The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-01-12


 l places associations of merchants and
 manufacturers have ibeen formed for
 the express purpose Sf resisting Ameri- can competition. Tile government can not do anything in the way of tariff protection Withouf provoking retalia- | ton on the part Of the United States. although it has been repeatedly urged
 to take that risk. The reichstag and the executive authorities have gone as
 far as they dare 5go in placing re- | strietions on pork and other meats ap- pies and other fruits, and vegetables, horses and other live stock, but they cannot place an embargo upon boots and shoes, hats and caps, cotton goods, hardware. electrical supplies and. oth- < l CT manufactured articles which are "a Z
 pidly finding their way in increasing quantities. into the stronghold of the German manufacturers. Hence the hostility has grown very bitter, and it
 is manifested in various ways.
 Property holders in several of the German cities have refused to rent
 buildings to American merchants, and , it is now impossible for an American to
 secure adnnittance to German factory, for fear he will obtain some informa- tfon that may be communicated to the
 enemy Not long ago an amusing incl
 dent occurred which illustrates how
 sensitive manufacturers are becoming.
 Two years ago the head. of one of the
 largest concerns in Germany came to
 this country with his two sons, one of them about twentystwo and the other about twenty-five years old, for the
 purpose of studying American methods
 and machinery They made no secret
 of their purpose and were received
 with great cordiality. While in Phila- delphia, they were the house guests for
 several days of one of their chief com petitors in this country, and spent near ly all their time in hls shops. When. they went west he gave them letters to people in the same line of business at
 Pittsburg,e Cleveland and Chicago, and at the latter place it was arranged that l the elder son should remain for a time
 to continue his investigations. The American fr1anufacturers to whom he, brought letters invited him to their l AlAiiiVSs llllil COlIttOI
 possible, introduced him at their clubs
 and secured his access to mills in Chi.
 cago, Milwaukee, Joliet and other neighboring cities, where he had every
 opportunity to learn all or the.4most advanced methods and to handle the latest patterns of machinery. No part I of the business was concealed from him, although he was not, of course, in vited behind the desks in the counting, room He remained about seven
 months, and then; after, making an ex tended Journey to other parts of the l country with,letters of introduction, ras turned to Germany.
 During the last summer, as an acci-
 dental coincidence. the two Americans
 who were so kind to them and to his
 father and brother in Philadelphia and Chicago went to Europe, but at differ. ent times. Both Of them called upon the old gentleman and both had the
 same experience. They were very po- litely received at his office, but were: not invited to his house He enter tained one of them at lunch and the. I other att dinner--flot at his residence, but at a restaurant- the. young I men escorted the ladies of the Philadel- l phian's family on an automobile excur- sion to a castle in the neighborhood. l Both of the Americans asked permis-i 1 sion to visit the works, but were not permitted to do so. The works were | seventeen miles from, the city, and va ! rious obstacles arose whenever the mat ter was suggested. The Chicago man,
 being provoked at the evident determi- nation to prevent him from inspecting the factory, took the trouble to run
 down one day uninvited. The head of i the house was absent, but both of the sons were there, and when he asked the privilege of going through the shops
 they apologized profusely because no- body could give permission except their l father The young man who had en- joyed the freedom of the shops for sev- en months was very much embarrassed. and endeavored to convince the visitor l that the father would be proud to show the works on some other occasion,
 but the Chicago man did not get be- yond the room in which ordinary GUS
 toners were usually received. < This is not an isolated case. No
 American or Englishman can obtain admission to any German factory: not | even the consuls residing in the manu- featuring towns, lest they may discover something. worth reporting. to their gov ernments. Tn England, France, Swift l zerland and other European countries American visitors are cordially well | comed, just asa German and all other visitors are here. --s | The American merchants and other permanent residents of Berlin, organ ized their Chamber of Commerce for mutual support and encouragement and | for the promotion of American trade There are similar organizations in Par ] is and several other European cities which have the friendly regard of the people and the governments, but in Berlin the American Chamber of Com
 merce is an object of suspicion and bit ter hostility. The imperial government dare not forbid it's organization or in terfere with it's transactions, which are limited to occasianal meetings and conferences and the publication and distribution of printed matter concern A