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the effects of cold; must necessarily become far more industrious



and economical than the one who merely requires protection from the



rain; and into whose mouth the fruits are ready to drop during the



whole year。 Diligence; economy; order; and forethought are at first



produced by necessity afterwards by habit; and by the steady



cultivation of those virtues。 Morality goes hand in hand with the



exertion of one's powers and economy; and immorality with idleness



and extravagance: each are reciprocally fertile sources; the one of



power; the other of weakness。



    An agricultural nation; which inhabits a country of temperate



climate; leaves therefore the richest part of its natural resources



unutilised。



    The school; inasmuch as; in judging the influences of climate



on the production of wealth; it has not distinguished between



agriculture and manufacturing industry; has fallen into the gravest



errors in respect to the advantages and disadvantages of protective



regulations; which we cannot here omit thoroughly to expose;



although we have already made mention of them in general terms



elsewhere。



    In order to prove that it is foolish to seek to produce



everything in one and the same country; the school asks the



question: whether it would be reasonable if we sought to produce



wine by growing grapes in Scottish and English greenhouses? It is



of course possible to produce wine in this manner; only lt would be



of much worse quality and more expensive than that which England



and Scotland could procure in exchange for their manufactured



goods。 To anyone who either is unwilling or unable to penetrate



more deeply into the nature of things; this argument is a striking



one; and the school is indebted to it for a large portion of its



popularity; at any rate among the French vine growers and silk



manufacturers; and among the North American cotton planters and



cotton merchants。 Regarded in the light of day; however; it is



fundamentally false; since restrictions on commercial intercourse



operate quite differently on the productive power of agriculture



than they do on the productive power of manufacturing industry。



    Let us first see how they operate on agriculture。



    If France rejects from her frontiers German fat cattle; or



corn; what will she effect thereby? In the first place; Germany



will thereby be unable to buy French wines。 France will therefore



have to use those portions of her soil which are fitted for the



cultivation of the vine less profitably in proportion as this



destruction of commercial interchange lessens her exportation of



wines。 So many fewer persons will be exclusively occupied with the



cultivation of the vine; and therefore so much less native



agricultural products will be required; which these persons would



have consumed; who would have otherwise devoted themselves



exclusively to vine culture。 This will be the case in the



production of oil as well as in that of wine。 France will therefore



always lose in her agricultural power on other points much more



than she gains on one single point; because by her exclusion of the



German cattle she protects a trade in the rearing and fattening of



cattle which had not been spontaneously developed; and for which;



therefore; probably the agriculture of those districts where this



branch of industry has had to be artificially developed is not



adapted。 Thus will it be if we consider France merely as an



agricultural State opposed to Germany as a merely agricultural



State; and if we also assume that Germany will not retaliate on



that policy by a similar one。 This policy; however; appears still



more injurious if we assume that Germany; as she will be compelled



to out of regard to her own interests; adopts similarly restrictive



measures; and if we consider that France is not merely an



agricultural; but also a manufacturing State。 Germany will; namely;



not merely impose higher duties on French wines; but on all those



French products which Germany either produces herself; or can more



or less do without; or procure elsewhere; she will further restrict



the importation of those manufactured goods which she cannot at



present produce with special benefit; but which she can procure



from other places than from France。 The disadvantage which France



has brought upon herself by those restrictions; thus appears twice



or three times greater than the advantage。 It is evident that in



France only so many persons can be employed in the cultivation of



the vine; in the cultivation of olives; and in manufacturing



industry; as the means of subsistence; and raw materials which



France either produces herself or procures from abroad; are able to



support and employ。 But we have seen that the restriction of



importation has not increased the agricultural production; but has



merely transferred it from one district to another。 If free course



had been permitted to the interchange of products; the importation



of products and raw materials; and consequently the sale of wine;



oil; and manufactured goods; would have continually increased; and



consequently the number of persons employed in the cultivation of



the vine and olives; and in manufactures; while with the increasing



traffic; on the one hand; the means of subsistence and raw



materials; and; on the other hand; the demand for her manufactured



products; would have augmented。 The augmentation of this population



would have produced a larger demand for those provisions and raw



materials which cannot easily be imported from abroad; and for



which the native agriculture possesses a natural monopoly; the



native agriculture therefore would thus have obtained a far greater



profit。 The demand for those agricultural products for which the



character of the French soil is specially adapted; would be much



more considerable under this free interchange than that produced



artificially by restriction。 One agriculturist would not have lost



what another gained; the whole agriculture of the country would



have gained; but still more the manufacturing industry。 Through



restriction; the agricultural power of the country therefore is not



increased; but limited; and besides this; that manufacturing power



is annihilated which would have grown up from the augmentation of



the internal agriculture; as well as from the foreign importation



of provisions and raw materials。 All that has been attained through



the restriction is an increase of prices in favour of the



agriculturists of one district at the expense of the agriculturists



of another district; but above all; at the expense of the total



productive force of the country。



    The disadvantages of such restrictions on the interchange of



products are still more clearly brought to light in the case of



England than in that of France。 Through the corn laws; on doubt; a



quantity of unfertile land is brought under cultivation; but it is



a question whether these lands would not have been brought under



cultivation without them。 The more wool; timber; cattle; and corn



that England would have imported; the more manufactured goods would



she have sold; the greater number of workmen would have been



enabled to live in England; the higher would the prosperity of the



working classes have risen。 England would probably have doubled the



number of her workmen。 Every single workman would have lived



better; would have been better able to cultivate a garden for his



pleasure and for the production of useful vegetables; and would



have supported himself and his family much better。 It is evident



that such a large augmentation of the working population; as well



as of its prosperity and of the amount of what it consumed; would



have produced an enormous demand for those products for which the



island possesses a natural monopoly; and it is more than probable



that thereby double and three times as much land could have been



brought into cultivation than by unnatural restrictions。 The proof



of this may be seen in the vicinity of every large town。 However



large the mass of products may be which is brought into this town



from distant districts for miles around it; one cannot discover a



single tract of land uncultivated; however much that land may have



been neglected by nature。 If you forbid the importation into such



a town of corn from distant districts; you thereby merely effect a



diminution of its population; of its manufacturing industry; and



its prosperity; and compel the farmer who lives ne

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