New-York tribune., 1884-03-24
THE CRY FOR FREE SHIPS.

Notwithstanding the fact that I" Our Naviga-
ton Laws" have been discussed extensively in
every part of tho country few persons seem
really to understand them; and yet they con-
tinue to cry out against these statutes as unwise
and unsound, and of such q nature as ITO pre-
vent the United States from becoming again a
maritime nation. There are nincty-sevcn Acts
of Congress comprising our navigation laws,
seventy-twO of which bear directly on naviga-
ton and the rest upon the mode of determining
tonnage measurement. These special acts date
from December 81, 1892 to May 9, 1864 1t
cannot be shown that any one OF them Is lnJur-
ious to our National prosperity. The plea is
made that the statute against admitting to
American registry ships bought in foreign
countries IS the chief cause OF the decline III
American commerce, and that we want free
ships.r There are three classes clanOring for
free ships-that part of the press which prefers
TO advocate British schemes and interests; the
shin brokers representing English firms who
will benefit by commission on all sthe sales Of
ships made to merchants on this side of the
Atlantic; and commission merchants not hav-
ing sufficient capital to own either ship or cargo
who would be content to act as agents.
ships ship-builders are hostile, and navigators
and ship-masters are adverse to the scheme,
prefering home-built ships to those of foreign
con struction. Neither the producer of wealth
nor the great shipping merchant asks Congress
for such change in the laws; and the artisans,
whose industries contribute to the Nations
riches, are more strongly opposed to such
proposition than any other class. The pressure
for free ships comes from England, whose
builders and ship-owners have large fleets of
steamships and sailing vessels which they are
anxious to sell These vessels were built upon
speculation, or have passed beyond their time
of usefulness. This Is the class which is
especially strong in the belief that our laws are
wrong. and this class is extremely anxious to
get in an entering wedge In the hope that it will
be driven further until our laws permit the use
of foreign-built ships in our coasting, lake and
river navigation. The few American ship
builders and ship-owners have bought the
materials for the construction and equipment
of their vessels, and have paid the Government
a large amount in duties hence, the Govern
ment properly protects them in the exclusive
right to carry its flag on the inland waters and
in the cOastwise trade. 1t would be plainly un-
Just to permit foreign-built vessels TO enter into
competition with them, and it would be more
unjust to the artisans who are employed in the
industries connected with the building of
vessels.
Unfortunately, owing to the revolution i'll the
construction of ships which occurred during
our war while British built priyateers were
chasing our merchant vessels from the seas, and
to the subsequent absorption OF our enter
prise in the more lucrative land Transports
ton, shipbuildDg has declined to such
an extent that the number of men en-
ployed and the product of their work in The
whole United States are not nOw much larger