Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-07-03


And what. may l ask the advocates Of
thls policy, what would you do with our
Navy and where would you build our war
vessels? Having driven the building Of
Iron ships out OF the country, how do you
propose to maintain the skill at home to
! construct naval vessels! Or would you
carry your theory to its proper aud fegti-
mate conclusion and have our naval ves-
sells built In England also3 They can GER
tainly be built In English ship>yArds more
cheaply to-day than they can be built In
Government yards at home. Add then, IL
We should happen, by any OF the complica-
lions OF the future, TO have difficulty with
Great Britain, IL would largely conduce to
our success to have that great and mag
nanimous power furnish the war vessels
for both belligerents
But this subject is serious and momen-
tons. A navy csnnot be reared as an ex-
Otic. We cannot abolish the art OF iron
ship-bsilding In this country and ssill main
tain navy. We cannot permit our mer-
chant marine to dwindc and decay and still
keep up q navy OF strength and prestige.
A navy cannot be improyised for al emer-
gency. IL grows, aud grows slowly. The
navy that Won honor and gave lustre to
our Dag In the second war with Great Brit
an was the outgrowth Of tho navigation
lsNss Nus'art W " osutilXIVn
ton; when. poor As we we're 10 every
thing, In money. Ia mechanical skill, In
tools, In machinery. We yet laid 10 down ss
the policy OF The young Republic that no
vessel eXceps those built by American me
ohanics In American shlp-yards. aud com
manded BY American officers should ever
fost the American flag. Out OF this policy
grew tn. Navy Of lsi3-I5. commanded by
Decatur and Perry, by Porter and Balm
bridge, by Lawrence and Burrows aud
their great compa,riots; the Navy tha,
! met the world-iamed navy OF Eng land and
IN every hgh; with equal metal came of
victor. II was these same vigstiou laws
that trained the men for the emergency OF
our great civil war. when we were enabled
~ moment's warning to furnish seven
thousand good officers and ten times that
ngm6er of seamen TO seal the ports OF the
South aud 10 do some OF the best aud brav-
est aghiing OF the century.
The great Iron ships for the British navy
ar. built ir private ship-ysrds At cost far
below the cost OF the same work II exc
cuted In government yards. Those private
snIp-ya-ds. on the Clyde. al Birkenhes sd. at
Belfast. owe their origin and their growth
To the pecunlsry aid extended By the Brit
i-h government to her steamship lines that
traverse every sea and control the CON-
mcrce Of both hemlsphcrcs. Five ard 4
half million. year may seem Ike n large
sum Ia pay for mail service AZ a subsidy.
but can any on- doubt that aside from the
immeasurable and innumerable advantages
that have thus accrued TO the commerce
OF Great Britain, the government more
than gets back its outlay In the cheaper.
more expeditions, and better work It Sc
cures fot is navy a. compared with the
Sumbcrsom. and costly yards controlled
directly BY the Admiralty And should
we not realize the same advantage in the
tniiei States II We should build up private
yards along the Atlantic and Pacific coastss
| hold II be matter susceptible OF demon.
sirAilon that a less sum from the Nationsl
Treasury In aid OF individual enterprise
would build :hsse yards a. various points
frsm Eastport to Vancouver; a less sum
say. would build the yards than would bc
saved To the government In the better and
cheaper construction and repair OF the yes-
sells oi the navy. Or To put the PROPOSE
iion la the reverse way, | am .til more
confdent tha, II We should give up the at
tempt to build iron ships .t home AID
change our laws a. to import them
from Engltsh yards. the expcuse oi build
ing our naval vessels would in brief pc.
riod be enormously enhanced b. having no
surrounding growth OF mechanical skill,
which Is always developed under encour-
agcment and vanishes when employment
ceases. The increased cost OF needed work
10 our navy yards would 10 series OF
years take more mDney from the National
Treasury than the most eXtravagant aiyo.
cate OF oce an mail serv ice ever dreamed OF
asking from Congi esss.
A curren, misrepresentation 10 the effect
that European countries. having realiz ed
-. E.,., .4ts.e. Of B.
money subsidies have abandoned IL. Jnst
the reverse Is the truth. aud this very year,
besides . liberal allowance for sea-post-
ages, Great Britain Is paying her various
steamship lines 4 subsidy exceeding o., 700
90. or, 10 quote accurately from the ap-
propriations OF Parliament, f161, ,s37; while
France Is paying over four and half mil
lions OF dollars; Italy Is paying a million
sud half. Austria halt 4 million, and even
the little kingdom OF Belaium two hundred
thousand These sums as have said, are
10 addition TO pos,sges, which, In many
cases, are paid al a most liberal rate, Great
Britain allowing her American lines two
shillings SIX pence per ounce for one class
OF mail matter. aud one shilling per ounce
| for another class. During the past twelve
years the United States has paid over three
/ and q half millions to foreign steamers Tor
o
waited for foreign lines TO be built up by
aid IRON their own governments. but with
generosity 10 be noted for lavishness
| rather than wisdom. We have thrown in .
| few extra millions from our own Treasury.
II l possessed the power TO prescribe
policy for the revival Of the American
! carrying trade, would IN AXE IL very simple
| and very specific. l would continue the
navigation laws IS part OF the very organ
ic law Of the land. For wooden sailing
ships o further aid is needed than these
| laws acord, II We will only seek in every
way to tighten the burden OF taxation on
| vessels. We can build wooden ships bet
! ter than any other country, and We can
. build them As cheaply; but after they are
! launched and In trade they should not be
worried and harried and burdened with
every Iorin OF taxation, port charge, and
quarantine exAction At home; and NAL
! treated and oppressed, IS they too often
| are, BY our consuls In foreign ports
| They should have every facility for supply
In our ports that England gives to her
ships. Wooden ships will always be used
| so long as trees grow and winds blow, aud
they will form 9 large resource to our
country. Indeed il Is almost the only re-
source We now have in foreign trade. and
We should cherish the interest as one in
/ woven Win our history ana prosperity as
. people.-My own State is more largely
interested than any other iu the Union, in
the building Of wooden ships, and II the
specie basis can be firmly maintained, the
Usited States and Canada will furnish the
sailing vessels for the word Nothing but
the imitation Of the currency and the loss
OF the specie standard will prevent the
steady growth OF that valuable interest
Beyond all doubt that would prevent its
revival and increase, and would ultimately
result in its total destruction in our coun-
try.
But, Ii We content ourselves with wood
en- sailing vessels We surrender the larger
half Of the worlds commerce without q
struggle. We must have iron steamships
besides, and with the start that other ma
tions enjoy to-day, we shall never com.
pete with them unleSs we use the came
aids and the same instrumentAlities that
have built their steam neets. And thai
aid would give. And to give 1t effect
lively and wisely would abandon all ides
OF granting subsidy to special lines as they
apply to Congress for aid. That policy
however just and meritoriOus. will always
be rendered abOrtiye BY prejudice, by jeal