Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-08
1a1ne Rsxsssry or Amerasaa vessels.

rae Registry Of Amerfcan Vessels
Asbfi has iustpsssed the House Of Rep
rsssntstiveA By = vote of 90 to 81, and is
new pending in the Senate, to which pub
be attention has not bean sufficiently d.
Beetsd. 1t was introduced by a represen-
tativs from the ship-building State Of
Maine, and its evident purpose Is to foster
the buGiness Of sh~ip-builders at the ex-
ipenis Of ship-owners and merchants. 1t
provides that no American vessels trans
GerreAt ia British registry during the late
~erShAn Be transfsrrsd back to American
fsgistEy without q special ast of Congress.
"A the outbreak OF the rebellion, when
AlSbaf6as and stonewalls and Shenan-
do6hs began 70 infest tha seas, q large
number Of American vessels were sold or
conveyed to English n or agents, and
we're thus sailed under English %colors.
The, reasen tor this was obvious. The
pirate vessels Of the rebellion were
svarming the OCEAN No vessel was safe
under American eolors. The govern.
nent Of the United States, absorbed in
putting down the rebellion, did not ex-
tend adequate protection to Its merchant
marine. 1t created an immense Eavy but
IL used Il all In coast expeditions and the
blockade. Our merchants thus left un-
protected, had 70 protect themselves, and
they did So very efficiently by transferring
their vessels to British registry. In many
lin most-cases this transfer was only
nominal, and the American owners ex-
pseted to reverse the transaction as soon
e. the war was over. In this way nearly
q nillion tens out Of q total national ton
mage Of five millions was transferred to
British Registry and sailed secur under
the British Gag. % ~
Now, the Wsr is over and she vessels
which have thus been driven into the
British marine are being Transferred back
60 American registry, As 6 matter of
fact our ship-oEnsrs are ~snxious to take
them back, and within six months nine
tsnths of the Transferred vessels would
haves6esng rs-transferredt to our marine
But Just here steps In the ship-building
gsntlsmsn from Msine, with his bill pre-
venting the from ever again being
registered As as American vesssls.
There sre two objections to this bin.
Al a punitive measure it is unjust; as a
measure Of pslicy it is unwiSs. 5o
If We regard It in the light of 8 punish
ment to the loyal s~hip-oWners, who, rather
than permit their vessels to be destroyed
sailed them under British e%olers, It is en-
tirsly undsserved. We have failed to pro-
tect our own merchant marine; we
have given its owners the alter
native. Of seeing 1t destroyed or of
temporarily transferring it to other %cOlorsi
and now we propose to punish these men
for the worry act which we have forced
upon them. In the war of 1912 there
was not q vessel undsr American solors
on the seas. Every n of them was
transferred to French or other agents.
no man opposed this eoHrse or sought
TO punish our merchants for pursuing It.
They should not be punished now.
As a matter Of policy, also, the meas
ure Is to be deplorsd. Our total national
tsunage at the breaking out of the war
was Eve millions. Half of that was en-
gagged in foreign trade. OF this, eight
hundred thousand tons, or just about one
third, have been transferred to foreign
registries. Our marine has been weaken
ed 10 this extent by the war, and it has
been the great complaint against the rebel
that their operations have driven
American vessels into foreign hands, and
given England the monopoly Of the car
rytne trade. This bill proposes to per-
this very evil and to continue
England In the monopoly which the
v&f has given hcr-and all forthe beneat
the Maine ihip-bnIIders.
The thanks Of the nation are due to
mo 0hiorePrsseHtativez Messrs. Spalding
md Garfield, who fought the bill single
handed, and though they could not defeat
T. disclosed its injustice and uPwisdom to
hseOuntry. III now before the Senate,
nd va trsst that that body will sxtin-
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