The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1868-04-02
AEuROPEAN STEAMSHIP LINE.

There 10 a class of people In this country VINO
make IL a point to oppose everything In the
shape OF subsidies from the Government In aid
Of enterprises that are regarded as private IRE.
spective Of their value or utility In national
point Of view They fail to discriminate, and
generally make their assaults upon every meas
ure Of this kind per0.
Had we followed the advice of this class OF
people we would never have had a Pacific rail-
road We may now congratulate the nation that,
so far as that great enterprise IL concerned, the
Congress OF the United States did not follow the
advice of these people, but did give to the Pacific
railway certain subsidies In the shape of lands
and bonds, which enabled private capital to en-.
gage in this grand undertaking; and we now
have the certain assurance that the work Will be
put through at no distant day, and the benefits
that will now to the Government and the people
from the completion of this work cannot at this
day be estimated.
1t Is well known that we have not at this time
q single line Of steamers plying between this
country and Europe that can in any sense be
called American. Our mails and passengers are
now transported across the water in steamships
owned and managed by Europeans, and even our
Government is under the necessity of making
the best terms 1t can with these foreign compr.
mics for the Transmission of its mails.
Weare glad to notice, however, that the House
4 bill providing for the establishment of an
American line Of steamships between New York
and Bremen, touching at Southampton. This
act gives the Postmaster General the power TO
contract with the Commercial Navigation Com.
pany, a corporation which was, we believe, char.
tered in New York in 1906. This company Is to
transmit the mails once q week between New
York and Europe.
The bill provides that the steamship company
shall at out within one year, seven first class
steamers, five OF which shall be of not less than
5000 tons burden each and two others OF not less
than 1000 tons burden each.
The compensation which the company 10 to re-
ceivc for this shall be in conformity with the act
of Congress Of June Il, 1855. The Postmaster
General is authorized to guarantee the payment
and interest on the bonds TO the amount Of moi
more than Is, 900 900, said bonds to be payable a
the expiration Of twelve years, with interest a
i've per cent, payable semi-annually. None o
the bonds shall have the guaranty except rs eaci
ofthe vessels is completed, and in no case to thu
amount over fifty per cent OF the actual cos
OF each vessel.
We have thus given the substance of this bill
which has been agreed upon In committee. L
strikes us that 1t Is sufficiently guarded, and W,
can see no good reason why IT should not PASS
The Arguments in favor of such line of steam
ere are so plain that 1t is not worth while e
consume time in stating them.
We propose to give our answer to certain oh
jections which will be urged against the Govern
ment doing anything In this behalf in anothe
article. We think that we can show that upo
the Plan proposed, 1t is not only safe for tn
Government TO lend its aid, but that the circun
stances OF the case demand from It this substar
'ini Interpolation in behalf OF great enterprise