New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-11
sumption Of home products In all the principal
branches Of industry

ucts for which protection has secured a better
market to home production: while those articles
which France provides uperabundantly for her
own needs find an increased marke; abroad. The
| growing activity Of French trade in Africa and
the East Is one sign Of this among many others.
1t is significant that the French Free-Traders
have been arguing from all this that the only
i class OF the population which eventually profits
| by protection Is the owners Of land. 1t Is adj
mitted that French manufactures sell better than
before; but one reason or another IS assigned TO
show that It is the farmer who really pockets
the increased profits Of business. This state
ment OF the outcome Of protection. where hon
estly tried Is respectfully recommended to
American Free Traders 1t comes from their own
party. and any particular application 1t may
have in the United States Is surely not the fault
Of protection. They are also recommended to
study the declaration of Nj. Alglave "a pro-
tectionist. it is true). who has stated that the
first cffec: of the Mckinley tariffs on foreign
ma tons TO raise the wages Of workinGmen.
| Thus. protection would seem to bring prosperity
all around.
In deciding the policy Of protection Is its vital
connection with the country's existence
nation. France for the French-America for the
| Americans-may be watchwords expressing either
| Chinese eXclusiveness or a patriotism Of the
! highest type. In the matter of industry and
! commerce. It is evident that the nation itself
! is Ike a business corpora ton Of which the Citi
zens the members. and which has unavoid-
! able relations with other business associations
| like itself 1t Is too late to reform the world in
this regard The word by which questions of
national production and consumption are now
universally desgna ted-"ecOnomic' Originally
| pertains to the regulation OF household. And a
| true household does never allow the unrestricted
| coming and going and interfering or competing
| neighbors.
This IS well shown in another department OF
the French tariffs which are now most under
| discussion. This Is wine growing. one OF the
| principal branches of French production. Here
we have a very pretty sample of those conflicting
| interests among which legislation and treaty
making Of every kind, and not protection alone.
! must seek compromise. Protection can no
! more prevent the conflict than II can hinder
| financial disturbance 1t has done It's work when
! IL has secured In its way the greatest hap
| piness Of the greatest number that is. when II
| has secured the interests of the greatest nun-
Der of national producers without negect.ng
the general welfare Of the nation Itself.
In France the great trouble Of the wine
| growers has come from the competition of the
wines Of Spain. The latter have one great adj
vantage which. though mainly result Of nature
and the qualities Of the soil. Is positively I'M
| fair to the French wines in the uses OF arii-
| fetal life. The alcoholic strength Of the span
| ish wines is far superior to that Of the French
| This practically destroys any profitable sale 81
| the latter in competition with the former. with
| the single exception Of choice wines Of luxurious
fame. There are two simple reasons for this
inferiority. One is the use made OF wines In the
fabrication Of branlies and refined alcohois
| Here evidently an equal quantity Of Spanish
wine is worth much more than the French
hence the distlers of France are against pro-
lection this score. Then j; Is easy Ia make
a great quantity Of ordinary table wine tsuch
| as 1t may bc) from small quantity Of Spanish
wine by the processes OF 'mouillage" watering
'coupage" mnCling with inferior grape juic"
or sope manufactured compounds hence. the
wholesale wine merchants also against the
tariff And the Spanish wire. with all us
strength and valuable qualities. can undersell
the choicer but feebler French products. Thus.
without protection. ii is hard to see how the
| French wine-g grower could produce wines to any
profit the ordinary Frcnchman Of cities be
likely TO drink FrcrGh wine.
To all this must be added the facility Of chArg-
ing Spanish wines with cheap German potato
brandy, and So importing II into France free ~
the special duties on distilled liquors and then
subjecung IL 10 an "undOubling" process which
singularly cheapens the manufacture Of alcohols.
So far the conflict Of interests Is between
Frenchmen themsclvcs-bei the wne-pro-
ducers on the hand and the dstillers and
wholesale dealers on the other. TIL. remedy
dena nded by the former Is special tax on inn
ported wines down II 1913. as the degree II
alcohol. while the native product would con-
tinue 10 be rated at the old degree. from l.
to L.
But more important interest Of the whole ma
ton is at stake. SPANS protection Of her IN
terests requires that her wines-a chief article
Of the national production shall not he shut
ont from the natural marie; I'm France Now
her own protective tariffs give her "A stand from
which 20 force reciprocity much az in the
Of Rumana versus Germany OF which wrote
last week.. To French manufacture I'm gen
era. and especially TO the mutitudiuous articles
De Paris" the Spanish market Is AZ important
as Is that Of France to the Spanish wines. This
conflict Of national interests mas now been
settled for year by the modus vivcnli just
signed between the two countries. II Is
ample OF protection forcing fair trade. II f. hard
to imagine what free trade would have done
under the circumstances except 10 cripple The
economic life of each country.
Another interesting Lesson from this instance
! OF genuine protection concerns the pacific wcap-
ons with which 1t supplies the government II
one country when dealing with the Inevitable
! competition Of another. In this way the French
| Government enabled To- mold out against the
persistence OF the Spanish claim 10 "A lower than
| It's recognized minimum tariff. 10 grant this
would require in France n new Intervention of
| the legislative body. as it would constitute
| direct modification Of the existing tariff law.
ON the other hand. IN" Executive H. authorized
20 cOncede the minimum tariff without recourse
! To Parliament. This has been done during the
present year IN favor of American petroleum
can example | have nowhere seen noticed.
which is no longer obliged to pay twice The
duties Of the Russian product. This also
the final reason why Spain has accepted the
French minimum tariff rather than run the
risk Of the maximum tariff. If the matter were
Icft 10 Legislators. whose sympathy with the
extreme demands OF wine-grOwcrs might over
balance their ambition Of spreading the "arti-
cles de Paris" Thus the modus vivendi while
II Is not a failur" for Spain IL Il decided success
for France-and has been made possibl" in both
countries only by the policy Of protection.
The foregoing was I'm the line Of reciprocity.
The treaty which is under consideration be-
tween Spain and Germany gives an instance OF
! the USES Oh AUTONOMOUS Ifo't'ilon. iuiInH inc
present week the manufacturers or Catalonia
almost the only part Of Spain enjoying any high
degree Of industrial life-haVe declared that the
new treaty would allow German manufacturers
to undcrse them In their own country by 80
per cent. They even assert that German com
mcrcial travellers already beating mp the
country 10 the tune Of such prices. ~ this be
true. IL should require the cOunterbalance or
great and imperative national interests to justify
the Spanish Government In relaxing its present
prohibitOry protective tariffs. This Is but d.
| rect consequence Of SPANS crying need TO de-
velop all the resources. too long left idle. Of her
population and natural advantages.
| A final word may be said OF the constant com
plaint brought by French and other Free Traders
| against the policy Of protcction-that II Is a
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