The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-03-06


We're nation OF ship-owners That is true but il Is
uuero us: iof the British are nation OF shp-owns
ana shipping nteressNhe United States lnuc more
ahauoh OF shp-owners The tonnage OF Great Britain,
excluding The provinces and taking the Islands OF Great
britain and ireandhe tonnage OF the United Kingdom OF
uea, Dntain AMI ireands little three and hall
ihohs oi ions Our tonnage Il considerably that
amount The carrying capacity OF our mercantile marine
rs vastly greater al this moment than that OF Great Britain
and Ireland Our tonnage larger, and under
rule ship that measured 700 tons under the old
lule would under the new rule 200 You will
mud that our navigation ersploys much larger marine
carrying power than the navigation OF Great Britain
much larger; and they have their thirty millions OF popu.
laoD, while have but twenty three millions and yet
we, with that twenty three millions, own shipping
ian they own. ! am speaking OF the islands OF Greal
Balain and Ireland Now, if they are justified in look
ing keenly and constantly 10 their mercantile interest,"
are not only justified but required to look much al
lentively TO ours Tor IL includes greater proportion Of
our population and greater proportion OF our wealth
than is the with Great Britain In Of the States
of this Union the proportion Of the shipping TO the popu
laon IL six mes-ay, in its actual carrying capacity
pretty nearly seven tmesas great proportion AZ that IN
Great Britain This being the case. the shipping interest
interest which ibis government 10 bound 10 look 10
But arm not going 10 resi- my support oI this blIl upon
that ground at all say we are bound to pass the FIRST
section--l intend to conine my remarks to that sec,
tion--we bound to enact this provision into law,
because every act that done to benefit the avgalon
OF this country benefits all the interests OF the country in
its ultimate effects, by lis effects upon reights that
transported between this and other countries How
The of freghts determined The senator from Ken
lucky Mr. UNDERwooDl has asked, and fairly asked,
what the effect upon his constituency, what is the in.
of the grower OF tobacco, corn pork, and other
agricultural products, in this action IN regard TO the
shipping interest OF this country Now, ii were not
satisfied that the interests OF the great agricultural portion
OF the nation concerned in the passage OF thisb i
should comparatively but little whether passed
not and if could operate adversely 10 that interest
would oppose it for although consider the shipping in
teres vast interest," still consider that the agricultural
interest much vaser and It's welfare must be consulted
by us in endeavoring to make the change that are
now proposing TO make The first mode in which we
A hx,.y III ,h.r of
freight is first find out what supports, what deter
mines the rates of freight II is The proportion between
the quantity OF shipping to carry the freight and the
quantity of freight TO be carried And how is that
affected Everything that benefits your navigating IN
teress, everything that makes the freight OF your nier
chants easier, cheaper and safer IN It's carnage. wl
produce its beneficial eject You cannot add thousand
10 your shipping without bringing down the rates OF
your freight You cannot impose upon your ship
allow 10 remain upon him. any liability without rais-
ing your rates of freight at all events preventing thelF
reduction The proportion may be very small; but so far
the effect goes il effect upon him whose freight
is carried. but not ultimately upon the ship-owner lie
first feels the benefit OF this change but how long does he
teel Just SO long as II takes TO build more ships and
restore the proportion between the profit made out OF that
trade and The profit OF other branches OF industry and
business Capital seeks investment in the shape or
shapes that supposed to be the most profitable and
when you build ships then down go the rates OF
freight and tobacco and pork. and corn are carried
cheaper than before Is there any escape from that
reasoning am really unable to discover any.
Now, sir the senator from Kentucky has made one re-
pose apply to this question now before us He says,
how do know this competition between our shipping
and the shipping of other nations Is going on disad-'
vataxe ously to shipping how do know that they
are enabled to uader us, and how do know that
shipping interests require this relief When Great
Britain discovered that her shipping required this relief
underwokng her; and what did she intspd do She
intended Increase the balance, and cause il to prepon
dera,e in her avor and she intended to keep the ad
van,age--and do not complain OF her she had per-
feet right do soshe intended to enjoy the advantages
which her shipping had shpping and her acts.
20 far as they co. tended 10 give her shipping the adj
vantage of ours. Now, we 10 allow our shipowners
be subject to this old and rule, when another IS
found 10 work fairly there and we to send our
ships m competition with Great Britain under this dis
paragement. The competition now is serious one, and
your returns show It, Here is before me the table oil
cearances from ports the last year The tonnage OF
American vessels 2632 900 tons while the tonnage OF
foreign vessels 72o 900 tons, showing that there was
about three fourhs much foreign tonnage as there s
of domestic They wish to underworld us Why do
these vessels ports bring products which our
American vessels might bring well Why do they
carry away products that American vessels might carry
away ast WELL unless is that they can ship cheaper
than CAM II they do not carry freight to precisely
the same extent that we do yet they employ
much, and think that that ihree-fourths is and
should be warning to II shows that there is com
petition against which ought carefully to guard and
in removing this burden from the American shippng
think do but act OF justice which Is called for by
the pre- vious ships which Great Britain has taken and
called for not only for the benefit OF the shpowner, but
for the benefit OF those who will ultimately reap the
benef-that all who benefited directly indirectly
by the transportation OF the freight well as the owner
OF the goods that to be carried.
Well sir, il is ssd that the old rule Of the common
law is old and venerable rule and ought not TO be
broken in upon Why, sir the reasons that led TO the
adoption of that rule not commercial reasons. IL
dopted and applied TO common carriers upon land
Now whether it is Just rule with regard to the com
carriers upon land do not propose to consider II
sufficient for this TO settle this question The
why this rule should be applied rather TO carriers
upon land than the common carriers upon the water is,
that the danger of breaking the rule is not the same IN
the one case in the other. How il shipowner to
endMnger and risk the property OF others that he may
have TO carry without endangerng his own property by
the negligence want OF integrity How IL he TO
do without a risk the destruction OF his own props
ertyl How his agents that upon the ships the
and crew. risk the property Of others that the
ship owner may have placed under their care, without
great danger to their lvesi That is not the
with the common carrier upon the land. lie can risk
the property OF others without there being risk TO ms
own person. Not with the ship owner; tor then his
ships would be in danger. There is the ship Typhoon,
Mr. President, that launched last week in Ports
mouth, in your own State, New Hampshre-Mr Non.
being in the chair) which is worth 100000 VIII
the OF that ship put negligent persons, or fraudu
lent persons upon board of her, who will allow her to
be ashore be destroyed intentionally by hre, or IN
any other way to be exposed TO danger IL II an easy
matter 10 allow ship to be destroyed By fire on for
egn voyage without rskng the lives OF those who, by
their negligence or Intentions, permit that destruction
to TAXI place. Now, here are so many reasons why u
is quite sale relax this rule in the case OF
wnen il may be safe and advisable to 90 II IN the
case OF common carriers upon the land
There other reasons which occnr 70 me that wonld
control my mind il these were not sufhctent to control
H. But these few ideas deem sufficient to give the rea
sons for my and have thrown them outperhapsin
doing 40 taking up much OF the time of the Senate
am justified in consuming, considering the short time
that remains q At#h1 III