The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-10-05
GATHERING FIGS FROM rHrsrLEs.

A contemporary. noted for its strong
Republicanism, gives the best illustra-
ton of the folly of protection we have
seen for long time The claim of
those who are opposed to protection
has always been and is today that
that theory, when put in practice, un-
ldertakes the difficult task of making
grapes grow on thorns and figs
on thistles. Our contemporary
uses the following illustration
in answer to question of
The Herald's which asked if Cuba and
Brazil should enter upon a manufac-
turing career and become the rivals of
England and France, would reciproc-
ity be more natural north and south
than east and west? 1t says:
That can all be answered by saying
If in the state of Minnesota the people
commence raising sugar cane and
make sugar enough for all the United
States; if in the state of Maine the
coffee tree is planted and suddenly
that state develops to be the great
coffee region of the world, raising
enough to supply not only the United
States but the balance of mankind; if
natural employment and all go to
planting the tree from which india
rubber is obtained; if in North Dakota
the people suddenly discover that
there is more money in an acre of ban
anas than in four acle s of wheat, and
$50 turn their country over to raising
bananas; if the people Of New Hamp-
shire begin to produce cochineal on
Mount Washington, then we can safe
lily say that reciprocity between our
country and warm countries is liable
to be failure.
All of which reduced down to its
Isimple elements is that it is useless to
try and force the laws of nature by
attempting the impossible. To this we
agree and declare it to be good Demo-
cratic doctrine. Protection attempts
to do the very thing this illustration
|of our contemporary is intended to
show cannot be done. 1t seeks to di-
vert capital from natural into unnat-
ural channels. an evil pointed out by
the Tariff Commission of 1882 in it's re-
port. Our contemporary illustration
is worthy of Bastiat and recalls his
famous illustration of furnishing work
to the workingmen of Paris by shut
ting out the light of the sun.
What is protection for but to create
work and supply the home market?
The raising of sugar cane in Mime
sofa would furnish the farmers there
with any amount of work; the growing
of coffee would do the same thing for
the people of Maine; india rubber trees
might be raised in Montana, bananas
in North Dakota, and cochineal on
Mount Washington, and all with the
same result of giving the people of
those states work and a home market.
The natural conditions are against
this, but it could be done by building
immense hot houses a sort of Crystal
Palaces, to be heated by steam. This
would furnish more work to the glass
and iron mills and raise the price of
labor all around
But to be serious Our contemporary,
if it would but extend its illustration
and not confine it to reciprocity, or
limited free trade, would have found
the fundamental law of all commerce,
which is an exchange of products,
those produced in one place being ex-
changed for those produced in another.
That is what the Democrats have been
fighting fora freer and wider ,ex-
change of the natural and manu-
featured products of this country for
those of other countries.