Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-09-13
TIE REPUBLICAN FAIRLY AkD THE
sHIPPI. G INTEREST.

pared to do, for the revival of the shipping
interest. To this letter Mr.. Page has re.
Piled, and while what he says is certainly
IN no way encouraging, it does not lie in
the mouths Of those who support the Re-
publican fiscal policy 10 find fault with his
position. Oh course he is obliged to admit
that as yet nothing has been done for the
restoration OF the American shipping inter.
est. Several bills proposing radical changes
In the laws have been introduced, he says,
and some OF them have been reported on
favorably in committee. 1t is to be noted
that of the bills which he thus refers to
not one is calculated to exercise an appre-
ciable effect upon the situation, however !;
while he is careful not to say that the
really important measures proposed. name.
ly, those to admit free of duty the mate.
rails for building, and to admit foreign
built ships free of duty, have been favorably
considered. In fac. Mr.. Page is exceed
ingly cautious and non-committal on the
whole question. Thus he observes that
" The question of free ships, in nv judg-
''ment, enters largely into the question to
" be considered. Many people believe
81 that one Of the causes which have driven
tour flag from the seas has been because
" the law placec heavy tax upon foreign.
built ships, and that repeal of that law
should be had, that we might enjoy the
blessings of free ships. Others claim
"that the material out of which ships are
constructed should be admitted free of
"duty. These questions are very grave,
$" and much too serious to be decided with
"out careful consideration.
Further on Mr.. Page assures his CORE.
spordents that anything that can be
"done to restore the American flag to its
once prominent place in the foreign trade
will receive his very hearty cooperation
" and very best endeavor." So far this is
a satisfactory assurance, but it is not lit.
tie surprising that the merchants who ad.
dressed the inquiries to Mr.. Page, and who
are for the mos. part presumably Republi.
cana themselves, should have seen in his
course on this question ground for com.
plant. We do not agree at all with the
policy which the Republican party has for
many years followed in this connection,
but it seems to US quite clear that the party
which has demanded, approved, and sus.
tanned that policy, cannot in justice or con.
sistepcy find fault with its Representatives
for doing the same thing. So far as the
American shipping interests are concerned,
the positions Of Nh. Page are emphatically
the dominant Republican positions. A few
journals have differed from the majority Ct
the party on this question, and, like the
Chicago Tribune and the RECORD UNION,
have condemned its fiscal attitude while
supporting its general course. But such
journals would not consider it fair to cen.
sure members of Congress who, elected
by Republican msjorities, have merely been
carrying cut the wishes of their constitu.
ents in upholding the long series of laws
which are responsible in the main for the
decline OF our merchant marine
The San Francisco merchants, however,
do not appear to have an adequate concep-
ton of the issue they have undertaken to
discuss. Ii we understand them, they are
In favor of some scheme of subsidies to
American lines of ships. This, however, is
not and never can be remedy for the
decadence of the shipping interest. 1t is
indeed of piece with the policy which at
present takes forty per cent. of all the
earnings of our producers, wherewith to
bolster up comparatively insignificant
rumber of manufacturers. But it cannot
give US back our foreign trade, for easily
demonstrated reasons. A prime cause
of the loss of our foreign trade is the pro.
hibitory operation of the tariff upon return
cargoesfrom countries which can only pay fol
our goods with raw material. We have lost
all the South American trade through this
one difficulty, and. therefore, until the
tariff is modified SO as to permit of the i'm.
poitation of foreign raw material, nc
amount of subsidies can help the case.
Again, it must be realized that the days oil
wooden ships are over, and that if We are
ever to become great maritime power
again we must build iron and steel ships.
To do that successfully we must be able to
do it as cheaply as England, and this also
must be impossible SO long as Protection is
in full force.
David A. Welles, in his lately published
work entitled 8" Our Merchant Marine, ~
has examined this subject with exhaustive
minuteness, and has shown why and how
the shipping trade of the world has been
lost to US. In conclusion he recommends
a series of measures which he proves to be
necessary to the rehabilitation of this in.
terest. These are, briefly. as follows
~ The repeal Of the navigation laws. ~
The removal of duties from the materials
for ship-building. ~ The Acknowledgement
of ships from local taxation. This is de-
handed to put them on level with those
of other countries. AZ The abolition OF
compulsory silotage. (5) The repeal OF
the tonnage tax. t6) The reduction of all
expenses connected with the hiring or dis.
charge of seamen, consular charges, and
the like, to the level of those imposed BY
other nations. Isl Reform of the tariff,
and with this reform, says Mr.. Wells,
the natural resources of cur country and
the intelligence of our people are such,
"that, with the reduction of the burden
of taxes and prices consequent on low
rates of duty, we shall regain in the next
twenty years more than we have lost in
the last twenty, and become the first
maritime nation of the world"
These are practical suggestions, founded
upon very full knowledge of the subject.
The question, however, is whether our
friends, the San Francisco merchants, are
wiling to indorse them. Judging from
what we know Of the economic c,mpre
hension of the class, and from the Illus
trations OF mercantile breadth Of vie'1 they
have on various occasions displsysd, we
should say they would probably nj. ap-
prove the conclusions OF Mr.. Wells. 1t
is more than likely that their IDEA of
reviving the moribund merchant ervioe
consists in some notable scheme fols large
subsidies to be paid by Congress fss put.
ting on lines Of steamers to the Fiji .slands
or elsewhere. A mercantile community
which has without protest or remont trance
allowed San Francisco to become Il word
and reproach all over the world FOR he ex-