The Portland daily press., 1870-12-09
lHII PRESS.
friday Morning, Dec. mbebr 9. 1870.


AWAKE at Last
Al last Congress is wide awake to the fact
that the country is fast becoming a third CT
fourth rate maritime power. lis natural po-
sition being that OF the first instead of the
fourth, the Importance of doing something to
check the steady ebb of our commercial great
ness is at length fully recognized.
Something will unquestionably be done at
this session in behalf of the shipping inter-
est, but we greatly fear that the time has gone
by when the measures for the most speedy
and certain revival of ship-bulding can be
secured. 1t appears from Washington specials
to New York and Boston papers that Mr..
Lynch has been obliged to abandon those fea-
lures of the bill presented by his special COM
mittee at the last session which extend to
coasting vessels the benefit of the provision
for drawback on material used in their con.
structon, or a corresponding bounty where
American material is used. West and South
a great cry was raised that Lynch's bill, in
stead Of being great national measure, was
designed solely to meet the wants of tie
builders and owners of Maine coasters. In a
racent communication to Boston paper the
notorious John Goldman, agent Of English
iteraled this statement. Though the bill re-
ally was national measure, as it was org-
nall, framed, it was no doubt seriously dam
aged by the specous arguments of its oppo-
nents to prove that il was in the interest of
single locality, While it was suffering from
these cancac What bal1 uo COW Of thu mad
folly of the citizens of this State, one of
whom had been a member of Congress for a
series OF years, who opposed the bill and did
the little they could to break it down because
it did not give coasting vessels the additional
relief from exemption from the tonnage tax?
This conduct would be Of itself enough to
render these gentlemen infamous in their
own State if its idiocy were not calculated to
excite contempt rather than hatred. We i'm
agine that our citizens who are interested in
the coastng line would now most gladly con-
tent themselves with the generous relief Of
fered them in the bill defeated at the last SEES.
sion, a large part OF which they have now
probably lost And to do them justice they
were always CONTEXT with it, if we may trust
their emphatic endorsements at the ship
builders and shp-owners associations, held in
different parts of the State, while the bill was
pending Their selfappointed advocates rem
dered gratuitcns and unsolicited service,
which never was met with a particle Of ap-
probation in any quarter.
But the shipbuilders of Maine will be great
ly benefited by the measure, as it is now
amended. There is no reason why the ship
yards OF this State should not turn out large
part OF the tonnage of the country to be used
in foreign trade, as they did in the good old
times. 10 such tonnage, if we are not mis-
informed, the relief offered by the original
bill is still given. 1t will be a great dsar.
pointment if Western jealousy and New York
selfshness defeat even this But the coali-
ton of these Two great powers is formidable,
and we share in the apprehension expressed
ia our Washington correspondents letteIi
published yesterday, that Congress will pass
an act to encourage foreign instead of domes-
tic shipping, by repeating The navigation laws
and permitting foreign vessels to take out
American papers. IL is some comfort to
know that the President has lately been sub
ject 10 good influences in this matter, and
that he is no longer to be reckoned as a mem
Der of the alliance above referred to. Mr..
Cox and Mr.. Reeves of New York, both Dem
ocrats, are already in the field with PROPOSE |
lions favoring the repeal of the navigation
laws. Senator Wilson's bill, introduced We'd
nesday, is modification of more praise
worthy plan than that of the New York
members. He proposes to encourage foreign
commerce by allowing drawback on the du-
ties paid Oh goods imported in American YES
sells. There are no doubt many other mem
bers who have little plans which they will |
bring forward in good time.