The record-union., 1898-09-05
Our Protected Industries,

In 1916 the WOOL prOduct OF Call
fornia reached 56,550,000 pounds. 1t
has risen to this figure in ten years
from S,532,O0O pounds. To state this
in another form, the wool product of
1866 was S,532, 900 pounds, and in 1876
it was 56,550,OOO pounds. The Re-
publican protection policy relating to
wool had been in operation from the
war period to the last date above men
toned, and the price of wool had SO
stimulated the industry that it reached
the enormous proportions noted for
1876
In 1896, at the close of Mr.. Cleve
lands Administration, the annual pro-
duct of wool in California had de-
scended to q, 600 pounds. The un-
favorable conditions of the year 1898
will probably reduce the wool product
of the State, but the election Of Nc
Kinley to the Presidency added from
Z to 10 cents per pound to the value
of our wool. Taking the lower figure,
and placing the annual product Of Cali
fornia at 100000 pounds, the wool
growers of this State gained nearly
81, 10000 per annum by the election
of Mckinley.
A Republican Congress, urged by a
Republican Administration, placed raj
sins, wine, spirits, dried fruits, citrus
fruits and wool on the protected list,
and one Of the leading issues of the
present campaign is, Shall they remain
there? The citrus grower, raisin grow
er, wine grower, fruit grower and wool
grower should take notice that a Dem
ocratic delegation to the lower house
Of Congress from the State of Cali
fornia will be an invitation to reverse
Republican policy and place the indus
tries now enjoying the protection af-
forded by the Republican party upon
lower scale of protection, or upon
the free list.
Senator A1drich, in opening the de-
bate on the revenue measures in. the
Senate of the United States, declared
that each year it became more difficult
to make a tariff schedule satisfactory
to the whole country. He declared
that diversity of interests among diff
ferent sections Of the Union made it
almost impossible to legislate for the
benefit of a single section without in
fiicting injury upon other sections. 1t
was not an easy matter to secure pro-
lection to the amount Of l cent per
method Of a low rate of tariff upon the
solid measurement of the packages in
which the oranges are imported. The
revenue Of the nation had to be con-
served, and a low rate Of tariff encour-
aging importation sometimes affords
q greater revenue than higher rate
on small proportion.
The increased governmental expense
due to the war win without doubt, oc-
casion revision of the tariff. If the
protected industries of California are
to hold their places in the tariff sched-
ules, 1t will be because the people Of
California are represented by the
friends of that policy. It would be
absurd to suppose that the Republi-
cans Of other sections Of the country
are going to take care of the protected
industries of a State which sends a
Democratic delegation to Congress.
Moreover, the transfer of California
from the Republican to the Democratic
column by the election of the Demo-
cratic State ticket will be notice to the
people Of the United States that Cali
fornia has abandoned the doctrine of
protection, and If the testimony of the
election is to have significance it will
be in the direction of the repeal of all
the advantages we have gained. The
people of California interested in the
protected industries will do well to con-
slider the consequences of electing the
Democratic State ticket or electing
single Democratic member Of the House
of Representatives.-San Francisco
Post