The daily gazette., 1882-03-21

SHIPPING Trade The following
very able article is from Republican,
high protective journal, which has
been able to discover the mote in the
eye of its own political party, and to
come to the conclusion that it should
be eradicated. In fact it 10 difficult
now to determine which party has
the most able men in it that favor
reduction Of the tariff aud remodel
ing Of the navigation laws:
"To what abject proportions our com
merce has been reduced is shown by the
the fact that the grain feet sailing in
1880 from the port of New York num-
bered 2,S97 vessels, of which number
1922 were sailing vessels, carrying 59,-
s22, ,o33 bushels, and LOTS we're steam
ers, carrying 42,426,533 bushels, and
among all these there were bot IA
American sailing vessels and not one
American steamer. They were all
alike foreign built and foreign owned.
During 1881 there were landed at the
port of New York over five hundred
thousand saloon and steerage Passen-
gers, aud not single one of them came
in an American ship. For the present
year it is estimated that there will ar
rive at the same port over million pas
sengers iroP abroad, not one Of whom
will come in ship bearing the Amer
can aag. The ships that they will come
in, the owners that they will pay pas
sage to, will all be foreign, and because
our Tariff laws and Navigation laws,
made solely for the sO-cailed protection
OF less than a half-dozen great firms
have so determined it. In twenty
years, under the operation Of these laws,
the American foreign tonnage has de-
creased Al per cent, loss for which
there is no other set-ofl or compensation
than the inflated fortunes of q handful
Of American ship-builders. Aud so
long as thess ruinous laws remain 10
force it will be folly to talk of restoring
our commerce to the seas by granting
subsidies. for there is not money enough
in the Treasury to effect its restoration.
Thoss ships that are subsidized alone
can run, aud those that are not will be
financially wrecked. This history of
even the subsidized liue3 is that of fall
ure, f,r such policy is not at all new"
1he remedy, therefore, is not in sub
J sides, but in the liberty OF any AHe RI
} can merchant to buy ship, wherever he
! can buy them cheapest, in order that he
can compete successfully with those who
Q do buy them in the cheapes. markets, Ii
Z is not only the Tariff laws which pre-.
vent him Going this, but the NavlgatioE
Q laws also were especially framed TO con
Q pei him to buy his shiIs in the very
dearest market, to buy in which made
succes stul competition impossible, or moi
to buy at all. MIR. David A. Wells has
? codited these laws, and Lieutenant
: Kelley has ably summarized them. Il
n is not Necessary to give the provisions
of all 6f them to demonstrate the svi.
dent purpose they were made to serve
e that of compelling American merchants
r 70 buy their ships of Roach and hi:
=. brother monopollsts. To begin with
~ "no American" says Lieutenant Kelley
= sis allowed TO mpoIt a fJreign-buil
D vessel in the sense of purchasing, acquir.
!. ing a registry, or using her as his pro.
perty." The only other imports SO pro
hibted are counterfeit money and OBJ
= scene goods. An American We sells is n
ir longer one if owned to the extent Of ON
dollar by naturalizsd citizen, who, af
! ter investing bis dollar in her, visits BIZ
q native country for one year, or AM
@ other country for two years. 40 Amer
ican ship ceases to be such if an Ameri.
can citizen, owning any part of her
q resides IN any foleign country wIthou
}. relIDquishiDg his ciLlzeuship. No regis
q ter can be obtained for an American
ship unless the owners makes oath tha
y no foreigner is directly or indirectly IN
% teIest in the,protts therein,even as com
It nader or eny other officer. Ne foreign
built vessel can enter an American port
70 then sail to another domestic port will
ct any new carge or any part of her con.
signed cargo, without touching at somt
Ia foreign port, under penalty of confsca
W on.
D. An American vessel once sold to
le foreigner cannot again become American
ia property. American vessels must pa,
even for repairs, if made in a foleigI
10 port, duty equal to one-half the cost o
E. the foreign work and material, the mas
of ter being obliged to make q return o
such repairs as imports. This benif
y cent provision include boats bought a
O. sea by vessel that has lost its boat
TO from stress Of weather, and which ma,
:. be nece ssary for the lives of crew ant
, passengers. Except in the fisheries, al
10 our vessels engaged in foreign trad,
" must pay an annual tax of 80 cents pei
:, ton; and so on and on indefinitely II
American commerce placed al the mercl
u of the mere handful of ship building
le monopolists who have induced Congress
,e to decree that Americans shall have n,
- ships unless they buy them Of the mo
"a nopolists at monopoly prices. Senate
Beck introduced bill for the repeal o
n these Infamous laws, but it was defeat
ct ed, and as consequence there are il
the world just four steamships flying th
w American flag between here and Europe
1d While these laws last there is not lkel'
al to be any more, bnt If they were re
pealed, If American merchants we're per
as mitted to buy and own ships wher
RI they could buy them cheapest, the,
a could successfully compete with thei
=, foreign rivals, or drive them from ou
'"' parts, could keep at home the $106, 900,
ee 900 annually now paid to them for tn
o. sole benefit Of the mOnopolists who ar