Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-09-26
A MATTER OF sELFIsHNEss.

Some Eastern papers have made the
charge that the objections of the Califor-
MIA raisin-growers to the importation of
raisins from cholera-infected districts are
prompted by sel6shness. Thereupon the
San Francisco Aba rises in defense, and
points out that the disease may, by its
germs, be transmitted in sweetened layers,
adding that it does not seem to have oc-
cured to the Eastern press that the en-
barge upon the importation of rags from
cholera districts is also in the interest OF
home dealers in rags And then it asks,
if we grant that the raisin-growers are
actuated by self-interest, what of it? And
so say we-what Of it? The truth of it is
that neither the consent nor the objection
of the raisin-grower on the one hand, or
of the importer on the other, have any
thing to do with the matter. 1t is purely
and only a sanitary question, and the
people who are the consumers of the
raisin product are those most deeply con-
cerned. If the California raisin-growers
are selfish in their objections, how is it
about the Eastern importers? Have they
no selfish interest in the matter? We are
perfectly willing to stand one lot off
against the other, and then the question
is before us in its sanitary nakedness, and
amounts this: Shall we permit COM
merce to traffic upon the risk Of affecting
plague? Selfishness becomes a blessing
when it moves any man, or any class of
men, to point out that something inimical
to the general good is being done by an
other man, or class of men. Trade and
commerce have no bowels of compassion
for the people, and their mercies are meas
ured by cent per cent. This has been illus
trated in San Francisco, where, that a
miserable little traffic with Mexico might
not be interrupted, to the loss of few
merchants, the whole State was exposed to
the peril of Importation of yellow fever
Was it better that we should take the
chances, or shut the seaport door in the face
of pestilence? Again this people, through,
its properly appointed Board, asked that
inland barriers be set up at the State line
toprevent the entry of yellow fever from
that direction, but the commercial Jour
mails of San Francisco and the news press of
that city raised a hullubaloo, and fright
ened the Legislature into refusing to do
that which no sane man in the State now
denies should have been done. The Alta
says commerce is selfshness refined to its
ultimate, and for this reason is the agent
of progress" Not always. When the
greed of gain leads it to sacrifice the COM
mon veal, the selfshness is curse and a
clog to the wheels of progress. Take the
case of the Eastern raisin importers. They
represent a branch of commerce, their
traffic is commerce, but they would con-
tinue the Importation at the risk, nay, the
dead certainty, of introducing disease.
which, if it gets foothold in this country.
will do us more damage in single season
than the rewards of commerce can recon-
pense us for in decade. 1t is very true
that the selfishness of our California
raisin-growers has aided in mounting
guard against the introduction of cholera;
but so, too, the selfishness of raisin i'm
porters does its best to remove that guard
and let the cholera in, and it is the iniu-
ence of commerce in both cases. The truth
is that commerce in its demands is and
should be subject to the same Judgment as
to what is right and for the public good
that is to be applied to any other of the
affairs of men.