Letter

James C. Morton to the minister of foreign affairs, March 24, 1883

Author
James C. Morton
Recipient
the minister of foreign affairs
Date
March 24, 1883
Type
Letter
Language
English
[Inclosure in No. 324.]

Mr. Morton to the minister of foreign affairs.

Legation of the United States, Paris, March 24, 1883.

Sir: I beg leave to call the attention of your excellency to communications which I have had the honor of addressing to your predecessors, Mr. St. Hilaire and Mr. Gambetta, with reference to the decree prohibiting the importation of American salted meats into France.

This decree has now been in force for more than two years, while similar products from all other countries have, been freely admitted in France.

An examination of the subject will, I trust, not only satisfy your excellency, but also your honorable colleague, the minister of commerce, that the decree was issued under a misapprehension of the facts bearing upon the question, and that there are no valid reasons why this exceptional measure, only applicable to the Government of the United States, should be abrogated.

The Government of the United States yields to none in its desire to protect the public health, and claims that the searching and careful investigation conducted by a most competent officer detailed for the purpose by the Department of State, clearly established the unfounded and erroneous character of the statements regarding the alleged unwholesome qualities of American hog products, upon which the issue of the prohibitory decree was based. The result of the examination was presented to Mr. St. Hilaire by my predecessor, General Noyes, on the 23d of June, 1881.

I beg leave also to refer to the report of the National Academy of Medicine of France on the question propounded by the Government regarding the necessity of an inspection of foreign pork, and which, after referring to the free admission of American and German pork for many years, without inspection, and its extended use in the manufacturing and industrial districts of France, states that the disease called trichinosis, with the exception of a single case, has not been observed in any part of France.

I can but believe that your excellency’s Government will, after a consideration of all the evidence now before it, cheerfully place the Government of the United States upon the same footing as all other friendly nations by the revocation of the decree.

I avail, &c.,

L. P. MORTON.
Topics
19th CenturyDiplomacyReconstruction
Sources
FRUS u2014 Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the P View original source ↗
U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the P.
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James C. Morton to [Postscript.] Paris , December 28, 1883 . To comply with the vote of the Chamber it was decided yesterday in cabinet council to prohibit the free importation of American pork until parliamentary action is taken in the matter. In the mean time American pork will be admitted at the ports of Havre, Bordeaux, and Nantes, where an examination of the meat will take place under the control and at the expense of the Chambers of Commerce of those places. This measure is satisfactory to the French importers, but the protectionists will probably oppose it, as many of the members of the Chamber of Commerce are interested in making the inspection as easy as possible. It is to be feared, therefore, that the propriety of this measure will be questioned in the Chamber. The department of commerce contemplates the introduction of a new bill providing for a system of inspection. * * * * * * * The National of last night, speaking of this bill (the one recently introduced into Congress for the purpose of empowering the President to prohibit the importation of articles injurious to public health from countries which on the same ground prohibit American products), says “it was at first directed against Germany only; but that, in consequence of the recent vote of the Chamber postponing the removal of the restriction on American pork, France will now have to take her place by the side, of Germany, and be equally made the victim of these reprisals. Owing to the order of the day of Mr. Paul Bert, French products are going to be driven out from America. It belongs to the Government to take steps as early as possible to prevent an eventuality which would be so damaging to French commerce.” L. P. M, December 26, 1883
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