The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-09-09
The TARIFF AND AMERICAN sHiP.
PING-A REPLY.


and best writer's. lie is "a tauff mau'
and to-day he challenges US ito tackle the
American Shipping question" and ITO ac-
count for its decline under our tariff
laws" Therefore, pretermitting for the
present his other subjects, as they
have been. answered so often in
these columns ad nauseam, we will
pay our respects to this shipping question.
If ever there was gross violation of right
in the matter OF regulating the prices of
articles by throwing impediments in the
way of the producer, to prohibit him from
obtaining the highest figures in the mar
kets OF the world, and the consumer from
purchasing them thence at the lowest, IL Is
our shipping laws, And these have not
even the iimsy pretencc of helping any.
body except the favored few. 1t is q
| fundamental law of political economy
that the value of surplus grows in the
precise measure in which the facility of ex.
changing il il increased Therefore every
obstruction to such exchange is an injury.
Hence, when government compols the
poor blacksmith, for instance, preierring
Swedish iron for his horseshoes to take
American iron, or pay n penalty for his
preference, 1t commits II great wrong. So
II it forces one topay $50 for "a suit of clothes
that can be bought for $25 And what else
is the American government doing to-
day, not only by tho tariff on these
articles respectively, but by the
abridgment OF our shipping IA
cilities? Mn. IluGD recently presented
some figures on this shipping law miquity
let us look at some Of the data. by refer
encc to the official tables it will be seen
that in 1865 under democratic rule there
were some 100 vessels built in this country
for the foreign trade. In 1879 there were
but 81 Of them built In 1855 some 10 per
cont. of our imports and exports were car
ricd in American bottoms IN 1850 ii was
less than II per cent. In that same year,
1855, Great Britain had $50, 900 tons engaged
between herself and the United States.
She has now 100000 tons. Germany
then had but lGG, 600 tons, now she has I =.
050,000 tons. At the same time Norway
aud Sweden had only 5000 tons to-day
they have over $4,000 tons. Now look nj
the contrast; during this period the de-
crease in our tonnage has been from 10000
tons to 100000 tons Last year our pco.
pie paid to foreign ship owners Sl35 OO0. 900
for carrying our own products abroad and
bringing to us foreign ones in return. Again
out of thousands of ships which passed
through the Isthmus of Sues In 1850
not one carried the American llag. Ont of
100 steamships plying on the high seas. en-
ploying 10000 men and earning $4,000, GOO
year, there are, to-day, only three which
carry the stars and stripes, while foreign
flags have increased to over 800. WHY ali
this shame? Because the protec,ionist sys
tenn prohibits foreign built vessels from an
American registry. Then, what? Why
capitalists desiring to engage in the carry
ing tradc buy vessel, put it under for.
eign flag employ foreign sailors,
and so the profits of the MONEYS
90 largely into foreign pockets.
But again. in the construction of n shin.
labor is Is per cent. of the total cost. If
the material required is worth say 500, 900
twill cost $4,000 here by the operation of
the tariff In free England this 10000 Is
saved. How, then, can America compcto
with her. But we are told that labor there
is cheaper Let us examine fair test case.
Some little while ago at Wyandottc, Michi.
gan, when one of tho great railroad com.
panies engaged in building vessels for the
lake traffic, tho manager went to CLYDE
and brought over llt ship-buildcrs. Az
ter they had worked some time
they found them not even doing as well
with their wages as they did In England.
Those who worked by the day made So
per day, and those who worked by the
piece made 81 and $3.50 day. They
demanded an incrsasc OF wages, which was
refused The ll5 then held meeting, and
resolved to return to the Clyde, and within
wccl, altcrward every man had packed
his kit and was on his way TO Scotland
and this when there was work sufficient TO
occupy them here u long timc. Their
places were soon supplied by Pcnnsylyan-
ions, who were satisfied with the wnres
which Englishmcn refused Nothing, there.
fore, Is clearer than that the dccadcncc of
our foreign carrying trade Is due to the PRO.
hibition OF American registry TO foreign.
built vessels and increase in price of mater.
ial required in ship-building, which n pro.
tcctive tariff SO occasions. So that nrru.
mcnt does not hold, therefore Il is
tho high tariff price of the
materials used in ship.buildinr
along with tho infamous registry law
which has smitten with paralysis a trade,
an industry, an interest that has made tree.
trade England the mistress of the seas "
This is how stands the Gland OF the free ~
whose protcctionists would build and belt
us around with a Chinese wall, And We,
at the bchest of a few ship.buildcrs here wc
still persist In packing about on our back
this old sinbad OF homc.ship protection
AMI wonder why we do not progress with our
old, antcdeluvian hulks Of statesmen who
seem to have limited their studies TO IN,
navigation laws OF the rhWnccions. or 10
iuluiring whether kINd SOLOMON still ~.