, 1870-03-24

calaka, Ill r
THURSDAY, MARCH II. 1S't
srFAN6H1P 6UBsID1Ea c
On, o.tY,11eut San Francisco fc1fesI'onu- +
c,t in his lettey published n few days since, /
s.,tn. ,hn. the necessity for steamship +
linz, letuc4u ,ha, port and Australia is 50 +
nr,ssinc that, unless an American line il !
established at once, there will be British .
ore: a1,l that, to avert this calamity, the
merchants of California have petitioned
t,.,n,,reso TO vote subsidy Of money to
Support and sustain al American line. Our
correspondent has fallen into the error Of
surprising that there is any glory or any
rru.it In taxing the forty millions of people
of the United States to enable private
car~,y.1s,on to run steamships upon the
,s.s1,, IL prevent John Bnll from doing it
traits. There are now eight or ten private
Companies hefore Congress asking for
money. or public lands, 10 enable them to
build steamships, and sal them between
varions parts of the world and the United
States They assume that there il an obli-
gation upon the part Of the government to
see that there are American steamships en-
gagged in commerce, nnd that it is |
the duty of Congress to tax the |
lands and the labor, and the product
of the people. to mise money to pay these
steamship companies profit On their pro-
posed :p5cs:r.e er: I: :hefe were nuJ- 'ack
~ vrssels whc1 :. we ..s'nld ro21ruLs.lt:.ss'
wi1t FIrupe, asta, - ther parts - TIKI
world, there might te some frete11 fog
such TN appeal, hut the fact il that
there are as many steamers engaged in the
Atlantic commerce as can find profitable en-
rv,Msnt. The commerce Of the Western
rivers las likewise run down, though
1;at fvr tie same causes IS upon the
ocean. Where there were once twenty
steamers hearing 1.-The American flag on
the oh;n. tie Mississippi. the Missouri. aud
The lIIinois. there is now hardly oue. Ought
Congress. by l1,esal contributions ont Of the
Treasury, 10 l,uill steamboats, for private
cunran;es, and par them 30 much trip in
o.,.er tn make them profitable: How long
would the country submit to be taxed for
any such purpose?
In 1851, and during the subsequent
wears of the wAr. under the pre.enco Of pro
yitiing revenue for the government, Con-
c7ess imposed such enormous taxes upon
everything entering into the construction
of shi,,s, whether Of wood or iron,
that American ship-huilding, once un
equaled, after vain struggle, ceased
and the business was transferred to England
There has never been a day since then
when TINT once gigantic industry might no
he revived hy simply removing this crush
ing and unnecessary ta1ation, the Who'll
revenue from which does not exceed 81
5Oo,ooo ycaz. The ship-y yards c1ist, skille
labor is ut hand, the capital is ready, bu
the ta1-gnthe1er is there TO demand sevent,
I've cents per dollar on the value OF Il
Materials To revive this industry, to p
every hhip-yard in active motion. and stea1
crs, bearing the American flag, upon eve
ocean, as before, I'LL that is needed Is to I
move the ta1 which yields scarcely any re
euue, hut which prohibits the tulling
an American ship. Pennsylvania has ir
to sell, mud Michigan copper, and ot
States wood. and canvas, and screwa, q
belts, and paints, and glass, and these ins
that there shall be no reduction Of taxati
and that ship-building shnl become
art in this country.
A committee of Congress has been
session for nearly year, considering
matter, and dsvisiug remedy. It
mnde report which is, without except
the most aggravating and unstatesnan
document that has been laid before
rr-aes d,,riup the mast FIVE yaASa. II