The Portland daily press., 1881-01-29
Free Ships.
Senator Blaine's Reply to Senator Beck

Mr.. Blaine's speech in the Senate, Thursday
in reply to Mr.. Beck's argument in favor o
free ships. A part of the speech was received
too late for publication yesterday:
Mr.. Blaine said if INDUCED he would take
lew moments, not to reply to the Senator from
kentucky with any elaboration. but briefly to
answer him, at least in part, as he did not like
to have speech of that kind 60 out from the
Senate of the United States unanswered for a
single day. That the Senator admitted and
did not attempt to argue the other side of the
question, that this policy looked to a perma-
nent dependence of the United States upon
England for her ships his entire argument
went to show. That was the presumption.
The only slight attempt made by the Senator
to refute that was his statement that he hoped
that out of the repair shops that would grow
up on this side there might some time grow
up mach. ne shops and shipyards enough for
us to construct steam vessels Mr.. Blaine did
not believe that the people or Congress Of the
United States were prepared to make that
declaration. 1t was remarkable fact that
Tor ~ years, or from the time of the war to
this hour, Congress had not done one solitary
thing to uphold the navigation interest of the
United States. A great march forward of
our old commercial rivals had been
witnessed and everywhere recognized
ed States had sat in their two halls of legisa-
tion as dumb as though they could not speak
and had not offered single remedy or single
aid until the Senator from Kentucky (Beck)
had risen in his seat and proposed to make proc
lamation of the perpetual dependence of this
country upon England for such commerce as
she may enjoy, holding up Germany, Italy,
and other European countries that are asiabso-
lutlely dependent upon Great Britain for the
commerce they enjoy as is the District of Co.
lumbia upon Congress.
During these twenty years our Congress had
aot in oid of tron ,icciot
by rail. 1t had given zoe, 900 acres of pub
lie land worth today 81 ,000, 900 000 to which it
had added $40, 900 cash to the same end
and yet it had not extended the aid of scarcely
single dollar to that vast external t, .,sporta-
tion whose importance had Dot been exagger-
ated by the Senator from Kentucky. But an
energetic man who found great ocean high.
way unoccupied and had the enterprise to put
American vessels of great construction and
great power upon it, had been attempted to be
made scorn and byword of reproach because
he came to the American Congress and said,
'If you will do for this line what the empire
OF Brazil will do will give you great line."
The empire of Brazil had said to this enter
prising man ''We will pay you 100000 year
if you will run this line.'
But he (Blaine) regretted to say that New
England sense, representing the protective
system of this country, said with quiet COM
placency, "If Brazil is willing to pay for that
we need not" Brazil, however, got tired of
paying all, and we paying none. Just as soon
as it was found we would not pay a combina-
tion of English shipbuilders said. "We will
put on our ships and run that line off. We
will carry the coffee of Brazil to the United
States for nothing. We will break down this
attempt of the United States to begin race
upon the ocean," aud they have pretty nearly
succeeded.
m lstery of the sea, when she had been seeking
every line that could be found on which
steamer could float, she had never put on lines
to carry from New York to any foreign ports
except to her own. You cannot get British
steamship line, except on % triangular system,
that will go from New York to Liverpool, TAX
ing :breadstuffs from Liverpool to Rio de Ja-
nero, taking British fabrics from Rio de Ja-
metro to. New York, bringing coffee and dye
woods, bnt when the proposition is made that
they shall go back from New York TO Rio they
don't want to Interfere with the prosperity OF
England at home by furnishing transportation
to any point for American fabrics here. The
result is that ii the Brazilian subsidy be taken
off, as in all probability it WILL if the United
States extend no aid to them the letters of the
United States, of merchants of New York and
Philadelphia and Boston will be conveyed
to Rio de Janeiro via Liverpool and reach
that point over two great lines Of British steam
ships. The frank admission of Senator Beck
had taken away large part OF the argument
which he (Baine) thought he should have to
ase, and that was to prove that the United
States to-day is incompetent to compete with
Great Britain in the manufacture of iron Ships
and if you admit the iron ship from Great
Britain absolutely free of duty it will be still
more incompetent to do it nexcyear. 1t takes,
in the language of trade, what is called great
"plant" to manufacture steamships: 1t takes
large outlay of money, huge and powerful
machinery and investment Of millions to begin
with. If in addition to all that has been done
abroad to build up the English shipyards, we
pour into the lap of that patronage all that can
come from this country, he (Blaine) would like
the Senator from Kentucky or any other Sena-
tor to tell him exactly at what point of time it
ill come to pass that any feeble efforts on this
Sideb will egin to compete with those great
yards. If you abandon it this year because you
are unable you will be far more unable next
year. You will be STILES able the ensuing year
and every year adds to the monopoly of British
power in that respect, and to the absolute weak
ness and prostration of American power in
competition, but the frank admission of Mr..
