New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-30
THE AMERICAN MERCANTILE MARINE.

our mercantile tonnage, and the necessity
of some legislative measures to revive it.
There are two points on which the Presl-
dent insists with considerable emphasis
one that the freigbts paid to foreign vessels
are absolutely lost to the country, as much
SO as if the money were cast into The sea;
and the other that mercantile marine is
SO important an auxiliary to the navy that
1t renders costly naval establishment to
some extent unnecessary. In Illustration
of the second point he refers to some con-
spicuous and suggestive facts. At the
commencement of the late war the navy
consisted Of less than one hundred vessels,
OF about $50 goo tons, and with force OF
5000 men. while the government drew
from the N mercantile marine six hundred
vessels, of more than q million tons, and
carrying about 10000 men. These facts,
the President says. demonstrate the value
of the merchant marine as a means of
national defense in time of war
Ia this view there can be no dissent
from the Presidents opinion. The mer-
chant marine is the nursery of seamen as
we'll for the peaceful pursuits of commerce
as for the conflicts Of war, as well of the
bold and enterprising mariners, who dare
the tempestuous seae ard steer their
prows across the extended ocean to bring
from distant lands the products OF alien
industry as of the great discoveries who
have linked their names with the wonders
Of geographical exploit and of the heroes
who have made maritime warfare Illus
trious in history. The countries which
have obtained the empire Of the seas, have
always been those countries in which the
commercial spirit has been most highly
developed, and in which a commercial
navy has furnished the seamen who have
triumphed in time of war. This is the
history of Venetian and Genoese suprem.
Acy during the middle ages, of the brief
but brilliant episode OF the Dutch mari
time domination few centuries later; of
the preponderance England on the seas
for the last two hundred years, and of the
marvellous naval efforts made by the
United States during the recent war.
So far therefore. the President is forti-
flea in his views by history, and by theory
generalized from the facts Of history. 1t
is true, likewise, that country in which
the commercial spirit is in a state of
decadence, and in which the carrying trade
is in procession Of transference to the
hands of foreigners, is in a fair way to lose
whatever of maritime strength and energy
it may have possessed. and of risking de-
feat in any encounter with frst-class
naval power. And this, according to the
testimony, is now the position of
the United States whereas, before
the war tTo-thirds of our foreign trade
was conducted in American bottoms, now
The foreign tonnage preponderates and is
daily assuming larger proportions. The
fact has been noticed and commented on
by the press; it has been ably discussed
by Mr.. Wells in his late report to Con
gress; by committee of the present
House of Representatives, and is now
made The subject of o special Presidential
The questions which force
on the attention of the country
are, then, is this stale of affairs an evil,
and if so, what are it's causes, and how
can they be removed ? Here we regret
that the President has contented himself
with ascertainiDg the facts and adopting
he suggestions of the committee without
inquiry how far the causes which have
operated SO disastrously on the American
shipping interest may be removed, and
whether the remedy proposed by the COM
nittee would not be rather an aggravation
han mitigation of the evil.
1t is undeniably true that, in a certain
sense, the money paid for freights. wheth-
er to foreigners or citizens, is lost, mas
much as it adds to the cost OF the article
carried, without increasing its exchange
.ble value. But the fact that the money
5 paid to foreigners proves simply that
oreigners now build and sail ships more
heaply than we can build and sail them,
md, consequently, it Lis to our interest to
hip in foreign rather than in American
bottoms. If this were the normal result
# natural causes, it would not, Justly, be a
source of complaint, and would not call
or special remedy. But the truth is, it is
he result of abnormal and artificial causes.
The decline of American commerce and
he decadence of American shipping are,
due to the protective system,
which taxes every article entering into the
construction of ship to such an extent
hat American ship building has been
irtually destroyed. 1t is cheaper now
o buy a ship in the British provin-
es than to build one in Maine or
New York, and it is still cheaper
o ship our products in foreign bottoms.
To adopt the subsidy system would only |
ggravate the evil by multiplying the OBJ
ects of governmental intervention, by i'll
erfering with the results which necessa-
lily flow from the system we have adopted,
md which furnish partial escape from its
,ernicious consequences, and by taxing
he general Industry of the country to re-
stablish special industry which has be |
ONE Improbable. The true plan is to
esort to the plain and simple principle of
and TO abandon the !
oppressive system which has ruined our