The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-04
A FRUIT TARIFF.

The memorial to Congress adopted by
the Fruit-growers' Association is COM
prehensive, terse and mastery. 1t states
clearly what the fruit-growers ask OF
Congress, the reasons which justify the
request and the facts on which they are
based. In short, it contains every ele-
ment which gives value to such docu-
ment and will undoubtedly receive care.
full consideration when Congress enters
upon the work of re-establishing thor
ough protective tariff.
The memorial calls for specific duties
instead of those levied upon the ad
valorem principle, on the ground that the
latter tend to undervaluations and frauds
which are directly beneficial to foreign
producers, and goes on to point out that
even where cheap and inferior merchan-
disc is honestly valued the result is to en-
courage the unloading of inferior goods
upon the American market, thus dis
placing better classes of merchandise pro-
dueed at home.
After stating the exact amount of duty
which would be necessary to protect the
home grower of fruit, nuts, olives and
raisins, the memorial goes on to say:
We do not seek high duties to enable us to
charge high prices for our fruit. The fact is,
our success depends wholly on our ability to
market our large and rapidly increasing prod
uct and we know we cannot do this unless we
keep prices down so as to stimulate and in
crease consumption; so that the consumer is
assured of low prices whatever may be the
duty if we remain in the field; and the only
question is, shall we have the market or shall
it be yielded up to the foreign producer?
The question thus stated expresses the
whole sum and substance of the issue in
VOWED in protection for our home indus
try. 1t is the simple one of whether we
shall build up our own country or the in
dustries of foreign lands. AS is clearly
pointed out in the memorial, the amount
of protection asked for is barely suffi cient
to cover the differences in the rate of
wages and the cost of transportation
which have to be paid by the California
producer as compared with the European.
The protection, therefore, is in the inter
est of American labor as much as in the
interest of the fruit-grower.
The memorial invites the atten ton of
Congress to the fact that there is no OBJ
lection, general or otherwise, and there
never has been, to any adequate pro-
tective duties except possibly from inn
porteIs, and the fruit-growers very justly
assert that surely no legislation should be
framed to help the importer 10 the injury
of the home producer.
One of the interesting features OF the
memorial is found in the statements OF the
opening paragraph, that whereas in the
recent election it was persistentsy asserted
by the defeated party that the single issue
before the people was that of free silver
yet the victors in the contest declared that
the paramount issue was that of protec-
ton to American industry. This is an ex-
act statement of the truth of the case.
The Republican victory was due to the
fact that it was pledged to restore the pro-
tective tariff, and the fruit-growe-s of Cali
fornia have right to expect that protec-
ton will be given them by the coming
Congress.