, 1869-12-13
Minority Report on the Decline OF
American Commerce.

Itrk:
GENTLEMEN: The undersigned, being minority
OF The ttulmt!tee appointed ty Jour prestden.
upon "The Decline ef American Coum.rce and
it, Remedy,' te9 Leave to submit as iollows:
:, Ne snall dwell very briefly upon the ca1sea
follows:
F1rst. Tie superiority OF iron over wood; Iron
c.1rsihg 1aluabe caEgoes that In ports Where
these SLIPS are offered wooden vessels cannot OBJ
ten frs'f Us in competition With them
Next, the rapid lLcfe1Ee 0I freight carrying
atea1ners built ID EnEiand-yessels that carr large
carsoes a1u sail economically.
The !aptl ltc!ca.e Of there sn1py has become q
VIC nn5e rot Inlly rta!ized tie ehsrSe. bat hive
hecn fd9ktE Z forward 10 the time when oar S1uth.
trn cotton crop 1houid n:tsin lib former dii1en-
k!ous, Wnen We ANTICIPATED teTivHl IT our b1,!-
Et'F. OFT exp: ctat!ots II reEald ~ tie crop OF
rotten hfsc been 1h,s yea- rellizcd IN. 70: 10 oar
lCpfs 5or ta'itnH Tes4els-
T. to tie Lands Of Steam s@c!s. Where formerly
& alarGe Eeet Of hEiss AID nsrks found employment,
scarcely any now are required. -
Tee A1lat1ic Ocean rf4i7lc between the Cri:ed
s'atst aid Eu!optan nations has Rote almost en-
1irefy !1to the halds OF foreign htesEshps, hlch
which they ply With railroad speed, a1d dong ne
t1sr1c so chtarly inst danBg much Of the yeal
tEe5 carry neIcs asdlse tnore caeapIJ than aa'ing
Afan, thring he past tventy years ne hive
had conttanl:y Increasing trade aro1nd Cape
H0rh to San Franci<co: but the recent compilation
thai u1de Is sooa to dH,ntile 10 nrca smaller
Fnepea :, e. s M,fks Is na IN
htcst 5 on g:ven to aaui0g snips il the openlag
Of the Suez Canal This 1uute Il eMinently s1,.a.
5s fos tor esss s,1 "a eo11
do a' tie hnf!uees that has heretofore foGnd
ita aaT AROUND the Cape o. Good Hppe-a much
leEs touraee doing The laue nCa:rcss.
Lastly. AIuSrlCAI GhtDpluU 1fCcA fha Eff3ftDn
cut OF the war has had TO bear many Eose burdens
than helc1e, s1ch a n!ea.pr!ced I.oor, sosero-
1ent lztes, and the iccresied COS: Of MI the sup
IAe: LecestafJ TOT Fessel's ourte-
HoEeEef, It VII! be uleless !oEger 70 de!alu the
charter with a recital or caGsea ~
n1rds Of Al that the patient Ia sick, very cS 2ad
l. TIE vital question Is sne question Of remed5.
Ipen tlis point, = vi be 5eea, Jonr CON 2,:,ee
fail to agree entirely, and t11 Il accoIiIagly PFC
sen:cd 70 yoa IS the minority report.
The nrst sEsVes1ion to our plan for restoring our
70 s original Ia embodied
klonize the prejudice exiting IN the minds OF
GONE against the admission Of the an.ps OF o.acg
IL deta e tie tor tae
Ne p1esane ii is uzquestonably held that tn..
coucfrJ should co1ttu1c - be q cuunercsal one,
and continue 10 OVID sh:pr. i l. also unque<t:ona.
blc that Great BEt1in to-day with ne1 iron vessel.
holds et;rclr the uade OF many portions ct tne
| vof:,' Ietus, therefore, 50 bsck and conal:el
Tie s;uestoa n the Ugh: Of the experience Q: thai
con: try during the past twenty EearA
We Anow that when the pats ID nsr Free N2E.1a.
tloD Law Eht 11 1t at tiE,e when We had alfe al
| reached and c2xIeo her In ou1 mercantile Eati2e
| We controlled a1t the trade bc:weel New fo:i
ND Liverpool, and iosr.ciths Of the Whole fo.ets1
higher 1aies OF freight tt2n those Of any otne
Eation. Our failing ahIps were the nnest tha
sailed he ocean. md their sails wn!tered ever:
II asy oze vii take the trouble to read for him
te1' The debates IN Periament aud among tn
s:!e w s1e a: rsss Sc
t1osc days believed that commerce to rours!
