The Portland daily press., 1882-04-03
PRICE 8 CENTS.

there were in port so many Hamburg and Bre-
men vessels, which could carry careoes at low
or rates than we could afford to do.
Norway and Sweden, Denmark, the German
and the italian States, seeing what splendid
bargain the free cities OF Bremen and Ham
burg had got out OF us, followed suit, and with
equal success on their part, as they had no
more to give US in exchange than Hamburg
and Bremen had
Thus we ceased to protect our foreign carry
ing trade, leaving it open to competition with
the cheaper built, cheaper manned and cheaper
provisioned vessels OF the before mentioned Eu-
ropean nations. Those neutrals have improved
their opportunity to the utmost, especially dur
ing and since our war, buying our vessels and
building vessels themselves to the utmost ex-
tent of their ability, all which has tended di-
rectly to the increase of their tonnage adoat far
beyond the requirements Of the ocean carrying
trade.
The effect on our ship owners of opening oar
foreign carrying trade to this competition, Is
the same as would be the effect on our manu-
facturers, of repeating the tariff upon manufac-
tured articles, admitting them duty free, and
thus bringing the labor ct our own mechanics
and artisans into direct competition with the
pauper labor Of Europe.
Nov what shall we do? This is the question
about which so much is said and written. What
would do, or recommend, may be inferred
from the foregoing, viZ.:-Abrogate every COM
mercial treaty from which we derive no equiv
North German States (Which now include Bre-
men and Hamburg) and the italian States. On
the treaty with England am not so clear. We
derive benefit from participating in her carry
ing trade-some may say we have full equiv
alent.
If the aforesaid treaties be abrogated, then,
by the law of nations, the vessels Of those ma
tions may bring to our ports the productions OIL
their own countries, and return to their respsc-
tive countries, laden with our products, and
,uin xvit uaaqalg huf. when
NIT them to bring to our ports, direct from the
ports of other countries than their own, the
products of those other countries, and we ad-
NIT them at the same rate OF duty as II
brought in our own vessels, we then do a
great wrong to our own people and here we
have the cause Of the decline OF our shipping.
II, In addition TO the foregoing, We impose An
export duty on our products exported IN lor-
eign vessels to other countries than those TO
which such vessels belong, we ought to consid-
or our foreign carrying trade we'll protected.
The remedy, then, is found in the abrOgation
of the treaties, and the imposing OF dlscrimtna-
ting or differential duties. Let Congress adopt
these measures, and our ship-builders and ship
owners will need no other protection and no
subsidies
This done, then the internal arrangement
and government of our merchant marine must
be attended to and set in order-regulated.
Congress has power by the Constltuuon 10
regulate commerce e''-and commerce IS sadly
demoralized for want of head.
We have Secretary of the Navy, who is
Cabinet officer who has some two hundred
vessels to look after, most of them small, and
of which there are, now, but % fit for active
service, while, in our mercantile marine, there
are q, 1886 enrolled and classified vessels, with
out any head. II our commercial marine
needs any one thing more than another it is
Department of Commerce" This want, in
England is supplied by their Board OF Trade,
whose President is Cabinet officer.
In matters pertaining to our shipping, the
State and Municipal authorities along our sea
coast, the shipping-merchants ship-owners,
ship.masters, officers, sailors, sailors land
lords-all in any way connected with vessels,
sadly need regulating" and this can only be
accomplished by power invested in a separate
Department of the Government, created by
Congress for the purpose. w. X.