The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-06-05


IN sne advantage of improvements in models and
sells. 10y NN--SS SSN --"Di 'e
!, How % Is it possible for us to compete with the
sniP-Dulider and ship-owner of Great Britain
WIN cash capital which costs us three or four
per GENT more tnan II costs them, giving them
all the pronts OF building our vessels, and all
the other advantages to which have referred
when the same lines upon which we are 10
place our vessels are as open and free to them
as to us? The proposition is a business absurd
ity. The result of this policy if adopted would
inevitably be that only an agents interest in
such foregn-built vessels would be owned in
this country; Just sufficient to prosecute the
business here successfully, and give such color
of ownership as to secure the privileges OF our
flag. Foreign vessels once admitted TO Amer-
can registry for the foreign trade would soon
be admitted for the coastwise trade also, for
there is no argument that can be urged in favor
of one that does not apply with equal force TO
both. An American vessel could not long be
ted States. -. ..r ...s...
Under this policy we should have no real
American shipping, but foreign shipping under
the American flag, which at the first sign OF
danger, the first cloud of war, would be trans
ferred to the protection of the most convenient
neutral or quasi neutral flag; thus enjoying
our privileges in peace TO desert us in war We
should be left without the mechanical skill 70
build, or the ships and seamen with which to
reinforce our Navy in time of need.
What advantage would it be to US as a nation
to send our cash capital to Europe to be invest
ed in vessels the earnings Of which would only
be returned to us in the shape of dividends upon
the investment? l am unable to see wherein
there is any greater advantage to be derived
from an investment in shipping in a foreign
country under such circumstances than from
an investment in railways in the same country;
No nation ever has, and no nation ever can be-
come respectable maritime Power, which
does not build upon Its own soil the vessels
which TO carry its hag-whose shipping
does not spring from roots implanted in its own
soil. Pass a bill to-day admitting foreign YES
sells to American registry, and in six months
our flag would cover more tonnage than ever
before, while we should add next to nothing to
real American tonnage. This shipping would
flow in and crowd out American tonnage, and
make it impossible to revive saip-bulding in
the United States, and would destroy not only
American ship-buiiding, but would ruin Ameri-
can ship-owners.
do not expect that the bill offered by me,
or indeed any bill which we can pass, will ac-
complsh all that is desired l offer it, believ-
ing it to be the most that will probably be
granted at the present time, while it is the
least that can be accepted as of any value
whatever If we are not ready to grant this
much aid, then we may well abandon all at
tempts to restore our shipping and retire from
the field.
/ am satisfied that small as is the aid afford
ed by the bill, it would be sufficient to encour-
age the revival of shipping; revive the droop-
ing hopes of our ship-owners, and tend to in
crease largely our tonnage for the foreign carry
ing trade Such is the nearly unanimous testi-
mony of the ship-builders and ship-owners of
the country. 1t is the measure which, with
great unanimity, they have recommended and
urged as necessary to enable them to compete
with foreigners in the same business. They
would still have to overcome the advantages OF
cheap travel and cheap labor possessed by their
foreign rivals, but those advantages are no
greater now than they were before the war,
which were then overcome.
We have now the same elements of success
in this field of enterprise that we then pos
sessed.
1t is of more Importance that we rebuild our
| merchant marine upon a sure and firm founda-
tion than that we rebuild it rapidly. 1t is only
twelve years since committees of the Parlia-
ment OF Great Britain were investigating the
cause OF the depressed condition of their ship
ping interests, and the opinions of English
ship owners were freely expressed that they
could not compete with American ships in the
carrying trade of the world; that we surpassed
them in the models and sailing qualities of our
ships; that we were building better and cheap
or ships and were sailing them cheaper, max
ing quicker passages, and employing less men,
and were crowding them that they declared
they could not compete with Americans in the
freighting business. Such was then the testi-
mony of their largest ship-owners and mer-
chants. AT that time we imported our iron
from England, Sweden and Russia, our hemp
from Russia, our manila from the East Indies,
and took our woods from the forests of the
South and shipped them to the North where
our vessels were principally built. Nearly
everything paid transportation to the place
where we built our ships. We paid higher
wages to our mechanics and to our seamen.
