The Republican journal., 1877-05-31
The Navigation Laws.

cities to break down the navigation laws
OF the United States. This is a move
| ment in the interest Of those who OWL
large ships, who send and receive foreign
cargocs in ships, and of all those who
profit in the thousand and one ways by
the maritime business of great seapOrts
The need Of these classes is ships AND
plenty Of them. Where and by whom
| they are built, is not to them Of the
slightest consequence. The merchant OF
New York. whose teas, or silks, or hard
ware come in by sea, troubles himself not
at all regarding the flag that the shil
bears. She may be English, French OF
German he never inquiries into the hid
den laws that regulate the supply and
demand Of ocean carriage. He is con-
celncd only about the rate of freight
How can | get my bales and boxes de
| llvercd cheapest? is to him the import
ant question. 70 great extent the shiI
owner OF the large ports has similar ideas
regarding his business. He seeks his
| ships i'll the cheapest markets - buys
where he can get the best bargains, but
| never builds them. Maine is now that
/ market The object Of the sought tol
repeal is to extend and cheaper the mar
| krt III which the American owners o
| Sims l1lI NaSSa1., oil fla
chase them, and give to them the priv
Ieges and protection Of the flag and
registry
AS the navigation laws of this country
now stand, no vessel built in any Other
country can be admitted to United States
registry unless she has been wrecked
| purchased by citizens, and almost wholly
rebuilt. This regulation is as old us the
| government. 1t is the one under which
the shipping OF the country grew from
the feeble beginning OF I7o3 to the for
midablH merchant marine which in 1S6t
counted more tons than that OF Great
| Britain. The regulations have worked
admirably for the shipbuilding interest ol
| this country, who are also owners, and
| have been instrumental in accommodating
a large portion Of the great wealth of the
seab0ard The builders and owners OF
| vessels in other countries, and especially
| III England, have always looked with
envious eyes upon the great privileges
which the exclusive right to engage in
| the coastlng trade gives to American
ships, and have made many futile at
tempts to remove the restriction
Within Il few years the schemes of the
foreign shipping interest have brought tc
their aid Il portion Of the mercantile in
tcrcst Of the large cities, who fancy that
the present depression of shipping may
he revived by admitting foreign bottoms
| to United States registry. This is mere
| declaration. backed by not a single argu-
ment or proof. 1t is true that employ
| mcnt ior ships is scarce and rates low
| partaking as they do of the general bust
ness depression But this is felt alike by
owners of all nationalities. The port OF
| London is to-day crowded with idle ships
The particular longing which the for
eign ship owner has is to share in the
coasting trade of this country The vast
| traffic of the Atlantic and Gulf coast,
| along the shores of the great lakes. and
on the Pacific, has been reserved cXclu-
sively for American vessels. No ship can
| load at one Of our ports on the Atlantic
coast for San Francisco, or any othcl
| United States port around Cape Horn,
unless she carries the American flag
The finest ships ever built in this coun-
try have been designed for this trade,
and have made mnts of money A re-
peal of the navigation laws would mean
| the opening of this trade to all foreign
ers, as we'll as all coasting on the Allan
tic. How would it appear for the spruce
| built vessels of Nova Scotia to be land
ing Boston freight at the Wharyes of Bel
| fast, or carrying Bangor lumber to New
York
This project would seem too insane and
suicidal to be for a moment tolerated
But nevertheless it is finding advocates
| in places of influence. The Boston Board
Of Trade has devoted Il weekly meeting
for some time past to a discussion Of the
question. 1t has taken the form of set
of resolutions, offered by Mr.. Ropes, as
follows
Resolved, That i'll the Judgment of the Boston
| Board of Trade, the navl CATION laws of the United
| States, which forbid registration under the Amer
lean ilag of toreign-b built vessels purchased and
| owned by American citizens have not only failed
| to yield the advantage expected from them to the
| ship building class, Tor whose benefit they wer,
enacted but have also contributed to the serious
decline and almost threatened extinction of tho
| American ship owning interest and to the ocean
| carrying trade If the United States
| Resolved, That the immediate repeal of these
| laws, by giving encouragement to American citi
zcns TO become ship owners and to engage in the
| foreign commerce OF the country, would conduce
more to the permanent prosperity of the shpbuild
crs of the United States than any scheme of boun
ties and subsidies any system OF monopoly could
| profltably do.
Resolved, That the immediate repeal of these
| laws would offer the best inducement which the
| Government could hold out to American citizens
! To enter into competitions with the citizens OF
other countries for Il proper share of the vast
steam traffic OF the Atlantic Ocean now carried on
| exclusively under flags other than our own.
| Resolved, That a copy Of these resolutions be
| addressed to every member of Congress in both
houses from the New England States, and that
Congress be memorialized by the officers of the
| Board in accordance with them.
| Resolved, That Il copy of these resolutions be
addressed to all the principal Boards of Trade and
Chambers of Commerce in the United States, with
circular letter inviting them to consider and take
action upon them. and to memorialiZe Congress to
abolish the prohibitions referred to at the extra
session, to be held in October next.
Mr.. Theodore Nickerson moved to sub
stitute the following
Whereas, the shipbudng and shipowning in
a ted hnvn utrb