Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-03-26

The above figures were given me by Capt
Albert Spencer, of New York, March 1, 1888
These foreign merchants had previously to
our rebellion but small part of the carrying
trade of the world. They at once dropped
into the carrying trade and the routes and
business which American shippers had filed
and of course learned the business and hav-
ing bought American ships had their ships
modelled by their naval architects and built
after the American. Thus affairs continued
until the end of the war of the rebellion
When peace was declared, then, the American
shipping merchant looked around for his
former business. During the war the
American shipping merchants had turned
their attention to manufacturing and rail-
reading operations, to mercantile operations
on shore, furnishing army supplies etc
They had turned their capital in
one way and another and had
made large percentage. The war
had impoverished some sections and in
others many had increased in wealth. Now
the war was over and capital sought new
avenues, and the former shipping merchant
turned his eyes back to his former vocation,
commerce, and in his own ships. But they
found that foreigners had got their ships and
could do the business at one-half or less
what American ships could do it for, and
that foreign ships occupied all the maritime
routes of the world. They had got the con-
troll and were in position to maintain it.
Attempts were made by former ship owners
to revive the American carrying trade. They
presented the case to capitalists, who after
hearing the case said I'VE favor the project,
but you cannot guarantee US more than four
or five per cent. for the use of our money.
We can get more for 1t. We can get six per
cent. in governments without risk (thie was
at the end of the wary and what use is there
for us to take four or five per cent?" Our
commerce, therefore, is done under foreign
flags Now as to the remedy. One remedy for
this is for American capitalists to encourage
American commerce and be willing to take as
small profit as foreigners. But with this
they are not content. Another remedy is to
make everything we require from abroad for
shipbuilding come in free of duty, and for a
certain number of steamboat lines each to
receive a subsidy from the government, the
same as England is now, or has paid. And
in order to show such as fact we append
the following:
England established most of her steam ship
lines in this way and for more than thirty
years she has paid from So. 1000, 900 to
Sc, 900, 600 annually in the way of aid called
'tMail-pay;" while we have done compare
lively nothing. Last year England paid to
her foreign mail service So, 800, 900, while
the United States paid to American steamers
$50 900 and to foreign steamers $213, 545 for
carrying United States mails. For trans
porting our mails between San Francisco,
China, Japan and Australia, we paid Ameri-
can steamships $14, III. England paid her
East India and China line 81, 100. 900. We
hers to Brazil $56. $50. We paid our line to
the West Indies $12, 29s, while England paid
hers $406, 81.
We have no difficulty in getting reasonable
mail pay for our coastwise steamers. In
1881 we paid $142, FOG for 249 $50 miles, or
sixty cents per mile while the same year we
paid only $31 ,405 for mail service to five |
American lines in the foreign trade. Last |
year for carrying the mails from Cedar Keys
to Key West, distance of three hundred |
miles, we paid $31 900, or over 800 mile, !
and the American Steamship company for |
mail service to England, three thousand |
miles, only $4,000, or 81 per mile.
The question is asked, Why not favor Amer |
leans buying their ships abroad? I answer I |
am totally opposed to it for the reason that I
it is only another inducement for foreigners |
to come here and get further possession of
our shipping interests by getting our coast
wise commerce. Foreigners can come here
and establishing an American nominally at |
The head can sail foreign ships in our Amer
lean waters. They can thus run ships and
steamboats, between New York and New Ha-
ven, or Providence and New York, or New
Orleans and New York, or on the Ohio and
rivers, or on the lakes between
her coast trade and made it free
TO all the nations of the world.
The result is that the English ships have
been driven of the English coasts and their
places taken by Danish, Norwegian and Ital-
AN ships. This is, as I said, because the
ships of those other nations can be sailed at
a cheaper rate than English. The bill now
IN Warrington to allow people to go and buy
ships wherever they can buy them
cheapest will, if carried, be another
foul blow at American commerce.
Again is it not plain to all thinking men that
We shall be in bad situation in case of a war
with foreign nation? Such an event is not
It all out of the range of the possibilities.
In case of such a war where are we with our
carrying trade, the vessels all in foreign
hands and it may be largely in the hands of
he foe or hostile nations. Where are our
Ihipyards in such an femergency for the
building Of shiPs2 English lobbyists in
Washington are now advocating bill for the
,evival of our commerce, which commerce
vas ruined by the means above stated, and as
hey must find something for their unem-
,loyed ships to do (ships made idle by COM
petition for ships of other nationalities) they,
If COURSE, are trying to get what we have left
# our sea-going American commerce as we'll
rs our coastwise and river business. |