The advantages we had were in consequence of
our superior skill in naval architecture and the
greater enterprise of our people. The differ
ence between our people and the people of Eu-
ropean countries was well expressed by Mr..
Dunbar, one of the largest ship-owners of
Great Britain, in his testimony before one of
| the committees of Parliament to which have
referred In response to the question, why
| do you consider that we cannot compete with
foreign ship-owners," he said:
1--WE have got into a very different way. We are an
old nation, and have old habits, and our sailors and
every have acquired those habits. The Ameri-
cans are new nation, and go more heartily and
willingly to work than we do. For instance, an
American will sail his ship with scarcely more than
one half the hands that can do and do not know
any law that can alter that.
Then 1t comes to this that in your opinion we can
not compete with foreign nations?
81 am satisfied Of It. The very fact that told Won
about the sailors would show It, and you must reco
lect that we are an old nations we are not like these
young people rising up to-day; an old man cannot
run SO FAST as young one.
consequently, if we cannot compete with other
uatons, 1t Will come to this, In your opinion, that
we must become a second-rate maritime power?
firmly believe it,
The war which commenced soon after
changed all this and gave them an advantage
which turned the scale against u.s. If we will
only cherish and protect this interest, instead
of crushing out what little vitality remains,
and will bide our time, our turn will come
when we will once more occupy the old van
tage ground.
Our geographical position, which for ocean
| commerce surpasses that of any other nation,
| remains unchanged. We have the same hardy
enterprising, and adventurous population,
/ abundant material, inventive genius, and me-
| chanical skill which then enabled us to COM
| pete successfully with the world. We have
| only to use wisely the means that have been so
lavishly bestowed upon us by nature in order
! to regain all that we have lost. We cannot, by
/ any legislation we may enact, hope to restore
our shipping as rapidly as we lost it, because
| the vacuum created by our losses has been sup
| piled by our rivals. There is no scarcity of
| tonnage for the business of the world. The
| supply has been kept fully equal to the demand.
and the most we can expect is to put ourselves
/ in position to obtain fair share of the nat
ural increase, trusting to the genius of our me-
| chanics, the enterprise of our merchants, and
| the advantages which arise from the constant
ly-recurring troubles among European nations,
| to regain our lost position.
The great disadvantage under which we labor
| in regard to our navigation interest is that we
place fetters on our shipping and then send it
forth on the great highway of commerce to
compete with the shipping of other countries,
| which is not only unfettered but is backed by
| powerful government aid. The contest is to
unequal for even American enterprise to mai
| tain and the result is that we are driven from
the field Great Britain has, at this time, the
| advantage in holding possession of the estab-
| lished routes of steam navigation, and it would
be difficult to compete with her on those routes
/ even if we could build and sail our ships as
| cheaply as her merchants. There is no doubt
| that we should be at great disadvantage in
| any attempt at competition on those establish
ed routes But there is q revolution going on
| in ocean commerce, not only in the character
| of commercial vessels, but also in the change
| of commercial routes. The discovery of the
| passage to India round the Cape of Good Hope
| turned the channel of the India trade from the
Mediterranean and gave an advantage to Great
| Britain.
The opening of the Suez canal has partially
| restored the Mediterranean route and tends to
center commerce again on the shores of that
| sea. But more important change still is that
| caused by the extention of our boundaries to
| the Pacific coast, the rapid settling of that
| coast and the opening of the communication
| between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by
| railways across the continent. By the estab-
| lishment of American lines of steamers from
our Pacific coast to China, Japan, and the is
lands of the Pacific, and from our Alta
! ports to the continent of Europe, via the Med
| iterranean, the trade of southern Europe,
| which now tends toward Great Brita could
| be turned to the Mediterranean pin, d
thence directed to the United States, Will the
trade of all the countries washed by the W
of the Pacific would be secured against all COM
netition The day is not far distant when
American enterprise will open ship-canal be-
tween the Atlantic and Pacific by way of the
| Istbmus and with these routes open and occu-
n;ed nv us the trade and commerce of the
,uorld are at our command.