The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-07

| alone more than fS,DHl,Wu more IMAM III WAS
before, by chartering all the vessels that
were employed for carrying corn away from
| this country. | don't think any extended ar
gument is necessary. | think this conven-
| ton Is ready TO indorse the doctrine handed
| down to us from the time OF George Wash
ington. trust the convention will vote for
| the report rs Ii stands.
Mr. Fern. Of Texas understood that this
| was commercial convention, and we have at
| tended to that business to o certain extent.
| but Vt seems to me we are drifting into direct
| ing and protecting interest We are here to
| suggest and To discuss what is best for the
country IT seems to me we are going outside
| of our duties and powers In order to obviate
| any further discussion, | offer this amend
| ment
''That tho words owned, built and registered
| In America be stricken out
Mr. Hogan Of st Louis-Mr Chairman
| and gentlemen Of the convention ] wish To
say In reference to that amendment. one
| word. This convention II called here Mt great
| expense for the promotion OF American com
| merce- we emphasize that word American
| Now, you strike out, as proposed by my friend
! from Texas, all that pertains TO Americanism
| In commerce, and we are called here for the
promotion Of English. French and German
| commerce rather than American commerce.
| Laughter We got those things. Now,
| sir, England Inonopollzes our carrying
Germany, they have 1t all We think
| 1t Is high time that nation OF A.
0OD.Opo Of people should begin to
set up for themselves and talk about Ameri-
can commerce. These navigation laws are of
| very ancient standing In this country, and
| ought TO be venerated for their wisdom. The
navigation laws preclude foreign ships and
foreign vessels from monopoizng the trade
| Of our coast. They can come into port. and
| they can discharge, and they can load. But
| they cannot unIs,ad here at New Orleans. and
take on load and go from here to Charles
| ton nor to Mobile, nor to New York They
must depart out Of our waters once dis
| charged and once loaded They cannot DO
| the carrying trade ii our own continent. we
| hold that for our own. and we intend
| that II shall be held for our own for all time
| 10 come. Now these navigation laws which
| have 50 long existed. enabled US. anterior to
our late trouble TO almost control the carry
| ing trade ~ the world We had run after
| England for many years. Our ship builders
put clipper ships ard other ships upon the
ocean and we were gradually catching up
with England until before the war
came. we were within portion or So
| Of her 100000 tons Of having as
many ships and as large q tonnage as
| the largest ship-bearing or ship-ownng ma
| tlOn in the world, These laws SO dirided
| these laws about which we hesr SO much
| they didn't preclude American ships i'm those
days. but encouraged the building OF Ameri-
| can ships. and our commerce was whitening
| every sea Our navy protected 1t on every coast
and everywhere, and our nation was IN the
|
! flag and American commerce every where.
| But circumstances changed. our sailing yes
sells were driven from the waters to build
| iron ships and vast imptpveme nts were made
| In them and then England began to advance
| with wonderful Iapidity over us. while
we began to retrograde down, down, until
| from being the highest commercial nation in
| the world. we have become third, fourth or
fifth class upon The ocean. Now. sir, an effort
is made to build up American commerce
again, and why should itnot be done In Amer
lean ships Applause II you have ships
to transport your commerce, to carry forward
your products, to float under your own flag,
TO manifest to the world that we are a com
mercial nation, why should you not build them
at home ] am one of those, sir, that believe
In sustaining American industry. Applause
am one Of those that go for sustaining
American mechanics those men who are
skilled in the building OF ships living upon
our shores. occupying their homes here, who
are American citizens and pay their taxes
here, build up our Industries here, and
develop our resources here, and all
these contribute I'd build up our grand.
our glorious American nationality.
But II we must look to England to build our
ships, II we must announce tho humiating
conclusion that no American can build All iron
ship, lot us say to England: Give us every
| thing else, gentlemen. we are depending upon
| you for the means of transit over the nations
| great highway. and let It be furnished by
| yourself, for we are dependent upon you; fur
nish everything 10 go upon those ships at
once and lot us get up q petition to her glo-
rious majesty the Queen to annex our little
province and make them part Of that land
upon which the sun never sets. lAppauseI
Mr. George, Of Texas will ask the gen
tleman o question: Is thsre any law in the
United States prohibiting iron ships in the
United States2
Mr. Hogan No sir but we don't want you
to have the chance to put your iron ships
bought from England on the waters Of the
ships. We simply shy in this resolution that
we desire. that this Commercial Convention
desires, the American government to send its
commerce. as far as possible to the countries
contiguous TO W. in American ships. and as
was well remarked by the gentleman from
Mississippi the word built is not
a necessity in this case. because
under our laws, no ship can be registered
that isn't American, that is not built here,
The word built" don't amount to u row Of
pins in this connection. where you read the
word registry. Take IL out the word
"built" you say you want them American
registry. Don't you know you can't give
them American registry unless they are built
American. A voice Change the registry.
But we are not Congress-. Applause Now
sir, | don't want the registry changed. |
want it SO as to have exclusive control OF our
own commerce. IApplausel And ! want
Americans TO build our own ships.
II any one wants an English ship and would
sooner sail under the flag Of Her Majesty.
there is nothing To prevent him from doing
so. He can send his produce away on an Eng
lish ship. He can find it everywhere. As has
well been said by the Secretary Of the Treas
ury, we have paid to foreign countries for
carrying our commodities to the world more
than hundred millions Of gold during the
past year. Amt il time to quit 1t Let
America come in. We can beat the world, II
we only had chance to do it, Why, If the
gentlemen want ships they can be made In
this country as well as the same quality of
ships can be built anywhere. | heard ship
builder, in Washington last winter say that
he would furnish any class Of ships that may
be wanted, and they should be built OF Amer
lean iron and by American mechanics 10 per
cent cheaper than analogous ships could be
built on the Clyde or anywhere else.
Now IL these gentlemen want these ships let
them have them built In America. They can
have them built here and 1t is under the nav
cation laws that we built the commerce that
were destroyed during the war. 1t was under
these laws that American mechanical genius
will develop itself ami flourish.
A gentleman allowed here that we would
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