The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-04-30

attended, OF course, as 1t has been and must con-
tinue to be, with actual dminution of money
wages. We obtain less oil. We have less freight
outward and less freight inward, and the earnings
OF our shipping employed in the foreign trade have
largely diminished, the necessary consequence Of
which ia diminuton of ship building.
In the year ending June, lS43 built "a 900 TONS
In that ending June, 1877, it reached $4,000
In the year lS47-'S 1t was ......... .3lS,0OO
For lS49-'5O 1t has fallen to- 272,O0O
We see here the quantity trebling under sys
tem that was to destroy foreign commerce, and
stationary under that was intended to foster it
at the expense of domestic production, upon which
commerce must be built. How far this is the case
will be seen from the following most instructive
facts in relation to the building of vessels for the
canal and coasting trades:
Briggs. Schrs. Canal BIS. Steamers.
Built in 1923 "a us 173 79
I 1888 ;.lr7 az siS 800 $50 i Iss
With vast increase of population the internal
trade dminishes under a system that looks to
building up large foreign commerce upon the
ruins Of domestic one. The system of 1916 looks
to the erection of an inuerted pyramid. That of
lsi2 looked to the erection of true pyramid, Civ
ing US large external commerce based upon an
immense internal one.
There has been an increase in the number Of
ships, while the canal boats and steamers, which
bring food for foreign trade, have diminished.
That, however, is not all. The quantity of ship
ping absorbed by the gold discovery in California
unthought of at the time that the tariff of 1916 was
passed, is greater than the whole amount built in
the last two years; so that, notwithstanding our
vast increase of population, the quantity employed
in our foreign trade is greatly less than ii IN
1916. The total tonnage, domestic and foreign,
cleared in the last year, excluding California,
shows dminuion, as compared with the previous
one, of no less than 24S 900 tons, with diminu-
tion of crews to the extent of 9,lS3 men and boys;
and, while the American tonnage has largely de-
creased, the foreign has largely increased. Never
theless, at this moment, when have less to ex-
port, and fewer men to import, Congress is besieg-
ed by applicants for aid to new lines of steamships
for every part Of Europe and Asia, and immense
ships to be built for carrying negroes to Africa
and bringing men from Ireland and Germany;
when, from the diminished production of food and
clothing, oil the inducements for coming to this
country are rapidly passing away. II is delusion
never exceeded, except perhaps in England in
1896 and the results here must be the came
those which have been witnessed there-ptter ruin
Nevertheless, every new steamship and every new
road, either made or projected, 10 chronicled and
will continue TO be chronicled, an evidence Of
ProsPcrity, although the quantity Of things to be
carried in ships and roads is rapidly diminish
ing, and will continue to diminish as we abandon
old machines, now productive, to create new ones
for future production.
II has been seen that under the existing COM
merciai system-which not only prevents any in
crease ip the amount OF population employed in
the work OF producing coal, iron, or cloth, but ia
rapidly closing all the mines, and mills, and fur
naoes Of the country, and driving population to
farmers and planters of the older States-the guam
tity of commodities arriving at New Orleans, or
passing on the New York canals, is rapidly de-
creasing. The necessary consequence of this is o
diminution in the dfmapd for steamboats,; and thus
| is the demand for labor diminishing in every de-
partment of employment, exceptip that of creating
| new farms to become at some future time prpduc.
carry those products, when there shall be any to
send. The building of steamboats, at Cincinnati,
| In lS45-'6, amounted to- 1851 tons.
In the following year it reached...... S,26S
And In lo47- ............ .lO,232
Since then it has rapidly retrogaded.
| And in l84a 80 only =. ............... 1851
being lower than it was five years since under a
system that was then denounced as anti-commer-
| cial.
! OF one thing, and one alone, we produce more
| than we did in 1886, and that is GOLD. OF that we
obtain, and may for some years continue to obtain
as much as would purchase the coal and iron that
could be obtained from our now abandoned mines
and furnaces, and rolling mills; but where else we
are to look for compensation for diminished pro-
ducton of cotton and of wool, cotton and woollcn
CLOTH of tobacco and of rice, and for an export o
food diminished below the point at which il stood
| on the day on which wac passed the tariff OF 1886
Notwithstanding an augmentation OF nagricultura
population amounting to almost, if nT quite, four
millions, am unable to sec. II ia not in our for
| egn trade, for we have less to SELL II is not in
our shipping, for we have less to transport. II il
not in our roads, for their ACTUAL value, free from
foreign debt, is little more than il four years
SINCE So far ms II may be derived from an add
| ton of almost a hundred millions to our foreign
| debt and almost six millions to the yearly demand
for interest, we have them, and to them alone must
look for compensation for the destruction of the
| happiness and the hopes of almost hundreds oil
thousands Of families deprived of employment, and
almost Of bread, by the tariff of 1916.
| From 1890 to 1884 the value Of imports, paid for
| by our exports and by the earnings Of shipping
increased gradually and steadily until, from 81 81
per head. i grew to more than ST, making an in
crease Of 90 per cent
| At the close of tie compromise period, with a
horizontal tariff of 20 per cent, the country had
become 30 impoverished that, while paying little
interest on ts debt, the power to import was only
| 81 As per head, showing a decrease of nearly 40
per cent.
From that period to 1S47 it rose gradually, until
| notwithsta nding the heavy demands for back in
terest, and the redemption Of considerable amount
of debt, it reached $7-making, with the interest,
about 81 90, or increase of so per cent
In lS4S the amount paid for under sir dol
For the last year the Imports including specie,
were OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 8 1871 ,2l7 ,754
The foreign exports, including specie,
werc.,..... .........'..........' 1891 ,oUo
$172 ,265, 946
If we now deduct from this the debt
created, because of the diminishing
power to send abroad commodities
in payment for those we require,
say only 47,265 $40
we have, as the total amount paid for
by our exports and our shipping. 3 1875 900 900
The population is estimated at fscenfy;J -four mil
lions, at which rate the imports would be about
y IL per head; but, taking il at twenty-three mil
ions, il would be about 40, being about ftDsnfy-
three fosx,