The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1880-10-08
FREE TRADE.
Di-eHssIOa OF the subject by ship
Owners and Merchants

Owners and Merchants
Boston. Oct. AT the convention
Of ship owners and merchants to-day,
w. ii. Lincoln, from the committee TO
which was referred a resolution and
bill relating TO the shipment and dis
charge Of seamen, reported, recon-
mending the passage of the bill with
an ame2dment providing that the first
and second officers, as well As the cap
tains, of the American ships he Amer
leans, making technical change in
the clause relative to the discharge Of
seamen in foreign ports, and an amend
ment fayoring the employment Of APP
prentIces on the ships of the United
States.
John Roach, Of Chester, Pa, gave
his views upon the present condition Of
the carrying trade in this country and
the best way TO revive its former pros
perity. After paying his respects TO
congress by saying it was made up Of
too many lawyers and not enough Of
merchants and business men, OF subsi-
dies, he said, he hoped the government
would never give cent to any indi-
yidual or private parties. that the subsi-
dies he Notwithstanding from Maine
TO Texas, allowing all American ship
owners TO share alike. He did not
want any subsidy himself, but the diff
ficulty was how TO drive Great Britain
out Of the carrying trade. During the
last ten years six hundred and forty
thousand tons OF shipping has disap-
peared from the United States; taxation
and burdens have put it under foreign
flags, not under our own flag. While
other nations are privileged TO buy in
the cheapest market, we are excluded,
and for the purpose, we are told, of
protecting American industry. The
grain fleet dispatched from New York
last year numbered 2.057 vessels, car
rying 102, ,3la, ,56S bushels. OF these
vessels l,075 were steamers, carrying
Al, 42G, sos bushels, the remaining 1922
being sailing vessels, carrying 59,s92,-
033 bushels. All this tonnage includes
not one American steamer and only
seven American sailing vessels. II is
estimated that over one hundred mil
lions Of dollars per annum are paid TO
foreign vessels for the transportation OF
our produce. Give us ships rs cheap as
other nations; furnish them and give us
the same advantages in respect to main
tanning them and that is all we ask.
Some timid persons fear il any breach
in the wall Of protection is effected 1t
will inyite assault upon the whole
tariff system, but our shipping occupies
a different position from all other inter-
ests Of the country. Our vessels must
be brought into competition with those
Of every other nation, and the desired
changes relate only TO our foreign trade.
The parties foremost in urging the re-
moval of the restrictions upon naviga-
tion would as earnestly oppose any
measures that would cause the great
industries of the country to suffer.
Capt. Osborn claimed that British
gold was largely used in this country
for the purpose of influencing and cre-
ating public opinion favoring free trade
in ships. He said thcro is to-day for
eign line Of steamers using the ports Of
the United States, which is building
three steamers, intending in case OF
foreign war, to put them under the
American flag.
Goss, Of Maine, claimed that he was
the largest wooden ship builder in the
United States, and expressed the opin-
ion that the present was a transitory
period, and that the present laws IL
left alone would be all sufficient in the
future. He asked no favors of this or
any other country in the construction
of ships, and called attention TO the
circumstance that the agitation Of the
free ship question was always most
prominent when England was threat
ened with foreign war.
II. II. Adams, of Cleveland defended
the protective tariff of the country, af-
ter which the convention agreed to vote
on the resolution tomorrow.