The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-04-29
ON: THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL %, 1852


by gentlemen here, 1 do not rely upon it as fact
in my argument
The keel of the first steamer on The Collins line
was laid in lS49, and their hrst steamer left New
York about the beginning of the year 1850 What
was the condition of things at that time? call
the attention of the Senate to il for the purpose Of
showing what has been accomplished since by this
line. At that time Great Britain bad the monop-
oily of all the foreign postage to this country. She
had also driven off our sailing packets from the
carrying of passengers. She had beaten them oil
in the transportation of all light articles OF mer-
chandise, aud OF specie and OF all transportations
across the Atlantic which depend upon time, speed,
and certainty. Up to lS40 the American sailing
pack had the control ofthese matters They had
beaten the English packets away from even com,
petition in the carrying OF passengers, specie. and
light merchandise. England then resortcd to
ocean steam navigation. Her government. find
ing that her sailing vessels were beaten by the
Yankee vessels, resorted to steam. and by most
liberal policy she built up the Cnnard line; and
such had been the OF this policy that, on the
day when the keel Of the fret steamer Of the Col
lins line WAS laid, England had a complete mas
terry of the all these great interests
What has taken place since! 1t must be recol-
lected that, in the carrying of eters and passen-
gers, speed and certainty are everything. BY the
establishment Of the Collins line we have beaten
them upon both of these points. By our line We
carry letters and passengers in less time than the
Cunard line can carry them. By the accounts Of
the very last arrival Of the steamers. we arc IN
formed that although one OF the Cunard line left
Liverpool four days before the Collins line, yet the
mails of the two steamers were delivered slmulta-
neously at the post Office here. This is what the
Collins line has accomplished in this great race OF
national steamers.
The carrying of light articles of freight and OF
specie has become very important matter in our
foreign commerce. Before the establishment of the
Collins line, it was altogether under the control oil
the Cunatd line. We may now control II ourselves
II we will but sustain our own people we beat
England with sailing vessels, and we will beat
her w our stpaIuahiDH il this Government will
only protect our commerce with the same liberal-
ty with which the English government has pro-
teced hers. That is the great question in this case
The English government and the English people
are very wise and very liberal, too, with regard to
the management CT their own great interests.
They do not accomplish as many magnificent pro
jects as we do; but they have kceper eye to their
own interests. We established line OF mail
steam packets to Havre and Bremen, They bring
freight and passengers from the continent, by way
of Havre and Bremen, to New York. Now, what do
we find the Cunard line doing? Why, in order to
cripple our line, and secure 70 themselves the mo-
nopoly Of the carrying. trade from the continent,
the proprietors of tbeCunard line have, under
stand, established line of small steamers, run
ming from Liverpool TO Havre, by which they car
ry, free of charge all goods from that point to Lv
erpool intended conveyed in their steamers to
the United States. This they have done, and are
now doing The very last packet which arrived
brought tqis piece of foreign news.
"BKLGiUM The Belgium papers state that II is
the intention of the Cupard line to establish line
Of steamers between Antwerp and Liverpool TO
connect with the American line
Is it not evident that England s endeavoring TO
control the passengers, the freight, and the post
a ge from the continent TO the United States; and
that. unless sustain line OF steamers, she
will control all these great interest!
desire here TO call the attention OF the Senate to
the effect produced upon the public mind OF Eng
land by the establishment Of the Collins line. /
read from the same authority, (Chambrs)
The American steamers that fret plird regu-
larly on the American route were the Washington
| and Hermann, Of about two thousand tons bur
den. They, however, did not depend entirely on
the British traffic but made the port OF Bremen,
| at the mouth of the river Wescr, IN Germany, their
terminus in Europe, calling at Southampton on
their passage up and down the British Channel.
The line Of vessels that enter into direct compel
tion with Cunard's was projected by Mr.. Collins,
Of New York, and consisted of five steamers OF
three thousand tons burden, three hundred feet
long, and propelled by engines OF one thousand
horse power. They are named after the various
oceans Of the word-tbe Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic,
Baltic, and Adristic, They arc longer and more
powerful than any steamer yet built. except the
Great Brta n, and their competition % not TO be
treated lightly The mcrits Of the rival lines will
become a national question.
Thus wss commenced that rivalry which has
made gigantic race course Oi the Aianic ocean -
a TaCc-coursc long that the diiIcgnCc In the
long udc OF ts tcrmini makes Inference of nearly
five hours IN the time OF day; aud thus, while the
people at the American end are rising from their
beds those nj The Europe an nave got through
OF their dsy's work. The 'hyinR-horse ChiIders,'
and other notables Of the turf. have done great
decide i'm their way, but they shrink into utter In
significance compared with the performances Of a
steamer propelled 10y steam equal to that OF
thousand horses. ealing three hundred milcs each
day, angry, restless waves, twenty -iour, and
soin,tmes forty three lcct high chasing each other
at a distanCc Of about i've hundred feet, and at
spced of more than thirty milrs an hour. All the
puzes of the turf arc patty compared with that for
which h5sc steamers are contcndinR-the pfo5d
dis incuOn of establishing the most speedy and sae
communication between two great continents nnd
two mighty nations. hiiherio the supef'orily has
not been distinctly declared on either eide, nor
can any correct judgment bc formed until at least
year has clapscd."
But what D. moro important in this case is, TO
show what has been the result Of the tsiahlishment
Uf the Collins line upon our Interests ct home la
the first place, its effect upon our treasury Of which
NC have heard much. n We We lOst money by
iR BY the statement furnishcd by the Post Office
Department, and laid before the Senate by the SEN
aur from tnlifUrnia, IL appears that We have not
lost cent; bat, the contrary, gained IS 6l5 81.
That statement hOws that the revenue derived
by the United States. under the operation Of the
treaty. and ny The cstablishment Of the Collins
OF vhich there bad been paid 20 Collin,
for biz service for two years........ 10000 %
SIS, s,675 50
Or nearly thirty thousand do.lars per annum into
the hands Of the Government, over aud above what
tuey have paid. do not pretend thltail this poet.
age was derived from lettets or newspapers csrritd
BY the Colins line. No man can understand the
account in that way. Blu iisncvcfthclcss irue that
all this postage, whether received from Cunnrd's
line or ,olins's line, has been received In oonsc.
qucuce of that policy which established the Collins
line. Th,rc was no postal ucaty made between
this GOycrDmeh and Great BfaIn until the keel
uf the fret steamer OF the Collins line was laid; and
We should have bad control whatever Oi this
postage fund bed not the Collins line been estab'
i,shed and put IL competition with the Cunard line.
so Tar, then, ~ the policy s concerned, and ts CT
feet upon the treasury, the Collins line - entitled
10 tho credit for the money received for postage,
against she charge for the money which has been
paid for its support.
IL is true that tho amount received during the
last year will not tie amount proposed 20 be
given by this amendment; yet this DOES not prove
That the receipts Of the coming year will not be
sufficient 70 cover the appropriation. There is
already an increase Of postage this year. The in
crease IN the number of rips by both lines will add
60 the amount That has been the result hereto.
fore. As the number OF trips and tho speed of the
steamers have been increased, the postage receipts
have advanced; and therefore, in considering this
proposition, we sefsy rely that for the coming
year there will be n considerable increase of the
postal revenue. Heretofore the Collius line per
formed only monthly trips during the winter, aud
the tunnrd semi monthly. Now they alternate