The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-11-05
NOW A TARIFF WAR
TONE OF THE GERMAN PRESS IS
ANYTHING BUT FRIENDLY.
Close of Business Today Marks Expi-
ration of Commercial Agreement
Entered Into With France, Swift
zerland and Bulgaria Under the
Dingley Act; What of the Future
Is Thought of Treasury Officials.

Washington, Oct. 3O-The close of
business today will mark the expira
ton of the commercial agreements
entered into with France, Switzerland
adtand Bulgaria under the Dingley tariff
act, and the preferential agreement
SO with those nations will cease to exist.
Duties imposed by the new tariff law
shtwill be imposed on all importations
which are not entered in the United
Estates custom houses before the close
of business today. The effect will be
9n3t to largely increase the price of wines
and other merchandise imported from
.S9France. The tax will fall heaviest
upon the consumers of champagne.
aa Advices from Paris state that there
-" is much dissatisfaction in France over
the new American tariff.
7@"0 There is great anxiety with regard
to the future position of France, and
the hope is expressed that the govern
ment will avoid needless and narm-
.Goiful tariff war, and that it will act
quickly and prudently to obtain the
aoI minimum rates for French imports.
That Yankee Tariff Wall"
snDo. The three countries with which the
preferential agreements expire today
-oilare not the only European nations
- which are up in arms against the
,ssJhateful yankee tariff WALL" German
manufacturers, as represented in the
a. press of Berlin and other cities, are
shot under the collar" and are in a
threatening mood, although the Ger
man agreement does not expire until
early next year.
The tone of the German press is es
pecially unfriendy to the United
States. Even the unofficial press is
LIE publishing editorial articles which
show that every pressure is being
la brought to bear upon the government
-""'in order to secure the adoption of a
program of retaliation. The most
'"o marked exception is taken to the max
-imum and minimum features of the new
e tariff law. The impression is now
abroad in Germany that many of the
increases in the law are aimed directly
at German trade.
sgla The exporting interests of Germany
Seeu 10 De convinced lIldC the OHlIeu
gii1States will enforce the maximum rates
against that country on March 81 of
30 next year. As result of this belief,
strong pressure is being brought to
T. bear upon the imperial government to
induce it to assume the offensive be-
- fore that time. The existing CONNER
80 rcial agreement between the United
States and Germany will expire next
o7 February. If the German government
80 accedes to the demands of the business
10 interests of the country, it will put its
maximum rates into effect against
800 America at that time.
~~7-~ Germany Can Stand a War.
-s-1 The appeals submitted to the imper-
-. ial government are designed to show
that Germany can endure a CONNER
cial war much longer than the United
.l4 States. 1t has been pointed out that
in 1908 the imports into Germany from
the United States were valued at $780,
100000, while the goods shipped from
got Germany to America represented only
$l2l,OOO,OOO. The value of the exports
from Germany to the United States
zlast year was considerably less than
that OF the preceding year.
41-5 The German exports which will be
most seriously affected by the new law
are silk goods, cotton fabrics, wines,
razors and post cards. German bust
ness men believe that these articles
will be Disseminated against not only
by the application of the new schedule,
but by the adoption of the new system
of valuation, which makes the whole,
sale price in the United States the
basis, instead of the value mentioned
= in the manifest accompanying the ship
ment.
80; 1t is expected that France will i'm
pose her maximum tariffs Immediately
,ooon the termination of the existing
agreement. The United States will be
3, practically helpless so fad as retalia-
tion is concerned, until March 30, 1910.
One measure of retaliation that has
been considered is the exclusion abso-
-, lutely of French champagnes and
sparkling wines. Undoubtedly these
could be shut out of the American
market under the pure food law, for
it is well known to the government
oey chemists that certain preservatives are
used in preparation of the French
wines which are forbidden or are
Eca-