Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-06-03
Cause and Effect.

The London Times, in an article copied
yesterday, discourses upon American steam
navigation in a vein of sarcasm calculated TO
humiliate, rather than exalt, our American
pride,-for the worst of it is, nearly all that
the Thunderer SAYS. it must be confessed, is
true.-and the truth it is. that makes us 1eei
uncomfortable. 1t is a fact that thai maghi-
ficent steam marine, which but the other
day, as it were. was the just boast OF every
American, is we'll nigh swept from the ocean,
and while British and German vessels crowd
the Atlantic, it is but seldom that Il steamer
with the American tiag at her peak crosses
that ocean. 1t Is true that the United States
mails, the greater part of the time, are car
rled in foreign vessels; and II Is also true
that tive-sixths of the foreign merchandise
WI import is brought to Us in British ana
German steamers Nay mOre,-lt Is rue
that ut this moment there are lying, literaily
rotting, at our wharves, a fleet OF some t"eh-
ty or twenty-five noble American built stea-
mers, not one of which can find anything 10
do, and the ownership of which, therefore, Is
r%uinouS, rather than a source OF proht' 10
their owners.
Why should these things be? hat Is the
cause of this sudden transition OF American
superiority on the ocean to n condition OF III
f~eriority so humiliating that even the Hans
Towns are our Superiors? The answer Is
not difficult.
Within the last five years, ocean steam
navigation has undergone II thorough reVo-
luton. Wooden steamers have had their
day. They do not pay. Iron is cheaper IN
the long RIM it is more durable, and every
way more desirable. The fleetest vessels OF
the Cunard line are built of iron. The screw
is taking the place Of the cumbersome pad
dle-wheel. 1t has economy to recommend 1t.
and the speed that may he attained with II
is almost rs great rs that of the wheels.
Witness the recent passages of the New ork,
Ilammonia, and llungarian.-ali within II
days. Hence. the splendid fleet OF propei-
lerS which England and Germany keep on
the Atlantic have taken from Us all the once
lucrative emigrant business. AMI by tar the
greater portion of the merchandise. which
we import at the rate of six or seven millions
Il week. The fleet of wooden, sidc-wheel
steamers at our docks, cannot begin to com
pete with vessels of that description, without
losing money. This our steamship compa-
MES know, and hence the attempt Is not
made.
But why not fight these foreigners with
their own weapons? Why not give up our
costly side-whecl wooden steamer ana bulld
cheap iron propellcrs? Why? Because the
thing is utterly out of the question,-so long
as the country is afflicted with the leading
maximS which lead it to encourage Fo'ftg"
La6or and Fo,tiyn Enterprise, Ia The P'Gl"-
dire of Home MduSty amt Hpmc ENTERPRISE
We cannot build iron propellers, for the SIM
pie reason that we cannot get the raw mate
rial-the iron-unless we send over to Eng
land or Wales for it. Not that we have not
an abundance of iron in our American earth
at home Pennsylvania. Southern Ohio, Hi
nois, some parts of Virginia and New Jersey,
are brim full of it,-but inasmuch as ID
mocracy" SAYS it must lie there undeveloped,
under a tariff which lets in the cheap foreign
article to compete with and undersell 1t
there is no help for it. The IRON that Is
needed for our railroads even, we have to 60
abroad to buy, Notwithstanding the fact that
those railroads often run over districts ol
country that are full of iron orc,-but which
ore is not available because OF the competl'
ton to which it is subjected. just so II Is
with our steamships. If we had the raw
material-the iron-to enable our ship bull
ders and shipping merchants to adapt our
steam marine to the altered circumstance OF
ocean commerce, we could have propellers
AS swift, as well appointed, and every other
way, as successful, as any which Great brI'
tain has ~atloat: but under the circumstances
we can see no hope of retaining tn" cham
p~ionship of the scas--no hope of ever having
American mails carried in American vessels
no hope of American shir-ownerS gettin@
back some portion of the p~rincrly trade they
have lost and are losing. until the people pn'
the stamp of reprohation upon q policy the
leading articles of whose creed would seem
to be, everything for Foreign Labor and
Foreign Trade. but nothing for Home Indus
try and Home Enterprise ~. J. hTP'esS