Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-05-09
registry to vessels carrying the stars and

which we long ago unwisely COMMITTED
ourselves. Under this system OF free
trade in ocean transportation, the Ameri-
can ship.builder and the American ship
owner, with higher cost labor, compete
for the foreign carrying trade with the
ship-builders and ship owners of other
countries.
If this commercial freedom" this
free "trade on the ocean," which the
gentleman from Tennessee invokes on the
law, has resulted disastrously to the
American merchant marine engaged in
the foreign carrying trade. it has only
demonstrated what the same system
would do for all our domestic industries.
1t is claimed, however, that if it had
not been for our protective tariff we could
have built the vessels required for the
foreign carrying trade as cheaPly as
England, as we did up to 1855, and
thus would have been able to maintain
and even strengthen our position on the
ocean.
Before showing the fallacy of this as
sumption | desire to call attention to the
concession to protection which it involves.
Ninety per cent. of the cost OF vessel Is
in the labor which is employed in pre-
pairing and putting together the timber
and ore, and only ten per cent. Is in the
raw materials. Obviously, nothing could
materially reduce the cost Of building an
American vessel, except a reduction Of
the wages Of the labor required to trans
mute the raw materials into the form OF
an ocean monarch. If vessels could be
built more cheaply under the revenue
tariff which gentlemen seek. it must be
because that system would reduce the
wages of labor in this country. am not
prepared, and believe the American
people are not prepared for any policy
which will reduce the wages Of the
American labOrer to the European stan
dard.
Gentlemen who argue that the protec-
tive tariff Of 1861 has made it impossi.
bic for US to build ships in competition
with England, as we did up 10 few
years before the breaking out of the Re
bellion, entirely ignoring the fact tina,
the retrograde in ship building for the
foreign carrying trade. began soon after
1855. while the tariff of ls49 was In
force and was due TO the great change
from wood to iron, and sail 10 steam,
through which ocean tonnage was pass
ing. In 1855 there were built in the
United States, 3Sl ships and barks OF
the class employed in foreign tonnage.
In 1887 the number declined 10 PSI In
1858 10 l22 in 1859 to SO, and in 1860
to 10. The decline from 1855 to 1859
was more ropid even than since the war,
as 90 ships were built in 1866, and IN
1878 the number was 81, with a smaller
number since. II the worlds commerce
was carried on in wooden sailing ships
to-day, as j, was before the war, We
could successfully compete now with
England in building vessels, as We did
in 1855.
The retrograde movement in American
ocean tonnage was not due 70 tariffs, but
was contemporaneous with the grea,
change in ocean transportation wrough,
by the application of the propeller and
the compound engine, and the use Of iron
steamships.
Gentlemen ignore, also, the fac, that
just as this great change began to attract
attention in this country, we were pre-
vented from taking early measures TO
adapt ourselves to the new situation by
the war Of the Rebellion bursting upon
us and thus engrossing all our ener-
gies.
They conveniently forget, too, that in
addition to the inevitable drawbacks of
war. by the aid Of England the Anglo
Confederate cruisers, directly and indirect
ly, swept one,hird of our ships from the
ocean; and tina, when peace retured the
difficulties which environed us as legacies
of the civil war, interfered with measures
of relief.
Taking advantage of this opportunity,
England redoubled her efforts TO seize
upon the carrying trade of the world, and
BY means of government encouragement
and aid-to which | shall presently refer
she is rapidly accomplishing her OBJ
ject.
Had it not been for this great change
in the foreign carrying trade, wrought by
steam, iron and English government aid,
reinforced by the Anglo Confederate
cruisers, the United States would have
speedily surmounted tbs drawbacks of
civil war. would have gone on increasing
her ocean tonnage, and would have to-