Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-05-09

al aid.
Among other measures of encourage
men. to iron ship building, at time
when we were handicapped by civil
war, England gave the construction OF
three. fourths Of the war vessels and ma
rine engines required by her navy, to
private ship-yards at profitable rates
From 1874 to 1879, England paid over
$50, 900 900 to these ship yards for the
construction and repair Of her naval ves-
sells.
Finding that it was necessary to locate
her iron ship yards near her coal fields
and iron mines, the English government
paid by remittance Of tonnage dues the
the &c, ZOO. 900 required to dredge and
widen the Clyde, so that this inconsider-
able stream might become the site OF the
grea, ship yards Of the world.
And. most important Of all, England
gave her foreign steamship lines contracts
for carrying the mails at fabulous rates,
equivalent to an annual subsidy Of be-
tween $4,000, 900 and $4,000, 900.
Beyond this direct encouragement aud
protection, England has established
Board of Trade. whose President
is member Of the Cabinet, charged with
the special duty Of devising ways and
means to aid her merchant marines and
commerce. Under the advice Of the
board of trade, Pertinent has so modified
the English navigation laws as to form
complete system of protection and
encouragement, the farthest possible from
the "let alone" policy advocated by our
fres trade doctrindTies.
On the other hand, the navigation
laws Of the United States remain sub
stantially as they existed before England
entered upon such comprehensive meas
ures to extend her foreign commerce, in
crease her foreign carrying trade. In
stead Of encouraging, we continue the
imposition Of old burdens, which have
become discriminating in the cha nged
condition of ocean commerce. While we
have created special departments or bu-
reaus to take in charge most other ma
,ional interests, our commercial marine,
especially that engaged in the foreign
carrying trade, is left to take care Of IT.
self in competition with the merchant
marine of England, encouraged, protected
and made the special care Of the British
government.
Under such circumstances, 1t IS sur
prise that our unprotected commerce,
have maintained their position as well
as they have.
Obviously, the only measures of relief
that can overcome the difficulties encoun-
tered by American shipping. are not free
ships and an abandonment Of our ship |
yards. That would be suicide. But a
resolute ma,ainance Of our ship-buildIng
interests as the basis of commercial pros
perity, and then the same means OF re-
lief and encouragement in the running OF
American vessels that England extends
to her foreign shipping.
The efforts of England to control the
ocean carrying trade, ought to arouse the
American Congress and people to the I'M
por,ance of our shipping interests. This
is a question which affects the interior as
much as the seaboard, the West as much
as the East, tina So nth as much as the
North. IL i, not local, but National
question.
IL involves the inquiry as to whether
we we will save to our own people the
ship buildings industry which employs
tens Of thousan DIS of workmen and dis
tributes millions of dollars; whether we
shall retain due share of the 800, OO0,-
900 which we annually pay for ocean
transportation, with all the avenues OF
employment which it would open
whether we shall open up wider markets
for American products in China, Japan,
South America and the Orient.
1t covers more than than the material
interests of the nation, great as these are.
It involves questions affecting our com
commercial independence !; our standing
and influence as a nation and even our
national security. No nation ever main
tanned its national importance after 1t
ceased to be great commercial nation.
To-day our commerce is largely de-
pendent on foreign ships; so dependent
that war in Europe would be more dis
astrous to us than to the beligerents
themselves.
The eyes Of the country are tn rned to
the defenseles condition of our coasts in
of the weakness of our navy;
f,r it is an accepted military axiom that
whatever nations c)nnini the ocean
will command the coasts Of countries adj