Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-12
SOME IMPORTANT VIEWS CONCERN
ING THE LONDON EXHIBITION.

commercial walks to learn that the major
portion of all the fruit consumed by Eng
land is canned or dried and that we ship
already from California to England orch
ard and vineyard products to the amount
of quite 100000 year, or, with wheat
and flour, $1S,000,000 annually; while
all our exports of California products to
France amount to but S3,000,000, and that
the sum total our canned fruit export to
France amounts to but S10-two SIS cases !
OF canned fish we sent to England last
year 100000 of value. Now, since Eng
land expends annually for imported fruit
$40,000,000, and since all commercial men
agree that London is the heart and center
of the worlds trade, as it is of the worlds
travel, the hub around which European
commerce revolves, and the avenue
through which nearly all travel moves, why
should we not make an effort in that place
commensurate with our possibilities. to
multiply several times over the output of
our products to Europe of the kind that
European states want?
Let US not take into account the mis-
taken idea that the purpose is to stimulate
immigration OF foreigners-let all issues
thus mistakenly raised stand aside. in the
presence of the one question of meeting
the exacting demands of European tables.
LII 1t is said that, because of our protective
policy, Europe will retaliate against us,
the obvious reply is, that in gratifying his
own desires in satisfying his table needs,
the European never considers the source
of the supply, and does not permit any po-
iitical interference to deprive him of that
which his tastes exact. But we know that
we cannot meet these tastes without first
conveying the knowledge to the millions
of Europe that we are able to do SO better
than any others. How, then, shall we do
this? Obviously by ocular and other
physical testimony. We may write, print
and puff" our products to the EXTREMIST
limit, at thousands of dollars expense.
and not secure so much attention as
single shelf full of our products placed in
the right locality for general view and ex-
animation, will secure.
Other nations have not been slow to avail
of the advantage of object lessons. France,
Spain and Italy, convinced by experience
OF the economy of such procedure, main
tain in London, at enormous expense per-
manent exhibits of their products They
surround and adorn such expositions with !
the accessories of art and mechanical |
genius, to make the whole exhibition at
tractive, and appealing, not only to the
commercial sense, the epicurian taste and !
the desire for the products but to the
fancy, the imagination, the delight of the |
eye and the esthetic taste.
The proposition for London exhibition
is not an immigration scheme in any sense
of the word it cannot, except by the OBJ
fuse understanding, be so construed: it is
not an invitation to buy lands, or a plan
to dispose of them; it is simply an effort
TO augment the output of the products of
California soil, and that desirable purpose
no man will be SO rash as to condemn. It
comes then mainly to aquestion of method.
In the judgment of the trade world the
very best is the sample means. Not the
" sample work of the drummer" who
can have no greater influence than the in
dividuality of his house, but the "sam-
ple" exhibition that is backed by the in
tegrity of the State and the high character
of its commercial worth. 1t has heen OBJ
lected that it may become the means of
scheme salarying few men to live loft
lily" in London. The assault upon motive
is always unfair, in the absence of any ey-
idence of Its insincerity. We apprehend
that the business character and inhexible
of the Executive to do his
duty is sufficient guarantee that if the task
becomes his to name the agents who shall
manage the London California exhibition.
men beyond the suspicion of reproach will
be chosen, the wisest economy enforced,
and the last farthing of expenditure be ac-
for. 1t is by no means without the
possibility that a superintendent of the
exhibition can be secured from among
foremost men, that will eliminate the cues
ton of salaries, though the State has no
right, as the Governor has well said, to ex-
act of any citizen devotion of his energies
and time to its service, without due com
pensation, and it is the part of unwisdom
to ask or expect it.
In this consideration of augmenting
the output of California products and
thus of vastly charging our pro-
luctive industries, so that the hundreds
ireds of millions instead of tens will be
needed for statistical expression, no at
tention whatever has been given to the I
tourist" virtue of the London exhibition
There are between two and
three hundred thousand Europeans who
every year travel for pleasure and health
'ome to escape winter climates, others to
oask in the equability of summer resorts
n various parts of the world and expend
heir means among strangers. The merest
rifling fraction of this travel reaches
California in either season, though we
nave capacity to entertain the major por-
ion of it, and to respond to its demands.
The testimony is common that this limita-
ion is due not to our distance from the
apitals of Europe-for in these days of 7
apid transit distance in travel is the lesser c
actor-nor altogether to our weakness in y
reat art collections, historic ruins, and
uperb architectural piles, but to lack of a
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