Perpetual Motion By Protection

The California argument for higher fruit duties is a sort of perpetual motion. The only disadvantage the Californian fruit raiser is at is to be found in the cost of his land, but tho only thing that inakes his land expensive is the profitableness of fruit culture. So the matter works out in this way: The great profits of fruit raising sent the value of laud up to hundreds of dollars an aere. The interest on the value of the land makes a large item iu a fruit raiser's balance sheet, and he feels the need of a high price for his fruit. This Senator Jones procures for him by letting it be known that he will not vote for the tariff bill unless it contains duties on hides and increased duties ou fruit and the cheapest sorta of wool. The inoreased duty adds to the profits of fruit culture, and the price of land takes another rise, whereupon the fruit grower complains that the interest on his land investment is so great or the rental he has to pay for his land is so high that there is an insufficieut profit iu the business for him, and the only thing that will save him from disaster is more duty. Logically this process can be carried on indefinitely. Practically it cannot, because with the iucrease in the price of fruit the cousumptiou of fruit will decline. The consumer will be worse off for the change. The grower, so far as he is not to be considerad as a land owner, will be no better off, but the value of the land will be as high as the profits of fruit culture will permit. -