The chronicle=news., 1914-12-03
ONE LESSON
FROM THE WAR
san Francisco Chronicle

|
As one result of the war, this
country. which is potent ally almost
wholly self-sustuining, Is deprived of
commodities which are essential ia
the carrying on of many of our in
dustries. and which we might easily
produce for ourselves.
Great Britain forbids Australia
to sell us any wool. L. is not pos
sible for us to secure thrt quality OF
wool elsewhere in qualities suifi-
cicnt for the requirements of our in
dustry. Our mills will not he able
to give employment to their people
. and we shall have to buy large guam
titles of WOODEN and worstcd goods
from Great Britain-a process which
will be greatly assisted by our Demo-
cratic tariff act.
| And yet. no one will lretend thar
with reasonable protect on to our
wool growers and some certainty of
its permancnce we cam It produce
all the wool necessary ffr our our-
| pose.
We get nearly all our ,dycstuffs
| from Germany. For q while after
he war we could not get any. Now.
Germany is permitting us to get
them in limited quantities. but no
one can tell how long we STALL have
the privilege. Dyes are absolutely
essential to the production of fabrics.
as we know them, and here is no
trouble whatever in producing dyes
here, If there was assurance OF pro-
lection against the cheal labor and
long experience of Germany for the
enormous amount of capital which
would have to be invested.
Manganese is essential to the pro-
duction of certain qualities of steel
AS the result Of the war. all supplies
OF ore are cut off. eXceTt from Bo-
livia, from which the s. Ipiy Is not
sufficient.
There are ample deposits of man
sancsc in this state. hul SO located
that very large invest rent is re-
quircd to make them ava liable. and IL
i not certain that II he deposits
were opened up We could compete
with the very CHEAP mining labor OF
Russia and South America. With as
surancc of protection. We could sup
ply our own man gancse. Magnesite
is another ore widely used in many
arts OF which we have abundance IN
this state. We do cNtra't some ore,
which is iavorably locates. but which
before the war could rot compete
with the imported prod iot in our
most important market
Any country which SO chooses can
prevent us from gettipr anything
which it produces. wh'ir undor our
constitution. we cannot prohibit or
tax the expectation of anything.
With ample means of making our
selves entirely self-sustaining. II is
our most important na,iona, duty to
| do so No one can tell the amount
of unemployment and misery which
| will result this winter rom our be-
! in; deprived by the wal. by one
| means or another, of commodities
essential to our industries and which
we should produce und,' protec-
tive tariff.
Germany. whose nnturoi resources
are trifling compared VIII our own,
has made herself almost srlf-sustain-
| Ing by most thorousllsO ug 2rotcc-
tion of all that is necessary to the
defense and prosperity Of the 'oun-
trg. Great Britain. undo free trade.
can protect Its people 'om actual
starvation only by the prodigious eX-
: pendi.urc required to k-cr command
of the sea.
| Certainly. thrce-fifths OF the peo-
pie of this country are pf5tectionists.
And yet we have clccte | Il free trade
president and congress and free
trade Senator from California.
| What fools these mortals be-