The Saint Paul globe., 1900-01-15
IMPERIALISM VS.. PROTECTION.


The recommendation of President Nc
Kinley in his last annuaF message that
all duties should be removed on imports
from Puerto Rico was not attended by
any immediate outbreak on the part of
the proprietors of our infant industries.
Those who believed that the proposal
would be, carried out without any substan-
tiaI opposition are, daily finding that not
all the industries which are involved
have by any means passed the nursing
bottle stage. .
Whatever the members of the Hanna
syndicate who are interested in such COM
modities as sugar. tobacco and other dis
tinctive Puerto Rican productions may be
doing to get a grip on these commodities
at the place of their production, and thus
beat" the movement toward free trade
with the island there are others who are
not at all in a position to avail them
selves Of such an alternative. The pro-
ducers of Connecticut leaf~tobacco are
among these latter. They seem to have
Just discovered that the growing Of to-
bacco In Connecticut is still in the mewl-
ing stages Of its infancy, and can not
survive without the use Of the govern
ment nursing bottle.
A recent meeting Of the New England
Tobacco Growers association, held at
Hartford, shows what serious alarm pre-
walls among. those gentry. They declare
themselves against the presidents sug-
gestion, and propose to defeat it if they
can They intend, accordingly, to have
recourse to a constitutional amendment.
our e'new possessions" as colonies, each
provided with It's colonial form Of gov
ernment. This, according to their expec-
tation, will forever, or at least for very
fong time to come, prevent the admission
free Of duty of the productions Of the
former Spanish colonies
1t is not necessary to engage in any
consideration of the question whether
the proposed amendment would be effect
I've for the purposes of those protected
infants of Connecticut and elsewhere in
New England. Their proposition pos
sesses chief interest in the amusing sit
uation which it reveals among the high
protectionist brethren as the result Of
the imperialistic policy.
Connecticut tobacco, used for wrap
pers in cigar manufacturing, is pro
0P
where it has not been relieved of its
stems, and at the rate of S2.25 where it
Is stemmed. This is rate Of 'protec-
ton not to be sneezed at by any means.
The producers Of tobacco which is not
adapted to this use practically go with
out protection" Much, If not most Of it
,-at least something like 5O0,0O0,0OO pounds
lis exported every year. The tobacco
imported from Puerto Rico and the other
s'possessions'' If admitted free will make
things interesting in the tobacco mar
ket for the producers Of Connecticut
wrappers, and as they are of the down.
trodden agriculturalist class, to whom of
course it is of the utmost Importance to
extend all the blessings of the "Ameri-
can doctrine" the effect is not likely
even to be confined to commercial re-
suits but may be expected to enter into
the domain of craftsmanship.
1t will not be at all surprising If the
colony builders Of the administration find
themselves, even before the next presiden-
tial election, in the position of the man
who had the bear by the tail, and was
desirous of letting go, but could not quite
see his way to doing so with entire
safety