Daily Republican., 1881-11-19
NOVEMBER 10. 1851
nur Marastn, q Trade.

The meeting ana tue io'"'
Tariff Convention, which adjourned a
Cb;cago this week, has not been win
ou. benefit. The meeting was com
,osed Of the leading business men ah'
manufacturers of the nation, entirely
free from political bias, met together
only for the single purpose OF consulting
.opether in regard to the benefits OF
protective tariff. They had pIan
practical speaking, not for o"ncoh Ut
or TO catch votes for any poIitlcal party
bnt 70 eliminate and bring forward The
trnth, It is useless for ny to say that
neither political party dare emulate
such plain practica! talking on tn" sub
;act Of the tariff. The resolutions
Dassed by the Convention are good and
strike right home to the root OF 'he
cause of the failure of our Commercial
marine. The convention declares tha'
American marine prosperity snail oe
exempt from the burdens OF state, mu-
nicipal and local taxation, for the fea-
sop that American vessels derive no
protection from State or m'lnlcipai gov
ernments that are not shared IN an
equal degree by foreign vessels touch
ing at our ports, which vessels pay no
taxes. Local taxation therefore OF
American vessels is a discrimination IN
favor of foreign vessels and against nose
built at our own ship-yards
The second resolution by the c"nVen-
tion is as good as the first since IL "e'
mands that Congress shall make Ameri'
ran vessels the carriers of American
mails. paying them at rates prop"r-
tiouate to the value Of the service per
formed, and regardless of the rate at
which foreig On vessels enjoying heavy
subsidies from their governments, may
be willing to carry the rails. This
resolution simply says in substance
that enterprise at home shall not be
subjected to a ruinouS competition with
subsidized enterprise abroad, and we
have no hesitation in saying that the
second sober thought Of the American
people expressed without political bias
will approve this sentiment.
There is no doubt whatever that our
commercial marine ought to b" consid-
cred an integral element of our nationaH-
ty. Our marine service is on the sea what
our militia is on the land. AS one is a
training school for soldiers, 50 the other
is a training school for sailors and rs
we know by experience that the former
is our surest defence against assaults
from within, so the other should bc tJs-
tered and made a notices. sure defence
against assaults from the outside world.
Onr navy has never yet been main.
tained on a scale equal to tb" great
emer yencies which arise in the history
of nations. Popular sentiment il not
favorable to war footing i'll time OF
peace. Clearly there must be hus-
banding of resources tC fall back upon
iu such emergencies. In what other
way ran we provide such resources II we
do not build up our commercial marine?
Have we forgotten that the government
drew largely from the re>ouvces Of that
marine from 1861 to 1862 We have
only to ask ourselves what would have
been our condition in 1861 and later had
there been no American commercial
marine. 1t is the duty Of Congress to
extend "a generous encouragement to
American shipping and to American
ship.builders, because in that way it
can best provide for the common de
fence and welfare of the American
people.
We have been in the past too much
influenced by the cry Of free shipping
and free marine 1t is a delusion and
a cheat, and while practicing the
delusive idea, we have lost the trade of
South America and other foreign coun-
tries that should have all along been pour
ing their rich products into our country
from American vessels. While we
have been trying to carry out the prin.
ciples Of free shipping our marine is
scarcely known upon the ocean, the
English government having subsidized
her marine and made her navy what
was claimed for 1t in 1872, "Mistress of
the ocean" We hope the Tariff Con-
gress which has just adjourned will
lay their resolution before Congress
when i. meets, and will urge the grant
ing Of more protection for our merchant
marine.