The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-03-11
Hon, r. a. Pike ON Maine skipping.

appended to letter dated WASHINGTON,
March 4th, in which the writer SAYS Shaving
half hours leisure to-day 1 sent tor Mr..
Lynch's bills for the relief of our navigation
interest" He adds.
Mr.. Lynch's report from his select COM
mute IS net yet printed but, judging from the
extracts from it that have seen in the pa
pers, the committee seem to have done much
lntei'gent labor aud the renewed present
ment they Rave made OF the condition and
prospects Of this fright arm of our national
prosperity" cannot fail to have beneficial in
nuence. But the mode OF RELIEF indicated is
IN some respects a serious disappointment TO
me, and it is because 1 deem the proposed
laws detrimental to our Maine interests that
call your attention to them.
Then the writer, after this somewhat os-
tentatious prelude, makes the single poinI
that the tonnage tax is burdensome and n
equitable one, and that MIR. Lynch's Commit
tee recommend its retention. AS an aggrava-
ton of this offence he suggests that bounties
or subsidies are granted to vessels engaged six
months of the year in the foreign trade
Concisely and fairly stated his objection to
the Congressional plan is that Maine coasters.
foreign trade, are nevertheless to continue
subject to the same duty ofthirty cents ton,
while the latter class of ships are assisted by
liberal subsidies.
Though perhaps not germane to the sub
ject, we cannot refrain from indulging in
few preliminary speculations.
When man is on the point of upsetting a
scheme which is based upon investigations
covering many months in time and prose-
cuted at the commercial centres of the coun-
try-when he focalizes the powers of his in
tellect on matter that has been presented
to the country by a Congressional committee
representing nearly all parts ofthe Union, not
only in an exhaustive report, but in 237 pa
ges Of testimony and 40 pages of carefully
prepared statistical tables, the material hay
ing been collected in Portland, Boston, Phila-
delphia and Washington-when he under
tskes to do all this. why does he further add
to the appalling difficulties of the task by CIV
ing the matter only "leisure half hours"
attention some pleasant fourth of March9 Is
he anxious 10 display his skill in intellectual
gymnastics? Is he charmed with the picture
of mis- sitting careIessly down, taking his ease
in bis inn, and maenifcenty Sending for"
Mr.. Lynch's poor little bills?
Mr.. Lynch presented his report accompa-
MED by the bills in question On the 18th of
February. The next morning it appeared
in full In the PRESS, and the other leading
papers Of the country. F. A. P. on the fourth
OF March has heard nothing of the report, and
utterly ignores its plantations
that would have saved him his half hour for
some more pleasant trife than annihiating
the report of Congressional Committee. II
the date has been marked US" and if the
letter was really written on the 4th of Feb
ruary, why is it published now, containing as
it does objections that are neutralized by the
report that has since appeared?
But never mind these mysteries. Let us
see if there is any force il F. A. P.'s asser-
ton that Mr.. Lynch's bills discriminate
against Maine shipping.
First, The tonnage tax of 80 cents ton
is not, as everybody knows, an imposition de-
vised by the Committee. 1t is merely one of
the burdens of shipping that they are PIE
vented from removing by circumstances
which they fully explain. If "F. A. p" had
been so fortunate as to have a leisure hour,
instead of half an hour, he would have learn
ed from the report that the removal of this
tax from our own vessels would have necessi
tated the removal of the same from foreign
vessels entering our ports, haing from coun-
tries that accord no such privileges TO ou,
vessels in their ports. The loss would be
somo three millions of dollars, which it is pro-
posed to use In assisting our struggling mer.
chant marire which is embarrassed by foreign
competition more than by all else. Would
he have foreign nations empowered to tax
our vessels dd ibitua, while their vessels
come untaxed TO our wharves? If this were
dole, OF what avail would be any of the meth
DDS OF relief that have been suggested? If
he had even taken the trouble to lead the
bills that he "sent for' he would have seen
toat one OF them very skilfulIy provides for
the rea9justment of the tonnage tax so as to
make 1t fall more equitabiy upon the different
classes of vessele subject to it. Our Maine
coasters, in behalf of which the writer
speaks, are embraced in the class that is to
be subjected to the tax only once near in
any event, while other classes are left to paw
the tax each time they enter.
Second, The subsidies to vessels in the for
elgn trade are surely not inimical to Maine
shipping, for in times past, as, we trust, in
times to come, Maine has been the leading
State in the building Of tonnage for that trade.
1t is to enable such vessels to compete for the
carrying trade with foreign ships that already
have the start that the subsidies are offered.
Other vessels, in which Maine is also inter-
ested, are not liable to this competition, be-
cause our laws secure to them monopoly of
the coasting trade. They do not, therefore,
share in the subsidies. They require only
such indulgence as shall enable them to be
Quilt and sailed at a reasonable cost They
share in the benefit of the drawback on ma
terial entering into their construction and of
exemption from burdensome port dues, and
there is discrimination in their favor in re-
spect to tonnage dues. 1t is Clear when we
consider that the coasting trade is the branch
OF our commercial interests which has suffer-
ed least and has made the least demand for
assistance,-the branch which has to only
limited extent shared in the great decline OF
our merchant marine-that its welfare has
been studiously regarded in the bills present.
ed by Mr.. Lynch and his colleagues.
Third, The provisions of the bills are en-
tIrely satisfactory to the shipbuiIders and
shipowners Of Maine, who must be presumed
to have as intelligent views of their own
interests as IF. A. p 1t was the very day
before his letter appeared that the Maine Ship
builders and Shipowners' Association held
ameetin2 in Bangor, at which, without dis
senting voice it was resolved THAT we heart
lily endorse the recommendations of the COM
mittee appointed by the last Congress to
make the investigation for the cause of the de-
cadence OF our commerce, and trust that the
bill reported by that committee may receive
the early and favorable consideration of Con-
gress." Perhaps If the correspondent takes
another half hour be can convince these en-
thusiastic gentlemen that they are wrong.
Under all the circumstances delay in
the PRONUNCIATION of the document, the haste
of its preparation and thepaerie nature OF its
suggestions-we are forced to conclude that
it is the best that could be done in pursuance