No. 254.
Mr. Morton
to Mr. Blaine.
Paris, October 13, 1881. (Received October 31.)
Sir: Referring to my dispatch No. 48, of date October 6, 1881, I have the honor to report that in an interview which I had yesterday with [Page 431] Mr. B. St. Hilaire, minister of foreign affairs, called his attention to certain articles which had recently appeared in the French papers with reference to the appointment of inspectors of American pork, and expressed a desire to learn what, if any action had been taken or decided upon by Mr. Tirard, minister of agriculture and commerce.
I referred to the fact that the decree prohibiting the importation of American pork had now been in force for more than eight months, and stated that the American Government and people were of opinion that such decree had been issued by the French Government under a misapprehension of the facts in the case, as I claimed had been clearly established by the result of your investigations, reports of which had been submitted to him.
I also stated that the method of inspection which it had been reported that the minister of agriculture and commerce had decided to adopt, was not, in my judgment, a feasible one, tor the reason that the delay which would necessarily be caused by such proposed examination would almost if not entirely preclude the importation of American pork.
Mr. B. St. Hilaire replied that he was not aware of the present intentions of his colleague, Mr. Tirard, but that he would make it his business to see him at once to discuss the matter, and he would communicate to me the result of his conversation.
I urged him to represent to his colleague that there was but one practical mode of putting an end to this troublesome matter, which was to abrogate the decree of prohibition.
The minister assured me that he had always been in favor of a solution of this difficulty which would give entire satisfaction to the United States Government, but that the question, though political in one respect, had a practical and technical side upon which he was not competent to pass judgment. He admitted, however, that he was favorably impressed by my arguments, and promised that he would ask and strongly recommend the repeal of the decree.
I have, &c.,