Morning journal and courier., 1881-03-10

| 1 capable of producing light without heat. But little is generally known about Robert
 T. Lincoln, the new Secretary of War,
 though there is general disposition to be- 1 lieve in him on account of his father. MT. Lincoln studied law in the office of J. Young Scammon, the well-nown lawyer of Chica- go and subsequently, formed a partnership with his son. MT. Scammon says he has never known lawyer more systematic in his | habits, and in his attention to business she | in many respects resembles his father, but with a better business education.'' MT. Scammon thinks Mr. Lincoln twill be a worthy successor of that former Secretary of War from Illinois, the late lamented John A. Rawlins, General Grants first secretary, who very decidedly snubbed fuss and feathers when it undertook to encroach on the author
 ity and prerogatives of his department
 Mir. E. L. white editor of the Providence
 Press, says Senator Windom, now Secretary
 of the Treasury, favored the imitation bill j
 which General Grant vetoed, not in obedi-
 ence to his own convictions, but on the mis-
 AASSA eASs1S@~S
 vote for it which came from Minnesota rep
 resented the almost unanimous sentime- of
 the State Mr. White recalls conversation
 which he had with Mir. Windom at the lat
 ter's home in Winona, after the adjournment
 of Congress in 1874, in which he frankly
 confessed that he had been mistaken about
 the demands of the people, and expressed
 regret that he had not voted his own convic-
 tions The Secretary has chance now to
 blot out the old record by placing over it a
 new one of valuable service to sound finance,
 and there is every reason to believe he will do
 it.
 There has been great deal of malicious
 talk about what President Hayes did
 with his salary during his term
 of office. The Cleveland Herald publishes, ''by authority" as it says, ''the
 whole truth" concerning his salary and say ings. It is as follows: '@The aggregate of that salary for the four years was $20o.00 The expenses of the position during that time were $134, 1000. Had Congress refund ed the $i,oOO he paid for the expenses of the visiting statesmen to Louisiana, his savings
  went out of office with $66, GOO to be carried from his account as President to the benefit of his account as private citizen. When he became President he was burdened with debts to the amount of $9O, GOO, mostly on account of bequests charged upon the Birch ard estate. Of this amount he has paid $60,- GOO out of his savings from the Presidential salary, so that the net available result in cash of his Presidential term is $6,Oo0." It is to be hoped that the enemies of the ex- President will not think this too much.
 Two hundred and twenty-two iron steam ships were turned out from English ship yards last year. How many of these were destined for the American trade we have no means of knowing, but there is no doubt that England is gradually monopolizing the profitable transportation of our exports. Every month and almost every week, multi plies her facilities for doing the business. Within a short time new British lines have been started between New York and London and Barrow and Belfast new line is to be 1 established between New York and the Tyne. Every steamship line running between the | United States and British ports has built or is building new vessels-some of tonnage said to exceed 7,OOO-to meet the growing l demands of the Atlantic trade. The Journal | of Commerce thinks there is no mistahng the | significance of these facts. It says: 4'Eng- | land is fast securing for herself all that re- | mains of the American shipping interest. l She can build steamships cheaper than we l can These steamships, sooner or later, will | run sailing vessels off the ocean. The i former will continue to have the preference 1 of shippers, commanding higher freight | rates and obtaining lower insurance rates. | Against the advantages necessarily enjoyed by England on account of her unrivaled | facilities for building cheap iron steam ships it is useless for us to contend | onger by protective legislation. Subsidies, | protective devices of every kind | nave been tried in turn to encourage the nome manufacture of vessels to take the place of British bottoms. No | American subsidized line-and the test has l been fully made-has ever built up trade l which could not have been secured without | uch an expedient. There is but one means If reviving our merchant marine. That IS y free trade in ships. Let the navigation avs be repealed and American citizens will ,ladly buy ships in the cheapest market, give hem an American registry, and wrest from England goodly share of that carrying bus ness which is the cream of commerce. And Il this without taxing the American people y single dollar ]"