Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-02-12


Reform League ON Friday Evening
Last.
At the Old South Meeting House, Bos
ton, on Friday evening, Mr.. William G.
Gibbons, President Of the Pusey & Jones
Company, addressed large audience
upon "The Effect Of the Tariff upon
American shipbuilding. The address
was given under the auspices Of the
Massachusetts Tariff Reform League
Among the prominent gentlemen present
were Hon. Charles Levi Woodbury., Hon
Phineas Pierce, Edward Atkinson, Josiah
Quincy and William Lloyd Garrison.
Hon. Charles Theodore Russell presided,
and In introducing the speaker Of the
evening said There has been growing
up for many years on the banks Of the
Christians In Delaware q great industry
which promises at no distant day, under
favorable circumstances, to outrlval others,
and to become an American Clyde. Zap
plsuse.l l am happy to say we nave
present with us representative Of that
great industry, and he has come to tell
us OF "The Kffeot Of the Tariff upon
American Shipping" shall only show
becoming respect II without any further
words introduce him TO you, and now
have pleasure In introducing Mr.. W. g.
Gibbons.
Mr.. Gibbons was greeted with generous
applause as he rose to speak. He said
Those who are familiar with the history
Of civilization during the past five
centuries cannot have failed TO observe
that the countries which came promi-
nently TO the front rank, and were great
and important In their time, were Shose
which traded with other peoples, and, in
short, were the commercial nations OF
their particular periods. More than that,
they were those who possessed the skill
TO build their own vessels and the energy
and intelligence TO man and sail them
ships shat carried the ooArser productions
OF their own lands to those whom nature
had supplied with more Of wealth and
less OF energy, and whose people freely
paid In precious metals and costly
merchandise for those things which their
more industrious and energetic neighbora
brought to their doors. Beside the ad-
vantage which this intercourse gave to
the people who possessed the ships, In
shat they became enriched, their energies
were stimulated, their men became
accustomed to hardship and learned to
conquer difficulties, through constant
contact with them, becoming brave and
strong and self reliant.
There 10 something In the occupation
Of o sailor, the oompsnionship of and as
ISOLATION with the elemental forces OF
nature, the familiarity with the sun and
stars, the ever readiness to engage In q
struggle with the fsroest storms, the in
hslation OF the pure air which Is always
TO be found at sea, that brings to the
front all Of manhood that is In him.
Whatever other faults OF character he
may have, he Ia rarely found q coward.
Manifestly then nation made up largely
of seafaring men Ia people hard to oon-
quer, and farther In this connection II
may be said that no thoroughly nautical
people have ever surrendered their liber-
ties to or been crushed by q foreign In
yader. With conditions such as these
existing, is II . wonder that the good
people OF the United States regard with
anxiety, bordering upon absolute fear, the
decay OF their once great and powerful
mercantile marine At one time next to
the greatest In the world, and to. day 80
Insignificant that the sight of the Ameri
can flag at the masthead Of q ship, In a
European or Asiatic seaport, is q thing of
curiosity and wonder. once II was asked
in England: "Who reads an American
book 7" Now II may be asked anywhere
"Who employs an American shipf" and
only those OF our people who have been
In fore kn countries can measure the
shame and modification with which they
hear the answer: "Fsw, or none"
The injury resulting from this oondi
tion Is deep rooted. The loss Of the
valuable osrrying trade that once tue
Americans possessed in go great degree,
and which furnished profitable occupation
TO thousands aud tens Of thousands Of
their people, aside from t. Q employment
viven in building ard equipping vess Is
TO thousands more, Ia great indeed; but 1t
10 money loss only, and bagatelle, com
pared with the damage that has resulted
from the forcing into other occupations
the trained nsvigstors and sailors who, 20
years sgo, were numerous class In all OF
our seaport cities. The eldest OF these
have passed from the stage Of active
Work, and the younger, as have said,
have sought and gained other employ
ment, and by reason Of lapse Of years
have become untitled for the task
which they once excelled. need
,nly refer 10 the history OF the naval
pattles which occurred during the war Of
1912, to the short but brilliant struggles
with Tripoli, and in our own times, to
the valuable service rendered by the
officers and sailors during the late war.
Services without which 1t ie matter OF
grave doubt II the government could
have been suoceasful This class Of men
has, in the main, passed away, and only
because their occupation has gone from
them, and many years must come and 90
before others can be trained to hll their
places. No matter how strongly and
symmesrioally ship may be constructed,
no matter with what grace and effect she
may be spared, unless she is manned by
trained and skillful officers and able
sailors she becomes only an engine tf
danger and loss to all concerned. The
mercantile marine has always been the
source Of supply from which the Ameri-
oan navy has drawn its sailors, both in
times Of war and peace.
How great q loss our country men have
sustained In the decay Of their carrying
trade, and resultant evils will only be
realized in Its full measure when some
third rate foreign power forces upon the
American people deep and lasting
humiliation. In the world nothing
cocurs without cause, aud It Is the pur.
pose of this evenings effort to trace to itf
source the reason for the condition that
existe, as has been stated.
Previous 10 the year 1851, the measure
Of taxes upon imports was not excessive,
excepting during a few comparatively
short periods as, for example, from ths
passage OF the tariff act Of 1912 TO iti
amendment In 1s46 Then commenced |
course Of wholesale additions to the i'm
mort rates at that time in existenc,
notably the acts OF March %, 1851, De
oember z4th, 1861, which last, however
related only TO tea, office and sugar, o
July 14sh, 1859, and OF June Both, 1854
through the close meshes Of whose draI
nets no single lticle OF any partioula
importance was permitted to pass with
out rendering its contribution to tn
custom house. The first and almost In
stant effsot Of all this was to advance tn
prices Of merchandise to nearly or quit
double those that had obtained only fiv
years before. In supplement OF thi
evil the government, which wa
then engaged in the most gigantic an
ssnguinary struggle Of modern timei
came into the markets as giant PURCHASE
Of almost every class Of goods, stimula
Ing with hothouse energy every ooncet'
able form Of mar pufsoture, which resulte
in fastening upon the American people
measure OF relative values higher IA
% than existed in any civilized country
and though Congress has in subsequeI
wears, by reduction Of the rate then In
posed on few articles and the augmei
tation Of the free list, by Transferring to