must be free. Aud has not the experience Q
Wien ihs. 1 aes WIZ KS r.s:ed, @ " were ,.r1ua
masters Ct tic carrying trade. which re had take
Possession OF through superior snnsy ami superio
Yet Great Britain had then, Is now, her cnea
labor and chaap material oesdes m imueuss &C
Fl 6oW tse tse:s e2ss 4 III
have ayalled previous to the passage Of MS aet:
iS5 aSt :,
guano l0o.n Fern and 1ca5o, By the CALIFORNIA;
and Australian trade, and By the eVer-l1creasin
!: After isl the shipping interest contlnuee to b
, less and less repune1at1ye; when the war bzoK
CUT the decline 1as Of eourae much more narket
, causes, We reached our present. STATE.
I All tna time the ocean steamers Of Engan
bare been inc1eas!n9, and during this time 10
favor. iron ships with non mssta, irnn Yard
and iron rtgginr are the order Of the day. and II
/ conviction te forced upon ~ th1t iron is 70 ~
:. TIE place Of Wood, and steamers Of eaiing re
see!ng the benert derived by Great Britain no
3 arises. might not the United states dcstre almn
: | advantage from free trade IN snlps. Il seems
vs Ssa1 e. seh T9pa s b me sa1e
1 on the globe; VIC should ee placed On an eqn
= footing as TO INST cost; NC should hare the ma
| ~ hnttgfRr4 cfrT}N NfTH tn
!, such aid ~ II ts also proposed By Jour cammlst
\ 10 furnish them, ships al as Low pr1ce as any G
;, We would ihen ~ enter + ,ne ned Win every .
!. reasoaablJ doa6t that lie American nag won
!. of ' lie 1orla as taaI ei England.
). The sn,p-hu.ldine tn,erest has always thus
5 nproAsd ths doctrine of nee sn,ns, ca.mlsS y
~ that Etase seerns literally to be growing IN NIX
r. shiryards OF our land, and from the testimony 9
= tafinx steam engines and everything in irun 6
~ nectod with Ahps We learn that hist btaoca OF
= business i also rapidly going 70 ruin. Il seen
Z; frem that which nas been pursued is necessal
!. Tonr coumitteo therefore propose that = ora
10 oack OF t1e amount q re dnH pay npon AZ
i built shal! be allowed to the builder By she g
~ etnment, OF, a. better preventive Of ffand+ u
70 70 upon ese1J ton Of shipping bnlt under cert
IT This pan places lie American hip-oui!der ~
~ par with nia competitor IN any country, And
~; supremacy upon the seas Of the world lot the
M M Of the United States, stat nag Eced be borne
II. rcreIKn-built vessels but for Tety few years.
m 1t Is further proposed 10 petition Conkless +
~ change IN the bonded warehouse system 10 81
~. vessels stores 70 be taken from bond, taua sA1
IA the vessel the daty.
- -; Al Q1e Of your committee, had hoped that
~ question OF suba1es might be left to ,afe care
~ Itself, feeling that no good to the general tnte
~ would come from that source, bur - II appear
~ be It earded BY one Of the committee As o1 8
49, | importance, and BY the other IS OF paramount
~ INK upon the queat1on Of the revival OF Amer
1asU | couKerce, As one, take the ground thai, =
rea ever Congress does IN the way OF boon1'es Pug
md les, or drawbacks, must be done II toe lnset:
nv ereI5 citizen interested in navigation: the enc
srs sn aRemtut must be made to operate with the +
"'e equality "a the dsaeTes bounty.
AuuAl0n u frequently U1ate TO the great enc
aRenelt Elren to ouf raIlro2d INES o. aaosla's
IN ID the case OF the Pacito Raifrpada tnink
lsY, | The peop1e and the government hxye ahun
sin reasop alread to be uatiy alarmed at the greas
to danger oua influence of the enormous y 31op
to already existing without desiring to add to
d / / few more Futh influences and We shall the
a1l; subsidlxtnG With q vengeA1ca-
Ion Is no consideration to be glyen to the l3fSs
our yestIent which We nov have In ship proPe
ulu Are We to sacrifice The interest OF Il! 6nan
ora, owne1a to q few monster moropoa!es Al
tais ypupR men. full OF enteIpti1e and ambition,
rom toid that Il they now W1sh Any participate
nd American co%merc11 tnreTsss M tnsJ mass ss set
lads :o1efy member fnF sub1ldy, 1nd diving g
u It dsDths Ct mAmess and bribery TO aocom
tas w Wntn ine future Of our commerce depep
Il: tS'. &c osea 70" oensh''a aha We 10
ii. Pzs1asah aeau ibis subject u -