The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-11-22
ANOTHER WITNESS TO our LOSS.

AN0IHtk WINES IO JUN Looo.
In ante-b ellum days ii was matter Of
every day occurrence to see the stars and
stripes floating in every haroor of any
prominence in the civilized world. Eng
land began TO dread that her supremacy on
the high seas was forever gone, and the
facts of the times pointed to America rs the
great maritime nation of the globe. Things
have slightly changed since then. Our
smart American legislators, who We're
wined and dined by the ship.builders and
manufacturing monopolists on this side OF
the waters, finally passed in their behalf
the navigation act. and by its terms unless
vessels were built here they could
not sail under the American
flag 1t was useless TO insist
that our enterprising sesmen and shippers
could buy vessels far cheaper in Europe
and yet continue to build up the American
maritime interests by carrying the Ameri'
can flag and pocketing the profits Of the
trade. The act was passed. and for the
sake of few American ship-buiders the
merchant marine of the United States wa,
swept from the high-seas almost absolutely
in five or ten years thereafter. 1t has been
source of regret and humiliation to those
Amerioanswho..wan to see the United State
eaaing the world in the worlds
carrying trade that such is the fact
KIT 10 oil w Hf
now is to right the wrong al
once. Only within the past decade have tht
South American republics exhibited any
commercial activity or manifested any de
sire to open up commercial relations witt
us. The extension of our railroad system
into Mexico, thus bringing the Cen'ia
American states and the western coast o
South America closer than ever before tC
us, has been turning the attention of oul
southern neighbors as well as ourselves tC
this trade between the two countries ant
its mutual advantages. But when the
means for transactng this business for di
rectly carrying on the intercourse, are
The merchant marine Of America ha:
vanished, and strangers must be calleC
in who will, of course, labor only for the ag
grandizement of their own country. Just
within the past few days another and repu
table witncss to the fact that the want Of 9
merchant service is costing us millions an
nually, in the direction indicated has come
to the front. MINISTER OSBORNE, our rep
resentative to the Argentine Republic, but
now in Washington, has been talking tC
the reporters, and he declares that all thai
Is necessary for q booming trade between
the United States and the Argentine Re
public is line of steamers from our north
ern or southern ports direct to the Soutl
American ports. Now, he says
that all the American good.
received go by way of England
This matter is certainly one of Importance
to us and worthy the attention of our legis
la,ors at The earliest possible moment. W,
Of the southwest are particularly interested
In the Mexican, South American and Yves
Indian trade, and our own delegation il
congress should give the matter early atten
ton. The AmeriCaA merchant-marino o
carrying-tradc must be built up again il
some way, aud the remedy lies in tn,
Federal Legislature. 1t is all wei
enough to appoint Mississippi
commissions and investigating committee
generally, but the matter of next impor
tancc, after the revision of our tariff laws
is the amendment, modification or repea
of our navigation laws in such II spirit ant
manner as will ensure the rCyiyiIica,iou q
American shipping interests and enable Il
10 go south and reap the commerce an,
profits when are justly ours, 1t is to b.
hoped that MINISTER OsnoENE's remarks
though few, may have full force and effect
and assist materially in calling attention t.
what we are losing in southern attitudes.
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