Gainesville daily sun., 1909-07-01
PINEAPPLE AND PRINCIPLE.

When the Payne committee was
hearing what IL was pleased To call |
evidence. in framing the tarin bill
for the Lower House, IL was neces- ,
sary in these columns TO call atten-
tion to the demands OF the Florida |
fruit growers as an example OF what
protection run crazy could do. IL Is
true they are not more unconscion-
able than their fellows in California.
but In securing an increase OF l2>
per cent on the Payne bills import
duty on pineapples they make some
thing like a record for sheer greed.
Il was admitted by the Florida fruit
growers themselves that the pine
apple in their State was "a bit out
OF its native element In other
words. the only possible varieties
were liable TO be nipped out entirely
by frost In no case could they hope
for quality anywhere equal 10 the
imported article. now well within
reach OF the humblest purse. Never.
theless. the fruit growers wanted TO
try experiments. and preferred To do
so with other peoples money II
need hardly be said that the Demo
cratic Senators, committed TO tarih
for revenue only. affixed their approx.
al to duty which made even Mr..
Aldrichs strong stomach turn little.
The Taliaferro amendment raising
the Payne duty 12S per cent was
carried against Senator Aldrich's vote.
Nine Democrats voted for the increase
and fourteen could not muster up
courage enough TO protest against
this idiOcy; while only eight OF the
party of Thomas jefferson and low
tariff took the side of common de-
cency.
| II there were the least prospect
Of building up a business in home.
grown pineapple something might he
said even for this high protection.
One frost, however. puts the grower
back where he began, and until We
can entirely alter the meteorological
conditions Of the United States the
consumcy of pineapple will BE- pay
lrC for an experiment foredoomed TO
!ailrre.-Wall Street Journal
Our usually correct aud cOnserva-
tive contemporary is mistaken. Grow
ers OF pineapples in this State may
have admitted that the fruit was "A
bit out Of its native element" but
there is 10 doubt about It's having
become "accllmated." and In those sec
tions where the pineapple is cult.
waited for profit there is little proba-
bllity of IL being nipped out by the
frost. The quality is also equal in
every respect. IL rot superior, to that
OF the imported article, and the In
dustry has passed the experimental
stage until Il Is How one OF the great
est industries i'm the State.
I'm the opinion OF The Journal It
is "idioCy" 20 protect an industry OF
the nature of the cultivation OF the
pineapple in Florida, but II is en-
tirely proper to- protect every In
dustry in the North from competition
with foreign countries.
II The Journal really thinks the
cultivation OF the pineapple in Flor
ida Is only an experiment foredoomed
to failure until We can alter the
meteorological conditions OF the
United States, a representative OF
that paper ought to visit the pineries
on the East Coast II seeing Is be-
. lieylng" IL would then be convinced
TO the contrary.
Probably the East Coast contempO
raries will give our Wall Street
journalistic friend some information
which will open his eyes to the
justice OF protecting this Infant in
dustry" from the paupcr labor ot
the West Indies.