Beck of our future and perpetual dependence
upon England removed the necessity of argu-
ing that point.
It is always lawful to be taught by an enemy:
Great Britain has been our great commercial
rival and since the first Cunard steamer came
into Boston, just forty years ago, when Eng
land saw steam was to play so large part in
navigation of the ocean, from her first venture
down to 1878, she had paid from her treasury
to aid the great steamship lines all over the
world sum exceeding 940,0O0,000 sterling.
1t was the theory lof gentlemen who held the
opinions of Mr.. Beck that Great Britain had
followed this policy for a period OF years and
abandoned it. She had only abandoned it
with those lines that were strong enough to go
alone, and the British post Office report for
1879 shows that under the despised and ridicul-
ed head of "postal aid'' to which Mr.. Beck had
referred with sneers, Great Britain paid last
yno n%c hn watnc x.Ci.s
from England. She had adopted the CONNER
cial policy which Mr.. Beck thought would be
the revival of American ship industries. But
does France by the mere fact Of getting her
ships built at Birkenhead or on the Clyde
abandon the policy of aiding her steamship
lines, which for thirty-fve years had been in
operation? The last year France paid 23,0O0,-
900 francs to aid her lines. When a we'll
known line OF France, a company known as
the Messageries Imperial, competed too sharp
ly in the Mediterranean waters after the OPEN
ing of the Suez canal, when the Great French
companies and was in danger of running them
by sharp rivalry, Great Britain promptly
stepped reward and added 100000 to the Pc
ninsular and Oriental companies subsidy.
This was the way Great Britain had abandon
ed the idea of aiding her great commercial in
terests. Italy last year paid s 900 900 francs,
and even Austria that enjoys but single sea-
port on the upper end of the Adriatic pays
$500000 towards stimulating commercial ven-
lures from that port.
Now the United States could not win in
this great international struggle without
adopting exactly the same means that
achieved victory for others. What was that?
1t was not to help John Roach or anybody
else but to make great and comprehensive
policy that shall give every man and every
company specific aid of so much per mile for
such term of years. Let the American marine
feel that the government is behind them; let
the United States only take from the
treasury per annum $4,0000O0 the same sum
Great Britain is paying only as postscrip to
her 800, 1000, 900 investment and let that be
used as fund to stimulate any company from
any port of the United States to any foreign
port, for the decay of our shipping subsidies
meant taxation and nothing else, and the
policy of subsidized lines under John Roach
or any other individual would be to destroy
the competition of its rivals, then double its
charges and create a monopoly.
Mr.. Blaine said he was not prophet nor the
son of one, but if this was done he ventured to
predict that the long-deferred, much-desired
event-the revival OF the American steam
soon arrive. He would have
the country do one thing more, to which Eng
land had pointed the way. We have nine
navy yards, and are without navy. Ii we
would put the expense of those navy yards into
the building up of great private shipysrds,
this would form subsidy enough, and aid
enough. if the Senator MIR Reck) liked that