The New York herald., 1870-04-29
Our Commercial nInrinr.

up to an apparently needless Congress, that
the subject seems almost threadbare. Its
Importance, however, is such that it cannot
DO overlooked without great and permanent
injury to our prosperity and greatness. Oar
| ship yards are deserted. and tho skilful
mechanics who have produced the many
beautiful vessels which were once the glory
and pride of America are seeking other
employment driven to it by lack Of work in
the departments to which they have devoted
| their best energies and taleats. The fact Of
the decay, nay almost total wreck, Of our COM
merce being admitted, let us look into some of
the causes Of this prostration so humiliating
to our national pride aud so disastrous to our
prosperity. Tae main cause was undoubtedly
tao results of the piiatical cruises OF the
Alabama and other English built Confederate
prvateers, not 80 much from the number of
vessels which they actually destroyed as from
| those that they drove into the service Of other
nations. Our fast clippers were obliged to
take refuge under tho English and other
foreign flags, and we who could not protect
them have ever since kept the door shut in
their faces when they sought to come back to
their old allegiance. by our short-sighted-
ness in this respect we have driven the vast
bulk of our immen o carrying trade into the
hands of our old commercial rival, and che
has been prompt to profit by il. by her
liberal registration laws, and the many advan-
tayes she offers to shipowners in the way Of
procuring stores, she has taken our trade
| from US.
| After centuries Of experience as the first
maritime nation OF the world her policy is to
encourage her shipping interests to the
greatest extent. A large and powerful navy,
| constantly cruising over the globe, is ready to
resent any insult offered to her flag her
Merchantmen, secure in the national protec-
! ton it affords them, are to b. found every
| where. Her laws protect the sailor in every
way, noble hospitals are ready to receivs the
disabled tar, and the coast guard is kept up
mainly to afford C refuge for deserving officers
and sailors for in country where SO many
articles ere on ths free list smuggling il an
Improbable business. Her naval officers are
sure of q liberal pension, and the nation makes
their children its wards. Her slips ar, per-
mitted to draw all their stores out of bond
free of any duty, and in every way she is
always seeking to help and foster her shipping
interests. Liberal subsidies encourage enter
prise, and the result is that Great Britain
stands to-day before the world with the most
powerful military aud commercial marine in
| existence.
| ~ A.
| own short-sighted policy! ltwould SEEM that
our lawgiyers thought that going TO sea was
the most foolish of all pursuits, aud it was
their duty to discourage any Americans from
pursuing go senseless a calling. Instead
of literally encouraging shipbuilding, as
England has found it Ler policy to do,
they have placed every obstacle in the
way of the man who toolishy attempts to
send q specimen Of his country's skill
to other lands. Instead of trying to in
duce men to submit themselves to long and
laborious training to fit them for serving their
country aAoat they try to disgust the few naval
| officers we possess by constant and conflicting
legislation regarding their pay and posi-
tioa BY heavy taxation Of every
article that enters into the construction
| Of vessel they seek to render the
the shipwrights' an obsolete occupation. BY
niggardly Withholding the money necessary
to keep up our navy yards and to repair our
men-of-war they seem determined to let our
cruisers rot in the yards, so that we shall no
longer be put to the expense Of manning them.
By way of protecting American interests
abroad and vndicating the national honor
they put down our navy SO that foreigners
laugh at our threats, and thus the American
Consul, who is the accredited agent of this great
country, was actually afraid the other day to
go ashore in Cuban port. Dor particulars
see the case Of Consul Phillips in the port OF
Santiago de Cuba. In carrying out this policy
they viii doubtless give Farragut and Porter
the same lesson they gave to Sherman and
Sheridan the other day, by telling them, prac-
tically, that they are Of no use, and are only
tolerated in their present positions in obe-
dience to popular sympathy. Where England
would give man rank, position and wealth,
as token of the national gratitude for his SER
vices, we give him command, it is true, and
then, by way of honoripg him, go to work and
cut down that command in every way, and
finally tell him that the position he has fairly
wrung from us by his cxertions don't amount
to anything after all, thus adding another
illustration to the provcrbial ingratitude o.
republics. Now, putting aside the question O
justice or gratitude, is all this good policy9 Il
| II wisa tn drive work from our shiD wards ? /.
it good policy to give England our once large
and fourishing carrying trade? Can we afford
to see our power laughed at, our representa-
tives insultedp Can we, staggering under az
enormous debt, afford to drive stream O
wealth from our shores by fo3lishly forbiddins
the springs from which it grows to dow here
Have we lost our once sensitive pride il