Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-06-13

experiment. California wine Is
improving every year, and every
year, therefore, it is getting nearer
to the European standard of excel
lence. 1t Is beginning to keep
French wines out of the United
States, and If properly pushed
abroad 1t would seriously curtail
the consumption of French and
Rhine wines in England and the
British colonies. M. Chotteau and
his associates are perfectly aware
Of this fact, and are working to
check the development of our wine
industry by means Of commercial
treaty with the United States.
France. he sage, would probably
reduce the duty on American catCle,
which would not benefit California
one cent, whatever il might do to
the cattle men of Texas and other
States and Territories. But we
venture to think that the export
of American beef and pork, live or
cured, to France, will never enrich
this nation. The French are
not consumers of meat to any great
extent. England ia the meat mark
ct of the United States. and If COM
mercial reciprocity is to be estab-
lished at all 1t should be with the
British nation. England does not
make wine or brandy, but 1t con.
sumes great deal Of both; 1t does
not make silk, but it buys largely
of 1t for manufacturing purpo SEES;
Its people are good feeders aud eat
our beef, pork, cheese, fruit, ETC.,
which cannot be produced at home
in anything like sufficient quaint.
ty. England does not compete with
US in any way except In cotton and
wooden goods and In iron work,
and our manufacturers can hold
their own against them. If we are
to have commercial reciprocity,
therefore, let it be with England,
which would buy much from US
and sell little to us in return; and
not with France, which would sell
us a very great deal and buy little
from us. owing to the similarity of
its products and the habits
Of its people. M. Chotteau
was unfortunate, In a late In.
tervlew. to allude to the volume
of our exports to Great Britain aud
France. In 1878. he said, the ex.
ports from the United States to
England were SITS. 900. 900, and to
France $40. 900. ut you had
treaty with France" he remarked,
"you could, perhaps, make your ex-
ports to France equal to what they
now are to England.n This "per.
haps" was the saving word of the
sentence. But there is no "per.
haps" in the matter. Our exports
to England consisted principally of
breadstuffs, provisions and fruit,
which the British buy because they
want them, ana will continue to
buy because they need them to
supplement- their food supply; our
exports to France represent precise
ly what the French people require
of the products Of our vast cOnti-
mental area, and would not be in-
creased sensibly by a commercial
treaty. But our imports from
France would be largely increased
under such a treaty, because the
French, by reason of their cheap
labor and the frugal habits of their
workpeople. could undersell us all
the time in our own market, aud
cru h out our struggling man
ufacturing Industries. California
would be the greatest sufferer. Its
wine industry would be ruined; our
surplus fruits might be fed to hogs
and our orchards abandoned. The
manufacture Of silver plate, candy,
ropes, soap, and host of other
things In which this State prom ises
to take the lead, might be aban-
doned at once il a reciprocity treaty
with France be adopted, because
France, with its perfect industrial
organization and low-priced labor,
Is ready to step in and food our
markets with them. New York
and other Eastern importing cities
may support M. Chotteau, because
it is their interest to do SO. They
do not make their largest profits
handling home products; but Cali
fornia should oppose any tariff con-
cession to the French. M. Chotteau
will soon address our Cha mber of
Commerce; he should be politely
heard, and as politely dismissed
with an intimation that the Pacific