The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1878-01-10
srs.,a.. and our Merchant narins.
New Orleans Times,

found many facts profitable for the con>
temptation OF chuekle>headed American
who affect TO be virtuous
and economical by raising an outcry
against - subsidies" m fs~ American
mail steamship lines. The author SHOWS
quite plainly. that "commerce pays the
greater part OF the public revenues
besides increasing the bushes OF the
people.
The estimated value OF ship
ping, American and for
cign, employedin our for.
eign trade Is. ...........S 2Vc,oo''"V
The estimated value OF the
railroads IN the. United ,,o.
States is.............'.... so'o'p"'oVu
Value OF imports and exports
foreign commerce) last
year was. ............'.,.... ,l-l,oos,-''
Value OF commodities trane
ported by rail wss...".. lf,cV,Vp,"
On this volume of business observe
that the receipts by customs" that Is
from toreign.commerce, ls7l.ls7e, were
SI.O7s, 073.75s IL, while the receipts from
internal revenue were $7l6,5s7. o5e 90,
showing al excess OF customs over in
ternal revenue OF s362, 4ss, lO2 II.
But this great source of the prosperity
Of nations has been so sbanleiully neg
lected and mismanaged BY our governs
ment, that England has won great
commercial battle over ns. She has out
generated us In commercial strategy and
has nearly swept our mercantile ensigns
from the seas-eyen from our own har-
bors." She has done this by wise and
timely subsidies, for maritime mail SER
vices, to seventeen great steamship lines
to China, India, South America, the Pa
cific, the United States and in short TO
all the distant wealth.produclng coun-
tries Of the globe. These subsidies
were gradually increased from
A.227, 0ls. in 1877, to S6,07o,74l. in 1871.
Since then they have been gradually de-
creased to $4.420, 26l. in 1916, because the
object OF England has been gained. She
has captured the trade, But the policy
OF England always has been to sustain
her merchant marine, and that will al
ways be her policy so long as 1t may be
necessary to secure the object, which Is
TO transact the business Of the world,
Her subsidies range from $l.l6 to $4.ls
per mile, whils in the United States the
mail pay to the few ocean steamship lines
thus subsidized ranges from .0l ~ to
los, the latter being from Portland to
Sitka.
France is even more energetic in sup>
porting and extending her foreign trade
and her great subsidized" lines are
closely pressing those Of England for
the business OF the west coast of Africa,
the West Indies and many other rich
nelds. The average pay for mail servi'
ces to the great Messageries Marltimes
running TO China. Japan, INDIA, South
America, the Mediterranean, the West
Indies, Mexico. the United states, and
the English Channel is six dollars and
thirty>seven cents per mile.
And here note the contrast between
France and the United States. The for.
mer springs up like Phoenix from ths
ashes OF both foreign and civil war, from
prostration and devastation. She knows
well her source of revenue. Ask the
French manufacturer what is the secre,
Of his nations recuperatisn from almost
destruction, and you will learn that he
would rather see 81 80 per mile paid oul
OF the treasury to the Messageries and
to the Trans. AtlantiQue companies, and
be reaping his renewed prosperity, than
De to-day like the American tradesmsr
and msnutacturers-idle. If not bank.
rupt." France has done even more thar
pay mail subsldes--she has placed hel
principal steamship companies Oh ma
tional basis, made advances as neces.
safy for the building OF steamers and
takes reasonable percentage annually
thereafter, thus repaying herself tor III,
advance.
Germany contracts with her numerou
navigation companies for certain amount
Of mail pay. and fosters her Commercial
interests In other respects.
Italy expends IN subsidies to steam
chips, yearly, the sum OF {, 1925, OPS forms
Russia, Austria, Old Spain, Holland
Denmark, and even Japan, pursue tn
same system. The latter pays $4,000
10 short line plying between Iokohan,
and Shanghai. and thus compelled
branch Of the American line to wIthdra,
from the route and sell out.
Compare this with the miserable poll
ey Of our government, directed as it
by the n,axims Of ignorant and shor,
sighted demagosues, who vainly hop
to secure little local popularity BY
policy which permits other nations t
absorb our commerce and cut away tn
very foundation Of national prosperity
We not only do not compete for th
srads Of distant countries but sit idiot
sally down and ignore that which lies {
our vsfy doors.
Osr commerce does not need anythin
IKE the essoe subsidles paid BY Frame
asd Kngland. Our position near th
fountain oi the richest traffic Iu the wori