The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-17
A COMMISSION
READY TO DIE.
THE BOARD OF VITICULTURE
ASKS ONLY DECENT FUNE-
RAJ RITES.
A FOE TO HILGARD STILL.
IT HAS QUIT FIGHTING FOR LIFE.
BUT SAYS HILGARD DOESN'T
KNOW WINE.

The Viticultural Commission has given
up fighting for existence, according to
Manager Charles w. Wetmore, and will
resignedly bend its neck to a legislative
deathblow if it comes. 1t would be glad
to live, but is resigned to death, and it will
display an active interest in only its OBJ
sequies.
eve have quit making any campaign for
the commission" said Mr.. Wetmore. sWe
believe that the commission ought by all
means to be kept up, but the wine men are
not taking any interest in saving it, and
with so much Indifference we are tired of
lighting alone. We want though to be
treated with some respect and don't want
to be simply kicked out We want time
and means to properly wind up our work
# 1t is to be wound up. So we have agreed
to accept Phelps measure winding up the
commission by December 81, and appro-
prlatlng $2500 for the extra six months
The commission has gathered fine wine
display OF l42 cases and sent it to the Bor-
deaux exposition, and we want to see that
matter through.
Among other matters in hand is a pro-
posed measure we want to get through
Congress allowing wine packages to be
broken in bond for foreign shipment. We
know that there is general demand for
economy and that the commissions must
go, and If the people don't want the COM
mission they needn't have it,
There is much hostility to the Berkeley
Agricultural College in the commission,
and the pain of dying would be greatly
intensified if Messrs Higard, Wickson
and those other scientific husbandmen
were to step into the Commissioners
shoes Professor Hlgard's skill as a con-
noisseur and cellar-master is openly as
sailed. 1t is said that Professor Hilgard is
very good at finding just how much tannin
there IS IN a bottle of burgundy, at analyz-
ing soils and in finding how much sugar
nature puts into grapes on that hillside
and IN this valley, but that he doesn't
know anything about making, judging or
selling wines.
eve do object to the work of the
commission being turned over to the Agri-
cultural College," said Mr.. Wetmore.
Their scientific work is all right and is
important, and they can keep it up, but
they never made a gallon of wine in their
lives. The Viticultural Commission is
made up of experienced men who make
from 100, 600 to 100000 gallons a year; who
are skilled in the practical art and business
OF wlne-making and wine-selling, and they
give their time at expense to themselves.
Its this practical work that has made
the commission valuable. When it was
OASaIILou ptOp1e were going luCO the VINE
business with no one to tell them what to
do. There was no influence raising the stan
dard of our wines. In 1878 our wines at
the Paris Exposition were not thought
worthy of mention. Not long ago they
took four gold medals and a dozen silver
medals there
Until the commission took hold of it
California wine was not listed on a hotel
bill of fare in San Francisco 1t placed
them on all of them. 1t has published for
free distribution an immense amount of
information, including translations of val
liable French treatises, and has supplied
all sorts of information of vital importance
to individuals and to sections. One item
of its work is the sweet-wine bill, which is
worth nearly $500 900 year to the sweet
wine men. We have secured the extension
Of the bonding period from three to five
years, and our fight at Washington saved
us from an ad valorem tariff that would
have been q deathblow to our wines in the
East. Ii this talk and uncertainty had not
risen we would have gone ahead with our
plans to establish cafe and exhibit in
New York, get California wines in the
hotels and restaurants there and get them
advertised and popular. The very fact the
industry has State support is great ad-
vantage, as has been shown by the prestige
and influence our representatives there
have acquired when ii was shown that
they represented State institution.
All this practical work is of infinitesimal
expense when the benefits are considered,
and the Agricultural College couldn It do it
but, then, II the people don't want it done
we are willing to quit and are through
lighting"