New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-12
STEAMSHIP LINE TO MEXICO.
Speech Of Hon. William r. henoes' D.
Louisiana, Delivered IN tine Sen"Ie VI
the United States, February - lo"l'


Louisiana, Delivered in the senate OF
the United States, February =. 1871.
The trade of the tropics belongs to U.s.
The Senate, as in committee OF the whole,
having under consideration the Dill senate
bill No. 6S3) authorizing mail steanns,ip seI
vice in the Gulf of Mexico, between the port
of New Orleans, Louisiana, and certain ports
Of the republic of Aexic0-
Mr.. Kellogg said: When we ADJOURNED
Yesterday, found myself in the not very
pleasant situation of having the moor ny
common consent awarded me for the i'ur-
pose of discussing a bill involving, 10
greater or less extent a principle tnat Is oi
vital i'm portance to the commerce OF the en-
tire country. 1t il great responsibility
for one 40 Inexperienced in legislative mat
tcrs as am to assume.
| heard Yesterday some OF our friends on
this side Of the Chamber as well as ON the
other filing protest or careut against com
hitting themselves at present to the prih-
ciple involved in these bills. desire also
to file Il care0t on the question OF subsidy 80
far as any influence that the = lobby may
be able to bring to bear upon Inc and those
who, like myself represent that portion OF
the country most vitality interested IN the
bill now before the Senate. But. sir, am
willing now and hereafter to 10 tired upon
this question of aid to our maritime com
,ncrce regard it as the paramount ques-
ton before us
Mr.. President, have often noticed since
have been a member OF this body that IN
| order to pass a measure with the least ot-
! Law, assuming that it Is one OF real merit IL
| is better that its friends occupy as Httle
! time in discussing it as possible deferrln5
| in that respect to its opponents. lnasniucL.
however. as this measure is set down 10Y
con sider;.tion with several others OF Il sinl-
| lar character, involving principle which,
| am warned by the events OF yesterday. Is
not looked upon with favor by many, and
| one that il likely to provoke serious DIS
cussion. if not upon this bill upon others
| looking to the same end: and. Furthermore.
as this measure especially concerns the guilt
States and their commercial relations with
the countries south of US, l feel justified
more than | otherwise should in considering
ut length some of the distinctive features OF
thi. measure. and the beneficial results and
| consequences that ire likely to be attained.
in my Judgment. by the passage 81 the
bill.
am .,uite willing 20 acknowledge TIE
Ine,it Oh the other bills before the Senate of
= lik. nature: yet can safely say that none
of them are OF more Importance. none more
meritorious, and none more entitled to the
favorable consideration of the Senate. l
fully appreciate. sic the difficulties that
surround thi. s9uestion. not the LEAST OF
which j, the great preiudi~ sought TO be
"u.endered against any measure iookln. to
what il popularity termed subsidy.
Much la. been said of late regarding sul'-
s;dy. The source of all this clamor and de-
! nunriatiOn. and the motives that actuate 1t.
will not stop to inquire. 1t is difficult to
believe that such things will have any lnt1u-
! .nce. 1T least upon those who are legislating
t" promote she general interests OF the
country. I can not suppose that measure
having real merit is ~ be cried down by
. the simple declaration that St Sontans d
f, subsidy.
Now, sir. What i. the definition Of this
term Of which We hear much; term
which is used ~ one of reproach and in
tended 70 provoke hostility to measure!
Yesterday had euriositve after the de-
; bate in the Senate this bill, to inquire
! int" The. definition Of this word. Webster
! tells Ms il is paving stipulated sum OF
! money. furnishing help or aid.
! The history of legislation shows that
| from tie inception Of the government we
have freely appropriated money from the
! treasury ~ develop ouH INLAND and. III
! some instances. our foreign commerce. We
! have for years appropriated literally to the
! improvement of eur har'ors and rivers;
We have expended large Sums in surveying
any mapping our soasto as well IA the tide
! ana lNlanu waters oil tuV WuOlc WoIi'i
! Within the last two years believe we have
i; sent some three exploring, parties to seek
! g"ut. {" divert The. waters OF the Orient to
our own: we hav. sought through govern
. m.nt aiI to penetrate She Arctic and
! Antartic oceans.
! AZ ,h. last session voted with the ma
! ioritv OF the Senate for an appropriation
| moved by the Senator from Massachusetts
| mr.. Sumnerl in aid of an exploration to
. Tn. north pole. We have appropriated
money :" survey the Istl.mus of Darien. and
! now are in the :cte IT the expense OF the
| governments o: exploring the Tehauntepec
| route. We have appropriated millions in
! aid OF thu. Pacific railroad, and granted UNI
f! limited quantities of land i'll aid of the same
and similar projects. MANY OF them OF a local
| nature. There Is scarcely Il State in the
4, Union that has not been the recipient OF the
! bounty OF the general government. All
| tieS+. manifold and. in the aggregate, enor-
| nous appropriations have been made in the
| interest of commerce or of science. and all
| looking to the development of our common
| country. But all this aid was, i'll common
| parlance. substituting so many projects 1t
| is gratifying to reflect that this substituting,
instead OF retarding. has been chiefly in
strumental i'll developing the resources of
| the country.
| Sir. but for "sllb,idy." as it is called
I America would have remained undiscovered.
! When Christopher Columbus sought the
| aid of his native city of Genoa. she refused
| to listen to his petition for aid. He failed
also at Lisbon. and i'll poverty and rags he
appealed to the womanly kindness OF Isa-
bella, picturing not only the glory. but the
vast wealth that would inure to Spain His
appeal was not i'll vain; Europe grew rich
to sutfocatlon from the discovered wealth:
| the wilderness has q wen homes to millions
of her poor; il dozen empires have sprung
| into existence. and yet the mines and the
| soil are scarcely broken.
And now. when our whole country is in
| terlaced with railroads, many OF them
| built by aid furnished by the general gov
| eminent. thus opening Il channel for the
trade OF Europe and of the East across our
continent; when our domestic commerce
has attained a high state of development.
and when we present the sorry and humlli-
atng spectacle Of a great nation absolutely
dependent upon foreign transportation for
the transmission of her mails; when Euro
pean nations have appropriated four-ffths
of the trade that of right belongs to lis:
when there is not a single steamer sailing
from an American to British port flying
the American flag; when our shipyar,ls
are Abandoned: when, in short from
a second-rate maritime power we have
become so feeble and so insiy
nitcant in maritime prestige that there are
scarcely none SD poor anon. all the ma
tons ''tO Ito us reverence and when it is
attempted to promote our commercial inter
ests with foreign countries and attain some
what OF that commercial Importance and in
| titlcnce with other nations that our com
meice and resources at home entitle US to-
we are net at the threshold by the cry OF