The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-20
apxnrr OF rHn PRESS.
Editorial Opinions Of the LEADING Journals
Upon Current Topics Complied Every
Day for the EvenIng Telegraph.

THE DECAY or TIE AMERICAN
MARINE.
from the NJ Y. Times
The meeting of the special Congressional
Committee on the decay of American Com
merce has adj iourned to be reopened in Bos-
fon. Much information was presented to
Them by our prominent merchants and ship
Builders as to the causes of this national
y,isfortune, but we venture to say that not
ali the statements of the gentlemen exam
sned contained half as much thorough ex-
zolanation of tho inferiority of our marine as
fho letters we are publishing from a special
Commissioner we have detailed to the ship
yards of the Thames, the Tyne, and the
The truth is that the condition of our ship
Building interest is merely symptom of a
disease which is everywhere affecting our
production. The only popularity about ship
ping is that there we cannot help seeing the
malady.
Mr.. Wells has made it very clear in his
famous report that the results of a heavy
tariff on raw materials and of an inconverti-
ALE currency, are finally to make production
30 enormously costly that where there is
foreign competition, our great branches of
manufacture must break down, or else be
held M at an excessive cost to consumers
Many other important branches of industry
wouid be now precisely in the condition of
our shipbuilding, if they were not sustained
lly heavy duties. But even with the help of
shese they are langUishing, and the means of
every purchaser are cramped. His purchas-
sng power is iminished-through
zhe necessity of aiding to bolster
Hp weak manufactures. The worst of
this-with the inconvertible currency
is that each workman must draw
higher wages to balance the losses to which
he is subject, and thus every portion of a
manufacturing enterprise labor, material,
machinery and supervision, become more
costly, until our industry ceases to be able
Ito compete with the worlds industry. In
many branches we do not see this; but in
Shipbuilding we are open to absolute free
trade Here there must be unchecked com
petition with the world, There can be no
fariff on ships, except in our coast trade.
Our whole industry with all its burdens, and
our defective currency, here must struggle on
p free field with the experience the capital
and unfettered production of Europe. All
fhe losses of our production appear at once in
our shipbuilding and in the cost of sailing
Our vessels.
The statements made before the Congress
Sional Committee show that our condition in
fhe matter of the marine is even worse than
Aas been popularly supposed.
We shall evidently sink very soon to the
etate of q fourth-rate or fifth-rate commercial
power, unless some remedy be devised. The
most approved cure of our evils which was
suggested to the committee was rebate on
the duties upon all the materials which enter
into the construction of vessels, especially on
copper, metals, and cordage. Mr.. A. Low
expressed the general sentiment of our com
Munity when he said that we could not pro
pose the entire transfer of our shipyards
abroad as would be the case if we were per:
united to build our ships and steamers N
England This is an extreme of free trade
uuh tba ra1u fo oHo
Mr. Low, whose opinions are to be received
with much respect, did not have the conf
dence in the superior ability of American me
Chanics over British which others testified
'"They work, he said, "a short time, anC
thea become demoralized' He doubted i
we could produce such excellent ships as tn
English. His remarks on the uniform AM
Bkillful encouragement of commerce by tn
British Government, and the uniform neglec
of it by cur own, were striking and unques
tionably just.
Our correspondent on the Tyne, it will b
remembered has little faith that even
rebate of duties would enable us to bull
sron steamers as cheaply as the British shil
builders, especially on account of the diffe
ence of wages between the two countries
This may be the obstacle. But Congress
must either give our shipyards this advar
tage--that is, allow them free trade in iro1
copper, cordage, and lumber-or see ou
whole foreign commercial marine transferre
to Great Britain and Germany. They mus
also permit foreign-bound American vessel
TO enjoy the same privilege which the Britis
Government permit to their steamers to tax
the articles which are in daily use on board
such as coffee, tea, wines, sugars, and t.
baoco-from bond, and consume them FIRE
from duty.
1t is possible that when we have done a
this for our ship-building interest, we sha
= . -,
1he British; but at least we shall have dor
all in our power, until we make the final r
form both in tariff and currency which she
put American production on an equality vii
that of the world.
THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE - PEI
DLETON, VALLANDIGHAM, CHASE.
FTOm the NJ Y. Sun.
The defeat of Mr. Pendleton in Ohio fu
nishes the text for q suggestive article in +