Mr. White to Mr. Hay.
Berlin , March 27, 1899 .
Sir: I have the nonor to inform you that just as Mr. Jackson was leaving Count Posadowsky’s office this morning the secretary of state referred to recent American legislation in regard to the examination, for sanitary reasons, of articles imported into the United States, complaining that such an examination was a “discrimination,” as domestic articles were not to be subjected to a similar examination. Mr. Jackson at once replied that there could be no discrimination where all foreign products were treated alike, and called attention to the constitutional [Page 489] difficulties connected with the carrying out of a sanitary examination of domestic products throughout the United States. Count Posadowsky then referred to the bill for the general inspection of meat which was recently introduced into the Reichstag, saying that in the Bundesrath when the bill was under consideration the South German delegates objected strongly to the obligatory trichinae inspection being forced upon them, no such inspection existing heretofore in South Germany, the necessity for it not being apparent, as raw pork is not eaten in that part of the country. He added that the provisions in regard to the trichinae inspection throughout Germany had been retained in the bill, because it was thought that America would object to an inspection of its products if German products were not similarly treated. Mr. Jackson then said that America had a right to have her products treated in the same manner as those from any other State, but that in his opinion she could not complain if they were not treated in exactly the same way as were domestic products. He at the same time called particular attention to the fact that he was speaking personally and not officially. * * *
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