The Portland daily press., 1881-01-29
PRICE 3 CENTS.

and cents, regardless of anything American in
| it and extract from it every extra inducement,
| for it was no inducement for investment to
| tell man that his vessel might be registered
| here. After referring to the naval esta blish-
| ment of nation as properly the necessary out
| grswth OF mercantile marine, and to the fact
that when the latter did not exist the former
| could not, Mr.. Blaine reviewed the statements
OF Mr.. Beck in relation to the downfall Of
American marine, and held that the principal
cause was the complete revolution effected in
sea-going steamers right in the middle OF our
war by the succession of inventions. partly
American and partly British. Up to that time
steam vessels had not been great freighters,
and vessel OF 5000 tons on a voyage OF the
given date took $500 tons of coal and machin-
cry, and 800 tons of freight. Now this was ex-
acty reversed, aud it could take 800 tons of
coal and machinery and 200 tons for freight
This revolution, co-existent with the cause
mentioned by Mr.. Beck, had prostrated our
marine. In regard to the revolution from
sailing vessels to steam marine, he said the
carrying capacity of an ocean-going steamer
was something very surprising to men who
had not examined it. The very first steamers
of the Roach line so called steamers not near
so large as those of the Cunard and White Star
lines) carried an assorted cargo which, as the
manifesto showed, was more than could be got
into the hold of the vessel, and in addition to
that there asrolled into the hold 20 900 barrels
OF flour. These latter alone would occupy 200
railway cars. 1t was by their enormous capacity
for freight that the steam marine had gained
on sailing vessels OF the carrying trade
1t was idle for us to fold our arms and suppose
That wooden sailing vessels were to maintain
anything like their former Importance Their
days were not vet over, and they would prove
a valuable auxiliary in commerce; but the
great ocean routes such as the West Indies,
from San Francisco to Melbourne, etc. would
soon be occupied almost to the exclusion of
sailing craft, by steamers. Tho United States
could take a great part in the trade of these
routes whenever they made up their minds
that the mercantile marine and naval estab-
lishments must go hand in hand. Congress is
derelict in its duty if it pass another naval
Appropriation bill without accompanying it
with some forecasting provisions looking to
the upbuilding of the mercantile marine. What
MIR. Beck has said in regard to the protective
system and Its horrible crimes Mr. Blaine said
he had not time to answer The unfortunate
venture which was made in the last campaign
on that subject had its origin in Kentucky and
IL the honorable Senator was putting his state
ment as a lament over the atrocious bluuder
that somehow crept into the Cincinnati plat
form through the agency of brilliant Ken
tuckian, he had no desire to reply to it. He
conceded to him, as he thought he (Beck)
would concede to him (Blaine) that it was
blunder; and all the efforts of the distinguished
gentleman who ran as candidate of the Demo-
cratic party, to get back onto the protection
platform only ended in making that which
was before serious end in laugh The cleo
ton had shown that public opinion in this
country was in favor of keeping up American
against foreign manufactures, and he would
say to the upholders of protec ton that this
conld not be done by the destruction of the
commercial marine of the country.