The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-10-09

ment officials from the very first. Stems
were taken TO bring the matter to the
attention of the President. who, II was
thought, had been guided in previous
informal utterances on the subject by a
lack Of accurate information regarding
the treaty provisions by which the, United
States is bound. Tho result was that
the President quickly changed his view,
and. II is understood. gave his assent to
the movement for the repeal OF the
clause.
Nations Make Protest.
This action by State Department off,
Gals followed close upon the heels OF
vigorous representations from European
governments, which opened up the pros
pect Of bitter tariff war if the United
States attempted to favor any American
shipping under the preferential clause
France, which has no treaty with the
United States guaranteeing her re-
ciprocity OF treatment in this regard, did
not protest against the preferential but
served notice on the State Department
that II the clause were invoked to favor
American ships a retaliatory duty would
automatically be applied upon American
goods.
The German government. which il
amply protected by a treaty, protested
against the construction which il was
reported would be given to the preferen-
ual clause. Three points were made IN
the German protest: First, that the Ger
man government holds that the old
treaty with Prussia applies to all the
German empire: second, that Germany
would not assent to any operation Of the
preferential by which any American
ships might benefit over German vessels,
and third, that the Interpretation of tha
law by the United States courts would
rot be accepted by the German gov
eminent. as it would regard such inter
probation as one-sided. Representatives
In Washington of Belgium, Austria, and
Portugal also made similar representa-
tons, tantamount TO notice on the United
States that those governments intended
to protest agains any application of the
preferential which would inure to tho
benefit of American shipping and not to
the advantage Of their shipping.
Result of shrevd Work.
Suspicion that the preferential clause
is the result OF shrewd work upon thG
part of interests which would be bene-
ftted by the application of such dis
count on goods brought in by American
vessels was rife in Washington last
night. Little is known about how the
provision got into the bill. as il was
never discussed in public hearings, and
began to come in last summer from for
eign governments.
In the face Of these protests, and posi-
tive statements from the State Depart
ment that tariff controversies would fol-
low such legislation. the Senate dropped
out the preferential. but it appeared
again in the conference report This
time il carried a proviso that no treaty
right of any foreign government should
he impaired by the operation of the pref
erentiaL
State Department officials last night
declared that the attempt to aid Ameri-
can shipping by this preferential was an
endeavor in the direction of conditions
existing in the eighteenth century. when
all governments had most drastic dis
criminatory duties against foreign ship
ping. The Continental Congress in IITa
began a movement. which has since
spread all over the civilized world and
become accepted international practice,
for the abolition of these discriminatory
dues