Count von Arco-Valley to Mr. Blaine.*
Dear Mr. Blaine: In consideration of the circumstance that the President of the United States has transmitted, under the 16th of January last, to the Congress, a message relating to the claim of Sweden [Page 319] and Norway for the benefit of the lower rate of tonnage dues, and, further, that on the 16th ultimo a bill (H. R. 9748) has been brought into the House of Representatives and has been favorably reported, I take the liberty to bring to your memory the proclamation of the President of January 26, 1888, wherein he declared and proclaimed, by virtue of the authority vested in him by section 11 of the act of Congress entitled “An act to abolish certain fees for official services to American vessels, etc.,” approved June 19, 1886, that from and after the date of this, his proclamation, shall be suspended the collection of the whole of the duty of 6 cents per ton, not to exceed 30 cents per ton per annum (which is imposed by the said section of said act), upon vessels entered in the ports of the United States from any of the ports of the Empire of Germany.
But the clear sense of this proclamation has been altered by the interpretation of the commissioner of navigation, who, in contradiction with the reading and meaning of the proclamation, and also with the opinions of the members of the Cabinet, has put in the word “directly,” and has decided that only such German vessels which sail direct from German ports to the United States ports are exempted from paying tonnage dues.
My predecessor, Mr. von Alvensleben, protested, with a personal note of February 25, 1888, against the action of commissioner of navigation, as in direct contradiction with the proclamation of the President, and the Secretary of State, by his note dated February 28, 1888, promised to give a speedy remedy and a detailed reply to the protest; but, notwithstanding different verbal communications of Mr. von Alvensleben and myself, no answer of the State Department has until this date reached this legation.
As your attention probably has been recalled to this matter by the steps taken in favor of Sweden and Norway, I avail myself of this opportunity to say that the views my Government takes in this matter are still the same, and that I respectfully beg to be favored with the reply promised to this legation more than 2 years since by the State Department.
Believe me, etc.,
- In place of a verbal communication.↩