The New York herald., 1877-10-15

Then you think the effect on tbe sbubu LI,nc In
'eles' o. he repeal these laws would be disastrouss"
III wouia break u up THIS growing Industry that
gives employment 10 many Thousands OF men that Is
,.evoop,Dg tne resources OF the country and keepinea
be ruined aud so Tar from recovering any Of our rsv
ryng trade 1t would result in transferring whole OF
" Ia foreign bottoms and foreign capital Then of
course, those so-caicd American ships would huye 10
be manned, aud as our intelligent workmen viii nos
Europe there would be employed Italians MaIavs
and what not Then, with ioreis "a built ships Owned
probably, by foreign capital and manned by foreign
crews We should have a nice sort OF American carry.
ing trade. Now, contend, II can't build our own
whole thing into tho hands OF foreign ship builders
ana owners tor nothing; let us ut least soil out for
enough to build poorhouses for our workmen when
Their bread and butter by such miserable policy IL
taken away from them.
woRksGMEss INTEREST
III have already said that ninety live per cent Of tho
cost OF an iron ship in this country the labor
upon her. Now you can SEQ that this jus, SO
much protection to tho workingnan and II this work.
ngman gets eight or ten per cent better pay nau
IN Europe, what does that ncans SIMPLY that he 10
better led, better clothed, better housed; ii moa MS
better education better morals the man mas h ehor
appreciation OF life ana takes laudable pride in his
citizenship ON the contrary. low wages mean just
the opposite OF this Surely tn. farmers of our coun.
try can appreciate such an argument. IL means
better market Tor their produce and much quicker
rciurn for instead OF sending II 5000 miles away TO
feed the laborer on the Tnamos the Mcrscy or tho
Clyde, he furnishes IL at good prices 10 the working.
waro''
WHAT THE NAVIGATION LAWS HAVE DONE
what specix good nave our navigation laws done Tor
US that they should not be repealedy"
"weil, Pye been trying to meet that question all
along, but allow to say here In general Just this
Ia the carly history OF our country, when emerged
from long and bloody war; with tho right 10 govern
ourselves, not as colonies but as nation were 10
an impoverished condition. with bankrupt treasury,
apaper currency almost worthless, aaa with great
need oil skilled labor. Among the many wise laws
then enacted by statesmen these navigation
laws The revenue tarin admitted into the country
upon payment OF duty all articles which We coulc
trnon IN tho United States OF ships built IN any other
part ol tho world. This you will scc was u healthy
stimulus 10 our young shipbulders II compelled us
To depend upon ourselves had in forests aud
in the earth all the materials TO construct sh,ps
From 1870 10 ls35 we built all the ships needed,
aud, according to the figures OF tho Treasury Depart
mcnt exported over S25 600 900 worth OF ships. You
can see BOW how the navigation laws drove to de-
veop our own resources IN tho direction Of shipbuild
ing Indeed as earl xas 1910 We had made such prog
ress Hpon The oceaN that we became rival Of tho
mother country, and this WAS OF the Of
ISL, which really was war upon our growing CON-
our strength in TINS direction until IN 1880 wo were
second only TO England in tho carrying trndc."
the DKciaSE OF AMERICAN SHIPPING.
'Wbat do you think, few words, was the cause
OF our decline from this posnionf"
"we, presume that every knows, or should
know, thai this rebellion gave the great 6low To
merchant shipping, and in this way AT tho outbreak
OF that rebellion we had weak navy and au I'M.
ncnsc coast TO defend, and 10 save the nation
necessary to purchase charter merchant vessels
tho vast amount Of 100000 tons, all taken INTO tho
service OF the government BY the withdrawal OF
tins immense ileet and the largo number of men re-
CURED TO man them our merchant marine was COM
ple,ey crippled. and their places worc immediately
supplied by the shrcwd capitalists Of England
They sent their ships and thor men TO
part. Tho magnificent carrying trade
that we mad been building Tor forty ws swept
away This was the real cause OF dechne.N II was
not the destruction OF few American ships by tho
Alabama or the Shenandoah lhat thus injured our
commcrce-it was the foothold obtained by tho Eng
Iish during that WAT. At It's close capital had
been turned INTO other chan nols, and not
yet, rcgaincd our lost ground Another drawback
against which wc had TO contend was ihis:-Durinx
a great revolution had been taking pace
the construction OF merchant ships al over tnc world
Steam took the place oil sails, iron ships were sub.
