The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-12-23

one of the most active members of the
Jewish committee when it was spread
| ing the propaganda of protest against
Russian discrimination in the matter
| of American passports held by Jews
| and who was one of the speakers who
addressed the Foreign Affairs com
mittees of the Senate and the House
prior to the recentsaction taken in Con-
| gress, said that any action the Russian
Duma might take in retaliation for the
abrogation of the treaty Of 1882 need not
greatly alarm people in this country.
1T is simply case of the bear show
| ing his teeth in snarl," said Mr. Marshall.
"The Duma does what the Car and his
advisers tell il that it is allowed to do
and nothing more There is nothing we
need fear We have given Russia the
benefit of the minimum tariff; If it wants
to increase its rates against us, that If
nothing we can control. As matter
Of fact we can do likewise. and Russia
would feel such action on our part "a great
deal more severely than we would feel
the raising of discr iminatory tariffs
against us
Even under the treaty of 1882 both
sides changed their tariffs from time
, to time the treaty did not hind one matte
not to change its tariffs az against the
! other. If this move in the Duina il done
| with the idea of retaliation 1t will effect
nothing The treaty is abrogated and
that's the end of it. Our country acts
! first for the benefit of lit citizens. and
ii the President and the Senate see fit
because of invidious distinctions drawn
| against certain American citizens to
make a step to resent any breach of the
| sanctity of American citizenship the
threat to hurt ihe American pocketbook
| Will not avail anything.
Besides it j. admitted by both sides
that various essential features of the
| treaty have become obsolete II seems
strange that Russia should care to dis
| play petty peevishness because this
! country elects to do what under the terms
! of the treaty 1t has perfect right 10 do:
cease to become a party to /, upon a
! year + notice
Mr. Marshall said that if Russia had
/ given notice of the termination OF the
treaty instead of the United States We
| could not have shown resentment, and II
we had attempted to put into force re-
| taliatory tariff measures We would be
| Justly criticised by other nations. Our
act would toe interpreted only as one Of
hostility and childish spite.
The trade between the two countries
~ pTaCllCdlly evenly DdldnCeu' ne con-
| tnued. In 1910 our exports to Russia
valued sl7 100000 and our imports from
! Russia sl7 ,3W.OOO. our exports are
| chiefly in the form of cotton and machin-
cry, especially agricultural machinery
From Russia we got hides and furs. hemp
and dried lescnes. So far as our eX-
ports Of machinery to Russia are con
cerned. there Is every reason TO believe
that they would be less in the future than
! they have been in the last few years be-
cause the International Harvester Com
panv and the Singer Sewing Machine
Company have both erected branch man
ufaCturles in Russia and these two com
panies will put out the same product
there that they had been exporting from
this country in the past.
$50 II looks TO me a. II we could retaliate
with ease in case Russia should really
determine T. raise trade bars against us
II would be case of Russia cutting oa
her nose to spite her face
"Do you think that any action in tn,
| Duma untavorable TO this country woulC
be backed up hv the Russian Govern.
ment?" Mr. Marshall was asked.
Not ht. The Duina is so organized
that the Car and his Ministers can turr
on or shut 0f the steam as they see fl
They can procure or check Legislation
with equal facility do not believe that
the Russian Government will raw an,
attention to this ht Of play acting ON tn,
part OF the Legislative body.
& word will sum il up Nlr Ma~sh1ll
Sid in conclusion This action Of the
Dnma m"r"lv indicates a nisunder
standing on the part of its rnembers o'
tho american people II is TIL believe,
that this is m" land of the dollar Jnd that
va have no ideals and that The fear Of
financial loss would induce our Grvern.
mant and people 10 refrain from doing an
act Of justice and observing the require
ments of the Constitution and vreservinc
intact our own institutions and tradi
tlons
Jacob " SchiT. who was also one q
the leaders in the agitation for the abr ,ra
ton Of the treaty with Russia thought IN
some minutes whom he was asked for ar
opinion on Yesterdays Developments anC
then said, Il am not prepared 10 make
anv comment yet
| A representative of the banking firm
Of Ladenburg Thallman 4 Co. said that
he did not believe the situation created
by the initiation Of "A hostile tarif act 10y
the Duma was ynt sufficiently clear T.
render intelligent comment practical.
This Is purely ferm"nt arising out
OF Americas perfectly justihahlc action
on the passport" he said, hut there il
no definite indication that anything in the
line of retaliatory tariffs is really going
10 I've done What the Duma may OF
may not do cannot be taken in any wav tC
forecast final action by the Russian Gov.
ernment
"The best indication of how severely
W" would suffer il tariff war should
be started against Hs can he found in the
consular reports They show that the
balance Of trade is all against Russia
They would be more the sufferers thar
We"