The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-07-16

dONDAY, JULY l6, 1850.
The Calissrnaa HAN DaaeuIty-Osr Ocean
oteaa Dgasine.
The attention Of the public has been especial
ly directed, since the adjournment of Congress,
to the position of Mr.. Vanderbilt in the matter
Of the California mail contract The affair was
very simple one upon Its face; but as it indi
rectly raises the old question as to our steam
marine, and its connection with the general
government, we purpose to examine the subject
a little in detail
And first, let US see what are the facts in the
case. Mr.. Cornelius Vanderbilt is steamship
Commodore" by trade. He has earned his
title as fairly as any cooked hat in the service
We doubt whether the sixty-four captains on
the navy list have in their consolidated heads
| greater amount of hard common sense than
Vanderbilt carries under his hat 1t is all very
well to call such man monopolist II he is
SO it is through bis own energy, shrewdness and
determination. He has made his own way in
the world, walks In his own road, and needs no
defence from any quarter. He represents, how
ever, vital principle, for which we have al
| ways contended, and always shall contend Mr..
Vanderbilt has large amount Of capital EN-
ployed in steamers, which ply hetweea New
York and San Francisco, and is also interested
in the carrying trade to Europe. His ships
help TO maintain the commercial reputation of
New York, and to vindicate the supremacy of
our steam marine. The government never
helped him to the amount of dollar. On the
| contrary, the government has attempted to die
tate to him the sum which shall be paid to him
for services rendered. He refused to submit
| to such dictation, and left the mails behind I'm
der such circumstances, it is neither logical nor
sensible to charge the failure of the mail SER
| vice upon Mr. Vanderbilt. The onus lies
clearly upon the government, and the whole
difficulty arises from the mistaken policy and
absurd jealousy of certain official personages
at Washington and elsewhere. They hold, in
the first place, that Notwithstanding the fact that
the mail is loaded down with free matter sent
under frank, the Postal Department should be
selfsupporting; and, secondly, that the grant
proprietors of mail steamships does not tend to
the public benefit, and is a matter of strictly
private interest. These brilliant philosophers
have been aided and abetted by certain men,
beers of Congress who share in the provincial
jealousy of the metropolis, and thus they have
succeeded in breaking down the Collins
line, of which every American ought to have
been proud. After destroying Collins, the
ignoramuses at Washington, aided by some
blockheads who call themselves New York
journalists, turned upon Mr.. Vanderbilt and
attempted TO force him into compliance with
their views. They found, however, that this
time they had mistaken their man. And now
we state what we know to be an undeniable
fact, when we say that had 1t not been for the
meanness of the government during the last
ten years we should have had to-day the best
ocean steam marine in the world. Mr.. Collins
built the finest and feetest vessels that ever
steamed up the Mersey. For that we have
British evidence In proof When the ships
were quietly doing their work, and increasing
our fame as a great commercial Power Con.
gress withdrew the subsidy, and the Adriatic,
80 far as the government was concerned, might
have rotted in her dock.
What is the condition of things now? British
proportion of three to one. The North Ger
man Lloyds and Cunard lines monopolize
nearly all the passenger and freight business.
The European governments are much superior
to ours In this respect. The English, not
outstanding the circumstance that we call
them slow and behind the times, are
far ahead of us in this steamship mat
ter. They have encouraged the Cunard
line in every possible way, and have made its
protector baronet Contrast the conduct of
the British government in the case of Sir
Samuel Cunard with that Of ours to Mr.. Collins,
and how mean and pitful do we appear. 1t Is
most marked evidence of the proverbial in
gratitude of republics that the services Of such
men as Collins, Law with all his eccentricities
he Is still an able man and q public bene-
factor and Vanderbilt should be persistently
ignored while pothouse politicians, without an
idea in their heads beyond corrupt job, should
climb to the highest places in the nation, and
have the power to impede public and private
business, making the country ridiculous In the
eyes of the world. And in the matter Of Mr..
Vanderbilt, he has acted like q thorough bust
ness man-one who knew he had nothing to
expect from government except what he forced
from II, and therefore treated II like private
individual, driving sharp bargain, as Is Gus
tomary with men of his class; and the blame,
as we have said before, to the failure of the
mails belongs not to him, but to the govern
ment, which seems to have passed into the
hands of the veriest noodles that ever dabbled
in red tape and sealingwax.
We believe that our view of the matter Is
that which must be taken by every sensible
man in the community. The sentiment Of dis
gust at the action Of the government in the
matter of the Collins steamers Is general, and
.rros,rs mara nrofound aa tho commarca Of The