The Portland daily press., 1870-03-18

lose, hity to a hundred millions in the same
way, ana the question is whether we in Maine
snail get any of the benefit of it.
we submit to an intelligent public that
TINS Is "puerile." The three millions derived
from the tonnage tax, as it is to be adjusted,
comes almost wholly from foreigners, as we
explained before. Mr.. Pike would have cred
ulous peoble believe that a loss of revenue
derived from foreign shipowners is to be re-
garded as the same thing as the Gloss" arising
| from reduction of taxes resting solely on
our own people.
But here is something that caps the climax
of absurdity, and must cause the Bath ship
| owners to feel great respect for Mr.. Pike:
He concludes his paragraph with remark
to which call your attention; and that is,
| that under the new bill our ships will pay
the tonnage tax "each time they enter" BY
| this construction an American ship under
register, moving from Portland to Boston,
would be obliged to pay the tax. There were
| troubles of this sort under the law of 1862.
and our shipowners were sorely grieyed bv
them. Ii the new law is to repeat the same
grievances, they will not deem it cause of
consratulation, although the editor of the
rhEss seems to do so. / incline to think the
construction is right, and if so it is an obiec.
tion 10 the bill, to which l would call the a.
tention of Bath ship owners
Inc PRESS never gave the bill such con-
struction, nor would it be so construed by an
intelligent and honorable person. When we
SAID "other classes of vessels paid the tax
every time they entered we neither said nor
intended to say all other vessels, but some
others, viz, those engaged in the transatlan-
tic trade. The obnoxious provision of the
law of 1862 was long since repealed and there
Is nothing in the proposed bill to revive it,
From this point Mr.. Pike becomes so OBJ
scure that it is not worth while to follow
MN. lie talks wildly of the infamous copper
tariff bill against which all our Senators and
Representatives but Mr.. Blaine voted, but
While we join him in execrating that meas
ure, we cannot see the relation he attempts
to establish between it and the question I'M
der consideration. Neither have we any in
terest in his speculations as to what Mr..
Lynch's colleagues will do. The shipbuilders
and shipowners of ihaine, the Legislature of
Maine and the newspaper press of Maine
have declared with substantial unanimity in
favor not only of relief for our commerce but
for the specific measures recommended by
the special committee. Members of Con-
gress in the light of these facts will be in no
doubt as to the wishes of their constituents.
Mr.. Pike gives the committee no credit for
reporting against the proposition to admit
foreign vessels to American registry. From
the tone of his English letters we infer that
he favors that proposition for making the des-
olatlon OF cur shipyards perpetual, though
from motives of prudence he withholds his
views on that point.
lie need not fear that his efforts to prevent
the realization Of the hopes of Maine ship
builders will pass unnoticed and uncredited.
His motives are obvious He wants to be
Governor, Senator and we know not what
else. He has begun again at the foot of the
political ladder, and for the purpose of getting
on he feels that he must in some way make
himself conspicuous. We are sorry to dis
courage an aspiring young man, but we assure
him that it is no use. He has committed the
objectionable political sin by trying to de-
bauch the minds of the people by instructing
them that debt may honorably be paid of
promises to pay. No man who has deliber-
ately given way to his demagogue impulses in
this manner can ever again attain high official
position by the suffrages of the people in
Maine,