The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-03-24

compelled to pay from S20, 900, GOO TO
S3O, ,OOO, 600 annually, exclusive Of pas
sage money, which we should share
with other nations. to foreigners for
doing what should be done By Ameri-
can owned and American manned yes
sells. This is a direct drain upon the
resources of the country Of as much
money, an0 is equal to casting il into
the sea. So far as the nation Is con-
cerned-a nation of vast and ever IN
creasiDg interior resource5-the Uni
ted States, extending as 1t does from
enc TO the other of the great oceans
of the world-with an industrious,
intelligent and energetic population,
must one day possess its full share OF
the commerce of these oceans. No
matter what is cost, delay will only
increase this cost, and enhance the
difficulty Of attaining the result /,
therefore, pat IN an earnest. plea for
action On this matter In way to Sc
cure an increase of American com
merce. The advanced period of the
year and the fact that no contraet for
ship building will proba bly, be en-
tered into until this question is set
tied 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 for an
other year, induces me to request
your early consideration of this sub
jeet. regard it Of such grave i'm
portanee, affecting every interest of
3 81
that any method which will gain the
end will secure rich national bless
ing-building ships, and navigating
and utilizing the vast capital at home.
This business employs thousands of
workmen IN their construction and
manning; il creates a home market
for the products Of the farm and
shop; it diminisbes the balance of
trade against the United States pre-
cisely to the extent of freights
and passage money paid to American
vessels, and give the United States a
supremacy upon the seas of inestima-
BILE value in case of foreign war.
Our navy at the commencement of
the late war consisted Of less than one
hundred vessels Of about 1900 tons,
and a force Of about 5000 men.
We drew from the merchant marine,
which had cost the Government moth
ing, but which had been a source Of
national wealth, six hundred vessels,
exceeding one million tons, and about
seventy thousand men, TO aid in the
suppression Of the rebellion. This
statement demonstrates the value of
the merchant marine as a nation
al defense in time Of war. The
Committee on the case of the re-
duction of American tonnage, after
tracing the cause of its decline,
submit two bills. Their report shows
with great minuteness the actual and
comparative American tonnage at the
time of its greatest prosperity, and ac-
tual aud comparative decline since,
together with the causes; and exhib-
its other statistics of material interest
in reference to the subject. As the
report is before Congress, | will not
recapitulate any of its statistics, but l
refer oaly to the methods recon-
mended by the Committee to give
back to US our lost commerce. As a
general rule, il can be adopted. |
believe that a direct money subsi-
dy is less liable to abuse than
the indirect aid given to the
same enterprise. In this case. how
ever, my opinion is that subsidies,
while they may be given to specific
lines of steamers or other vessels,
should not be exclusively adopted,
but in addition to subsidiziDg very
desirable lines of ocean traffic, a gen.
eral assistance should be given IN an
effective way; and therefore L com
mend to your favorable consideration,
the two bills proposed by the Com
mittee, and referred to in this
message.
[Signed. U. S. GRANT.
Executive Mansion, March %, 1870.