
the rule of the trusts" These are the views OF
tiile out Of every ten thinking Germans and
even The government press repeated them after
the news Of November was flashed across
There is no doubt that tie Kaiser personally
admiFes Mr. Roosevelt; indeed he has more
than once given expression 10 such feeling
But still an impression prevails that viewing
III, as political rival-or. rather as the ban
iief beaTe: OF great rival natlon-he looks
Upo7 The President with a somewhat unconl-
io-table sentiment. However. the Kaiser frankly
recognizes and as frankly deals with concrete
facts in politics. and he Will hereafter endeavor.
as n has during the last three years to show
hifEsef IS friendly 10 the vigorous transatlan-
& nation ard its energetic head as circun-
stances VIII at Ill permit. The Imperial Chan
cf'or. Cou2t Won BtloH, personally does not
Ike america or Americans. He is by birth and
HsS2c.-t.on agrarian-that is opposed to
Americas keen agricultural competition But Won
F.'"' Go5s not rule Gernanys destinies: neither
60 ms 'oiie2sues # the imperial Cabinet Out
&c @e'it;ai, ii is held-and correctly-that the
h..isor f-an.es and fashions the foreign policy.
-''ft- hoV eEo-. does not prevent the fact that
the is "a yit.es;read feeling in all German po-
HilV2i ,iTclss 10 the effect that commercial re-
Ft;i"'S "ilh the United States urgently require
ieadiust-nent In the last six years since the
Dinghy tar.H has been applied the balance of
tr;'d" between Germany and the United States
has shifted FGore and more in favor of the
i5tt"r. IN 1909 she sent here almost thrice the
amount she bought from Germany. That was
an exceptional wear. but even since then ex-
ports 10 the United States have barely aver
htad - per cent Of the American imports here
These figures do not quite agree with American
Official trade statistics: but that is because
The! credit TO Belgium and to Holland much of
TIE goods which pass through Rotterdam and
Antwerp. and finally find their way to German
warehouses; or homes. for great deal Of meat,
baeoa. ham, lard, petroleum. ETC. reaches Ger
manE through those ports. The figures quoted
aTc from German Official sources
There is. then an outspoken desire "a 60 re-
arrange the treaty Of 1928 so as to he more in
the nature OF reciprocity. This is an Old desire
on Gernanys part, one that German dinIo
hatlsts both in Berlin and Washington have
beeh trying 10 realize for twenty years and
oFef, and IN which they have always failed so
1af- But until sucA readJustment is brought
about the entire commercial and Industrial ola. :.
in Germany tathough largely Liberal in notifies,
VIII continue 10 harbor grudge against Uncle
Sam.
Speaking OF commercial treaties. number ~
thein are 10 come up for ratification before the
3ie.chst2C this session. Count Won BiiIov be 9
perfected a new bargain with Russia first with
Austria Hungary and Italy next. and with
switzerland, Rumania ana Argentina few
days ago. The text Of these instruments has
not yet been published, and in the case of the
treaty with Russia q good deal Of opposition 20
expected 10 develop-indeed 1t is doubtful
whether il viii be approved by the Parliament
Facts have leaked out tending to show that the
oFA1t o. THIS Eusso-German treaty as II now
stands will not benefit German Industry &C much
as was expected while German agriculture will
certainly be injured by It. So the onnos,t,or
VIII come from both camps in the Reichstae.
or ali the treaties now under way the one u,,tb
Russia is. however. of greatest inheritance
German Industry is bending every nerve 70 nrc
serve tho commercially predominant position
enjoyed IN the neighboring empire since 1892 a
predominance well illustrated by the fact that
according 10 the Russian trade statistics Ger
many alone holds about one-third of Russia a
total foreign c"mmerce-tha: is. between $500 =
100000 and $2J0.000.0o0 yearly. This is a good
ly figure, but I'm the case Of a vast empire like