The Portland daily press., 1870-03-24
WASHINGTON.
Message of the President
ON THE
Decline Of American Commerce.

WASHINGTON, March 23-The following is
the message of the President in relation to the
decline OF American commerce.:
In the Executive Message of Dec. 6, 1869, to
Congress, the importance OF taking steps to re.
vive our decaying merchant marine was urged i,
and special message was promised at future
day during the present session, recommending
more specifically plans to accomplish this re-
suit. Now that the Committee of the House
of Representatives entrusted with the labor of
ascertalning the GAUGE of the decline of Amer1-
can commerce has completed its work and
submitted its report to the legislative branch
of the government, l deem this fitting time
to execute that promise.
The very able, calm and exhaustive report
of the Committee points out the grave wrongs
which have produced the decline in our COM
merce 1t is a national humiliation that we
are now compelled to pay from twenty to thir-
ty millions Of dollars annually, exclusive of
passage money, which we should share with
other nations, to foreigners for doing work
which should be done by American owned and
American manned Is. This is a direct
drain upon the resources of the country of just
SO much money, and equal to casting it into
the sea SO far as the nation is concerned.
nation of the vast and ever increasing resour-
ces of the U nited States, extending as it does
from one to the other of the great oceans of
the world, with its industrious, intelligent and
energetic population, must one day possess
full share of the commerce of these oceans, no
matter at what cost. Delay will only increase
the cost and enhance the difficulty of obtain
ing that result.
1 therefore put in an earnest plea for early
action in the matter in way to secure the in
crease of American commerce. The advanced
period of the YER and the fact that no contract
Tor shipbuilding will probably be entered into
until the question is settled by Congress, and
the further fact that if there should be much
delay all large vessels contracted for this year
will fail of completion before winter sets in,
and will therefore be carried over another
year, induces me to request your early cOnsid-
Grafton OF this subject I regard it of such
grave importance, affecting every interest of
the country to 50 great an extent that any
method which will gain this end will secure
the national blessing of building ships and
navigating them, and utilizing vast capital at
home. This business employs thousands of
workmen in constructing and manning il;
creates home market for the produce of the
farm and shop; it dminishes the balance of
trade against us precisely to the extent of
treights and passage money paid to American
vessels, and gives US supremacy upon the seas
OF iuestimable value in case of foreign war.
Our navy at the commencement Of the late
war consisted OF less than 100 vessels OF about
5000 tons and force of about 5000 mep.-
We drew from the merchant marine, which
had cost the government nothing, but which
had been q source of natural wealth, 6OO ves-
sells, exceeding one million tons, and about TO-
600 men, to aid in the suppression of the re-
bellion. This statement demonstrates the value
al defence in time of war. The committee on
the cause of the reduction of American ton
mage, after investigating the cause OF its de-
cline submit two bills, which if adopted, they
believe, will restore to the nation its maratime
power. Their report shows with great minute
ness the actual and comparative American ton
mage at the time of its greatest prosperity and
the actual and comparative decline since, to-
gether with the causes, and exhibits other sta
tistics of material interest in reference to the
subject. As the report is before Congress
will not recapitulate any of its statistics, but
refer only to the methods recommended by the
committee to give back 20 us our lost COM
merce. As general rule it can be adopted.
l believe that direct money subsidy is less
liable to abuse than indirect aid given to the
same enterprise. In this case, however, my
opinion is that subsidies, while they may be
given to specific lines of steamers or other ves-
sells, should not be exclusively adopted, but in
addition to subsidiziug every desirable line of
ocean traffic general assistance should be given
in an effective way; and. therefore commend to
your favorable CO nsideration the two bills pro-
posed by the committee a nd referred to in this
message.
(SignedO U. S. GRANT.