The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1878-09-01
9. e'lQ VAC aeny E.ami,,cr
AMERICAN SHIPPING
how ENGLAND oUrsTPrppvn
Hs--s1T THE UNITED STATES 80
: 'a sar. 81 r. Marshall Testifying Be.
i0fe mr.. Hewitt's Committee.
.ss,-g A Curious Postal Card

%s1-s A9us fostal Card.
The Congressional co,6,0,t,oo :.
poipled to inquire into the canses l
ia present depression in trad on
spor ana the remedies for the SAM
m ,ss AGAIN this morning in the Pos
e, The room was well file,
WIN Spectators at the commano s'
lhent OF proceedings, and as the bn on
increase. 'oh'iiiued u
The Witnesses who will testify ~
;aay Messrs. Marshall and Waita.
Inc former is a well Enown IN" ~
builder and the latter is yica.nra X
1enI OF the Western Union Telegram
pany, SO that their evidence viii
De OF great Importance. -
II was nearly half-past IL O'Clock
neiore ihe committee got TO work
anu MI. Hewitt read the following
pos,al-card which he had received
ir. Hewitt: Cannot YOU use your
taieht TO better purpose than IA
IiuIcuie the laboring man? Won
nave made 1t point to gather up ali
the crazy men of New York and
snow them up as sample of Amer
lean mechanics, but we see thronoh
your contemtible game. You are a
fraud, bad counterfeit, and every
lniellgent man can see YOUR oame
.1aa JOHN PETERS,"
Mr.. Hewitt said he wished TO cor
rect an erroneous impression, as the
persons who appeared before the
committee were volunteer witnesses
anu were bound to be heard. They
Were now willing TO hear the views
@oi any wOrkingman. What they
WANTS facts, and not theories.
MIR. Charles IL. Marshall was the
nrst-witness. lie said:
- u wish Ii understood that | am
not very large shipowner fortunate-
W, Ior nowadays the more ships a
man owns the poorer he is. Iamnot
a large capitalist, but am a .bloated
bondholder' to very small extent
Long before the war the shipping
iraae was IN a most flOurishing con-
dltlon. We possessed forests close AT
haild ample for sliip-building cheaplv.
ana were enabled to build cheaper
than any other nation, increasing our
Tonnage and 1naking the American
packet lines known throughout the
whole world. A revolution occurred
about 1855, when il was found that
iron was more desirable for the build
ing of vessels than wood. We had
very little development of our iron
mines, and England went on build
ing iron vessels and we continued
working in wood, and she gradually
Outstripped us and
LEFT US BEHIND IN THE RACE.
.FiEsn again, after the war broke
out the prices of construction in
creased. and the navigation laws pre-
vented Americans from buving their |
ships abroad and putting the Ameri- |
can flag on them We are the onlv |
country that prohibits the purchas-
ing of steamers and ships abroad and |
running them under the flag of its
a9wn nationality. In 1860, the tonnage
Of American vessels amounted to
5,9ai 2S5 tons, and foreign tonnage
entered at ports of the United States,
2,353,gl. In 1865 the tonnage of
American vessels had fallen off TO
2.943 Sol, and the foreign tonnage had
increased 10 3,2l6.967. In 1867, Ame-
rican tonnage. 3, 49, 52; foreign ton
mage, 4,3lS,673. In 1869. American
tonnage, ], 4G2 SOS; foreign tonnage.
5.347 ,694, and in 1876 the tonnage of
American vessels registered was H.
I'll ,949, and foreign tonnage entered
III the United States 12,2lS,365, a
startling increase of foreign tonnage
in seven wears of l2s per cent. and
gives employment TO $4,000 foreign
sailors, leaving that number of our
own seaIaen, unemployed. The ton
gage ct the coastwise trade has also
decreased largely.
''f see no reason" said the witness.
why Americans could not build iron
ships just sseheapas other national
ities. The cost of building wood
en- ship here Is about SOB peC ton
sud on rho CfyTro IRON -f,iIs ..s.i. \ !
built for about El3 Cor about 500 ,
per tor. The Introduction of iron 1
into the ship-building trade, and sew |
eral other causes, believe have led
10 the falling off of our trade" !
"How. could the American CAPT /.
talist, at the end of the war, even if
the navigation laws were not in ex- /;
istence, have competed with the En- ,
glish ship-builders and owners, the ,
price of labor and capital being very 4,
much higher here than there! Z" :
well, we could have partially COM
peted with them. We could have
gone. there and bought their ships at |
= cheaper price than we We're COM
PEELED to pay for them by building
them ourselves, and would conse-
quently have been in
A BETTER POSITION TO COMPETE
WITH THEM
for the trade OF the ocean. ] am not
in favor of throwing open the coast
ing trade att, present TO foreign ma
tions. hut eventually it must be open
10 all competitors. The eoastlnS
trade is protected at the cost OF the
shippers" Il
.!The reasons ,you give for free
shipping would apply equally TO free
trade. would they not 2" Certain
ly, sir: / am q free-trader, and be
lieve in taxes only for the purpose of
necessary revenue j do not think
the navigation laws benefit our ship
ping interests; quite the other way,
they crush out what vitality there Is
in If. / believe that the tariff Is an
impediment to trade, and prevents
the development of many industries.
| don't beiieye in building up any
industry at the expense of the peo-
ple.D .
aThen, YOU think these industries
have been protected to death
s'WelL not entirely.p@a .76
"Then how do you account for the
depression in. England in the same
industries, where absolute free trade
existsH'
"wer, this is an age of
GENERAL DEPRESSION,
and England has suffered less than
other countries. Pauperism there
has decreased, and has increased
LARGELY here. | believe an increase
in exports and imports a healthy
sion. Our exports have increased,
hiIt PROSPERITY has not returned, Tor
We are in the condition of the man
who was paving for a dead horse
We ATE our cake without having IL,
and now we are engaged. in paving
for II. | believe that most OF the
evils which trade is suffering from
are caused by too much legislation
IIanghterl, with all due respect ior
vour honorable body"
"Then, if the Government nau
KENT ON issuing bonds and greenbacks
"a has Iyeea testified here. every
thing would be lovely in the whoie
country" s=ess1 I,. Cor
"Well, a man may keep drunk Tor
. certain fine, but he has got to sober
nm sometimes or he will collapse.
Vow, if there was unlimited pa
ner money issued, what would De
the result; what would you 40 Win
your bonds and greenbacks
i.Wen, / would change them mo
GOLD at once, and take the first steaih-
er for Europe" [Laughter-J
.If the Government stamped ever.
gold dollar as 81 would that increase
the amount of gold !"
mot a particle and the same way
,be ,sfamp of the Government on a
1reenback cannot regulate the value
of it.n Il. ,ho
Mr.. Hewitt announced that me
co,nm;ttee would sit probably UNI,
"Wednesday, after which ne MoS
hold a session at Chicago and aiioiiei
at Pirtsburg.-N y. Express, h"-
,,,ef Df