Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1879-02-21


steasa ship Subsidies.
II is more a rivalry amongst Con
gressmen and commercial cities, that
engenders opposition 10 the proposed
su bsidizing of the proposed Brazilian
steam ship line, than any thing else
The amendment to the post Office ap-
preparation bin proposes appropriatng
$500, 600 for the mail service with Bra
I'll by iron steamship, and authorizes
the Postmaster General to contract WITT
| the continuance OF the service by
steamers from Ne. York by way Of
Norfolk and from New Orleans by way
of Galveston AMI return, including In
trrmediatr ports. The maximum rate
Tor this mail carriage j. liked al thirty
dollars per mile per annurn one way
for the actual distance trav-rsrd, and
the usual con 3i.ion Il postal contracts
are to le exscte1.
1t cannot BE- disputed that much of
the distress in this country Is owing to
the decline in our carrying trade srv-
enty per cent. of which b-tor. III. rebel
lion, was done in American bottoms,
but during the war was driven from
the ocean. At the clos. Of the war in
1863 the American carrying trade was
A.. per cent. but low a, 1t then was III
1877 it vas 2S.l per cant. The actual
decrease in tonnage of vessels cleared
from the United states in seventeen
years was 3, 54l ,3l9, and the increase
in foreign tonnage the same time was
5,9l2.047. All this time our people
have been crying out, no subsidy for
steam ship lines, while bv the aid Of
subsidized line. not onl Y Great Britain
has two lines OF Brazilian steamships
but there are three lines from France
sailing twice month, two from Ger
man ports AID one from Genoa. Only
little while ago eur Minister at Rio
Jan-lro called attention to the fact that
zone OF our products are actually sent
from the United States to England, sold
there and reshipped to Brazil in British
steamships and resold at a grea, ad-
vance on original prices.
The experiment i'll this country Of
letting ship owners in this country
fight their own battles against heavily
subsidized iron steam ship lines don't
pan out we'll and the sooner such
suicidal policy is abandoned the bet
ter it will 10 for the commerce Of the
nation. We have stuck to that policy
so long already that W. hav. los, the
trade Of South America, though that
country geographically is right at our
doo.s. and it is high time that We
should face about and not let our com
m-rc- &" down for 90 years more when
there will DC but little Of it left, with
out lending helping hand for our self
protection. II IL all very we'll to say
that private enterprise ought to take
hold and build up the carrying trade
with an eye to the profits that private
enterprise will reap. But capitalists
show little disposition to take hold of
their own accord, preferring other and
we'll beaten tracks of Investment. In
this view of the 81, il is eninently
At and proper for our government to
do something which will enable them
to take courage and lay hold Of the en-
terprise. The outlay Of 100000 an
nually to support a postal steamship
line from the ports mentioned, would
in the course of few years, when a
regular trade WAS established, more than
pay back the outlay to the government
in the way of increased customs reve-
nue.. In referring to this subject the
Philadelphia Chimes" usually reliable
outside of its partizan character, says
that the completion Of the Madeira and
Malnoro railroad which is in Brazil, will
give great impetus to trad. in every
department throughout the State. But
to reap the full fruitage We must have
ste amship lines. Enlarged statesman
ship should lead Others to vote the
same way. Private enterprise in III.
face OF many obstacles has blazed :he
path; let the government give it the
little assistance asked to enable it TO
keep the track, for it has been demon
strated that a fair mail contract is ne
cessary to the maintenance of the line
already established. Let this be- done
and the foreign hold upon our commerce
may be broken and the horizon will be
frightened all around.