Mr. White to Mr. Hay.
Berlin , March 17, 1900 .
Sir: Since my last dispatch to you upon the meat inspection bill no legislative action has been taken, but the forces on both sides have been very busy throughout the country. Against the bill have come in various protests from the great commercial interests of Hamburg and Bremen, as well as from the chambers of commerce of a multitude of other towns; also from associations of manufacturers, from dealers in produce, and from various popular meetings. The memorial from the dealers in produce is very simple and conclusive. It dwells on the valuable service rendered by canned meats in Germany during the Franco-Prussian war and at various other times, speaks of them as having become almost a necessity to the working classes, and of the certainty that if they are kept out of the country it will be extremely difficult to find any substitute for them. It also declares that these meats are universally found wholesome, and must be so, since in the process of canning they are exposed to a high degree of heat, which can not fail to destroy all dangerous germs.
[Page 504]On the other hand, various agricultural organizations have been telegraphing directly to the Emperor urging him to intervene in order to save the landed interest from extinction; but no answer has been returned from any quarter as yet to these petitions. It is also significant that His Majesty recently declared himself against any legislation devoted to building up special interests at the expense of the country at large. Meantime it is to be noted that the third reading of the bill has been deferred, which, it is now said, will not take place before Easter.
All of this looks as if the “sober second thought” referred to in my last dispatch is beginning to be effective. I still think that the probabilities are in favor of a compromise. In any case the indications are that the result of the bill will be another exemplification of the German proverb: “Nothing is eaten so hot as it is cooked.”
I am, etc.,