The Portland daily press., 1869-04-01

clcIudt SOOu.
Given at the Council Chamber in Augusta,
this twentT-saventh day OF March in the year
of our Lord one thousand elgnt hundred
and sixty-nina and of the Independence OF
ths United States of America the ninety
JOSHUA L. CHAMBERLAIN.
By the Governor
FRANKLIN M. DREW, Secretary of State.
The shipbuilding Interest i'm Congress.
The Democratic papers make serious
charge against the gentlemen who represent
Maine in Congress, when they allege, as they
do every time the topic is discussed, that thet
decline in shipbuilding, one of the most impor-
tant of our industries is due in large measure
to the neglect of our Senators and Represen-
tatiyes to give the matter sufficient attention
The shipbuilders themselves have given coun-
tenance to these allegations by seeming to ig-
more the efforts of our Congressman in their
behalf andiexhibiting feeling OF dissatsiac-
ion with what has been done or appearing not
to be conscious that anything has been done.
We have been moved to investigate this mat
ter somewhat with view to determine wheth-
er the men to whom the people have entrust-
ed the care of their interests are SO recreant to
their duty and deserve the lash that is SO vig-
orously applied.
The specific thing that our shipbuilders re-
quire Congress to do in order to secure 10
them an opportunity to compete with some
chance of success with foreign builders, is to
allow drawback on imported material enter
ing into the construction of vessels (iron, cord
age, sheathing &c., equal to the amount of
duty levied on the same. That, on the whole,
appears to be the surest and most practicable
means of stimulating this prostrate branch Of
industry and raising the United States once
more to its normal position as leading mari
time nation. To support the charge against
our Congressman it is necessary to show that
two questions can be properly answered in
the negative: Did they devise this scheme !?
Have they faithfully kept it before the body to
which they belong, supporting it as occasion
offered by suitable arguments and by forci-
Bile presentation of the facts in the case?
The record shows that both these questions
must be answered. in the affirmative. The
scheme for allowance of drawbacks originated
in Congress, and the record of single mem
Der, Mr.. Lynch of this district, will show how
faithfully the subject has been followed up
from session to session. At the first session of
the 39th Congress Mr.. Lynch introduced res
olutions, called the attention of Congress to
the decline in cur commercial marine, and a
bal providing for the allowance of drassbacks
on shipbuilding material. Up to that time
there had not been shipbuilders or shipown-
ers' convention held within the limits of the
United States, nor had any memorial been ad
dressed to Congress on the matter embodied
in the resolutions and bill introduced by our
Representative. Immediately Gttercdrds how
ever, and it would seem, in response to the ef-
fort put forth at Washington, convention
was held at Au yusta and delegates were sent
from that body to the Capital to spur up our
delinquent" representatives there. At the
same time memorials were poured in from
Maine, New York, Pennsylvania and other
parts of the country, beseeching Congress to
take measures to prevent the utter annihila-
ton of American commerce. AT every subse-
quent session of Congress till the present, Mr.
Lynch has had the subject referred to the ap-
propriate standing committee, but without fa-
vorable results. Abandoning that plan he has
now secured the appointment of special COM
mittee of nine (and strong one) of which he
thoroughly investigating the causes of the de-
cay of American shipping and reporting to the
House an appropriate remedy.
EIn giving this resume of the efforts of the
Representative from the first district in behalf
of our shipping inte rest, having as in duty
bound watched him more narrowly than the
rest, we desire to detract nothing from the
value of the services of the other members of
the Maine delegation. We believe they have
all, both Senators, and Representatives, had
the interests of their constituents at heart and
have proved their faith by their works.
That the efforts of New England Congress
men in this direction have failed, is we have al
ways believed, susceptible Of an easy explain
alton. The allowance of drawbacks would be
an act of generosity on the part of the South
and West of which those sections of the coun-
try are not capable, and of which they cannot
fairly be expected to be capable. Protection
is the policy which our rulers in their wisdom
have established as one which is calculated to
insure, ON the whole the best results to the
whole country. Special interests must suffer
in consequence-and many people suppose
that all interests suffer. Waving the general
question of the utility of the protectionst poll
cy, it is clear that those who oppose it are able
to adduce specious arguments against the COM
plications and the confusion resulting from an
attempt to relieve particular branches of in
dustry from the necessary results of that poll
cy. To demand either for bounties or draw
backs as an indemnity for the pressure of the
tariff upon any class, they reply that these
classes must take their chances with the rest,
and that relief must be sought through radi-
cal modification Of our financial policy. 1t is
true that conclusive answer to these repre-
sentations is afforded by the fact that the COM
merce of the country is intimately connected
with the prosperity OF all classes, and that it
suffers from the high tariff in an exceptional
degree. But the answer is not needed BY
those whose jealousy and local prejudices are
excited and who suppose themselves adversely
interested.
Though not entirely germane to the special
phase of the subject we have just considered,
the suggestions contained in the following ex-
tract from an article in the last number of the
Galaxy from the pen OF Admiral d. d. Porter,
will be found of interest Steam navigation is
the subject he has particularly in view, and his
idea of buying foreign vessels may yet be ac-
cepted, if Congress cannot by any means be
induced to give shipbuilders such relief as will
enable us to build them ourselves:
We should commence now to prepare for the
great commercial struggle that is to come aid
our government should at once hold out in
ducements to our merchants to start new lines
Congress ought even (for the present) to with
draw the restrictions with regard to buying
foreign vessels, and let us purchase the fastest
and best steamers that can be built en- the
Clyde, sinee owing to the high duties impos-
ed on articles used in shipbuilding, it is i'm
possible for us to compete with foreign ship
constructors in building either steamer or sail
ing vessels. The steamers now run by the
French are English built and of superior con-
struction to the old style of vessels Why,
then, should we not adopt the same class Of
vessels and drive both French and English
from the track?
1t may be selfish consideration to wish to
deprive our neighbors of a share of the profits
OF the carrying trade, when there are appar-
ently enough for all but as this trade OF right
belongs to US we should never allow such re-
fection to be cast upon our enterprise as to
permit any other nation to snatch the rich
prize from our grasp
line power OF nation is measured bv its
commercial prosperity, as NAV he illustrated
by that little iron-bound island Enoland
which dictates laws to the maritime y1orld
and constantly holds the balance of trade
against all other nations. As a military ,o,uD
err she is respected by all the world ana poMo wv
holds, commercially, the same position tbot
we could hold if we would take ADVANTAGE of
the opportunities that are and will be thrown
in our way.
Our shipbuilding interests are so much neg
lected that the sound of the ship-carpenter's