Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-09-25
Our Mercantile Marne---Past and
Present.

Uur WeFCdHIlie Mdrlnc--faSt anu
Present.
Before the breaking out of our un-
fortunate civil war, it will be remem-
bered that our mercantile marine was
rapidly gaining the ascendancy among
the nations of the earth-not only as
tonnage, but the great superiority of
our ships as sailers. The seas of the
world were whitened with our canvas,
and the stars and stripes were borne
aloft in every port, by ships that were
the admiration, and, at the same time,
the envy, of the world-bearing to
market the rich and abundant products
of our land and bringing back in ex-
change such commodities as our wants
required. Even the great passenger
steamer lines, to Liverpool, to Bremen
and to Havre were in our hands and
bearing our flag. AS an illustration
of the rising glory of the American
mercantile marine, we may be par
doned for referring to an incident
which happened during the Crimean
war, and which is doubtless within
the recollection of many at the pres
ent day. At that time, England being
party to the war, our mercantile
marine was supreme, and Britannia
could no longer boast that she ruled
the waves. A fleet of American clip
pers was chartered by France to con-
vey troops to the Crimea. Among
them were the Great Republic and the
Challenge (other names not recollect-
ed), and the French Government de-
tailed two of her fleetest war steamers
to convoy them. For some two or
three days after they left port, the
clippers, by shortening sail and back
ing and filling, enabled the war
steamers to keep up with them, but,
at last, our seamen growing impatient
of restraint, crowded on all sail, shaped
their course, and safely landed their
human freight in the Crimea, amidst
the eclat of the assembled armies,
three days before the conveys entered
port, In short, our mercantile suprem-
acy was becoming so eminent as to
excite the apprehensions and fears of
the mistress of the SEAS" and not
long after this resolution was intro
duced in the House of Commons to
appoint a committee of eminent busi-
ness men to enquire into the matter"
and to ascertain Chow it is that Amer
lean ships, paying higher wages to
seamen and feeding them better, were
able to successfully compete with
British ships in the carrying trade of
the world ?" The labors of this COM
mittee were brought to a premature
close by the breaking out of our civil
war; not, however, before they had
reached the following conclusions:
" That American ships were faster
sailers, making three voyages
where British ships made but two;
that their crews were gener-
ally more Intelligent and that
their modern improvements and ap-
planes for working ship'-for reef
ing and unfurling sail-for receiving
and discharging cargo and handling
anchor-they were sailed with much
smaller crews" Such was the condi-
ton of our mercantile marine before
the breaking out of our civil war.
This drove the most of it into ordinary
or to be sold to foreign powers; and
since that time our immense products
have been taxed millions by foreign
powers for carrying them to market,
and our imports by other millions for
bringing them to our shores-to say
nothing of the millions paid to for
eign bottoms in the greatsteamer pas
senger lines-all of which might and
would have been saved to the country
long ere this, if our Government had
performed its plain duty, or if we had
placed a statesman at its head, instead
not much to be proud of as q soldier.
This loss of our mercantile marine
was probably an unavoidable incident
OF the war; but has our Government
done all in its power to recover this
lost position in the mercantile world ?
Amidst its clamor for and retention
of power, has it ever thought of the
subject? This great interest, instead
of being fostered by wise and discrim-
mating enactments, has been left to
languish, and at times to be sacrificed
to satisfy party aggrandizement; and