Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-17
True Protection for American Ship.
builders,
N.a,, Val.


Nelo York Times
Mr.. John Roach explained to the
Tariff Commissioners the other day at
great length that the present prosperity
of the United States is due solely to the
protective tariff. There can be no doubt
that Mr.. Roach is right, for the doctrine
that protection makes a country pros
porous is based upon two axioms, and
therefore must be true. These axioms
are that it is cheaper to pay two dollars
than one for any given article, and that
any two persons can make themselves
independently rich by persistenly swap
ping jack knives. 1t is the first of these
axiOms that convinccS every fair-mlnded
man who buys a loteeted American
blanket for "a that he would lose money
| did the tariff permit him to buy an
imported blanket of the same quality for
| 50. 1t is the second of these axloms
which Mr.. Roach has in mind when he
says that the tariff has made the whole
country prosperous, for if the shopkeeper
receives high prices for his protected
| goods, and the workman who buys them
and who is employed by the shopkeeper
to repair his counter receives high wages,
so that he can buy food and clothes,
both the shOpkeeper and the workman
handle comparatively large sums of
money, and enjoy precisely the sort of
prosperity which is achieved by two per-
sistent swappers of jack knives, who can
| claim that In the course of a day they
have handled cutlery of the aggregate
value of several hundred dollars.
Mr.. Roach is not merely an ardent
rhilanthropist, filled with delight at the
spectacle of his country, but he is also a
shipbuilder. His ships may not be the
best in the world, though his two largest
ships, the City of Peking and the City of
Toxic, did manage to reach San Francisco
before going on the dry-dock for repairs,
but hesis about the only shipbuilder of
any prominence who is a citizen of the
United States In spite of Mr.. Roach,
it is, however, g notorious fact that
there are no American ships worth speak
ing of engaged in the trade between
the United States and the rest of the
world, Of the thirty-six line of steamers
connecting this port with Europe every
one consists of vessels built and owned
outside of this country, and more than half
the vessels belonging to the "Only Ameri.
can line" of which the Philadelphians
are so proud, are chartered British
steamers,
Mr.. Roach is confident that the only
way in which American ship building
can be revived is by protecting American
shipbuilders, of whom he is chief If
it is protection which has made all other
classes of Americans prosperous, protec-
ton ought to make shipbuilders prosper
Gus. Now, our shipbuildeEs-eo consisting
IS II, J. IL \
the law which fOFbids an American
citizen to own foreign built vessel.
This is an amount of protection which
no other class of Americans enjoy.
The American citizen cannot buy
ing q heavy fine in the shape of
custom house duty, but if he is willing
to pay this fine he can have his foreign
blanket; whereas in no possible circum-
stances is he allowed to buy foreign
steamship. If this amount of protection
has not made American shipbuilders
numerous and rich and covered the seas
with American steamers, the reason must
be that there is a lack of sufficient pro-
lection. The shipbuilder undoubtedly
needs good deal more protection than
he now has, and if he were only TO be
protected enough, ne would be as pros
porous as the rest of his fellow citizens.
Why Mr.. Roach did not see this self
evident truth and point it out to the
commissioners is certainly very strange.
He must know precisely what is the mat
ter with American shipbuilding and pre-
cisely where the remedy lies. In fact,
this remedy is so obvious that it is won
derful that no protectionist has hitherto