sututed Tor wooden ones, the screw propeller tor
the side-whccler. and The compound engine Tor
the simple one Tho change, indeed was as
complete upon the ocean upon the land,
when the locomotive took the place OF tho
stage coach and the railroad OF tho turnpike Tho
English at avacd themselves OF all these i'm.
| provements, and While We were saving the nation's
life they were snppng the ioundatons oil our carrying
trade The condition Of sur Ship ng interests at the
! Close OF tue war was very dscouraglng. We had not
single shipy ard TINS country III which urst class
paper currency aud the high prices OF labor mado
our most energetic capitalists unable TO compete with
| English shipownefs wac at thai time were, as they
arc yet draiDng Us OF $40 900 600 year. II then
| our government made mo mistake, when It
utterly Impossible Ior the private citizen 10 help him
SELF OF not aiding him by legislation. Our states
seemed TO think that ibe carrying business
on the ocean was oi little importance 10 Tho
| capital invested III our foreign carrying trade
tho received consideration or protection.
Tho cost Of building and running ships Increased
that we could not compete with England. neither
could buy o her account oi our deprecated
rcncy. Every article OF our manufactured goods
moro 10 make IL. We're not for the wise protection
| given our manufacturing interests our workshops
and factories would be lew the land ships
| The ocean. and larger amount OF our bonds
would been sent abroad TO purchase supplies
| LESSON FROM ENGLISH HISTORY.
| 'Now, SIR does any man VINO has read English
| history suppose Tor "A moment that her statesmen
would, under like circumstances, have tied
such n bunderY say no. Suppose England should
engage IN the present Russo-rurkisn war, and that
/ rvaAu h,ni ipht tA.t. usnncQ
interest Then suppose her currency reduced
value until It was worth only hity cents on
the dollar IN gold, would sho think OF closing
| her shipyards and her mines, and sond her
deprecated currency into the OF the world
buy shipsY She never would allow foreign nation to
draw from her resources S75oo0,0O0 yoar Tor want
OF policy and, by tne way, let us look al Engands
policy IN the past for u momcnt She has not as much
territory the states of New York. Pennsylvania aud
| Now Jersey Within this territory she has not as
much agricultural resources nor as much nerd pro.
duciug soii She has not great mineral resources
IN ana iron OF as god quality Sho has got
no better natural commercial advantages she IS not
favored with better climate and her
age lar below intelligence and education. But
with these comparatively limited resources, so
harmoniousiy ana wisely have her agricultural, man
ufacturng and commercial interests been cared Tor by
her statesmen that she has made heisoli the great
| banking house OF the world and tho greatest
| Carrying nation, nnding employment ior millions
| OF nor subjects And now has she done all thisr
| BY first Understanding thoroughly what natrre bad
Tor her. thea by her laws sue prcvcnssd the I'M
portation OF gram bread unlll her own had
been thoroughly deveoped. Nor did she repeal those
| laws until Cmcap bread Tor dense pOpuAtiOu mcuut
CHEAPER labor development OF bcr resources.
Where she found that her manufactured goods were
largely IN excess Of her own wants sne extended her
territory by conquerng provinces and planting colo
mes Uulid up her supplne interests. She passed
| laws prohibiting them from buying from any bet
| Engilshmcn, aud whenever private enterprise alone
could carry the manufactured products across tho
literally subsidized steamship lines to carry
them II we wish to be as prosperous as England va
viii have 10 take lesson IRON her IN the wisdom OF
ner craftsmanship
TnE LABOR PROBLEM.
Mr. uhat tla m tnE mi rnntr n
remedy the present depression IN the labor markety'
ITO answer that | must first rccapiiulate what
have before alluded 10 a the cause OF trouble
Whc our war continucd large amounts oi capital wero
needed different manuacurin interests TO supply
tue demands OF the army aud 10 tako tncir places
the workshops OF the thousands who the
Immense also paid Tor the buiIding OF
railroads at nigh wages Many OF these roads in yet
uudcveioped territory, aud have not yet opened now
markets articles. More capital mad
been invested IN our nuactures than was required
when the war ceased aud We arc stil producing more
than pcop.e need That, sir, rs the cause OF
trouble to-day, aud the remedy Is Tor the govern
menl to assist IN opening our markets. Take south
America Tor Instance, lying right at our doors where
We can under favorable circumstances compcte wmn