National Republican., 1885-11-21
Mr.. Hewitt on Free Shirs.


lied to contract" &C., for the expenditure
Of four hundred thousand dollars to Amcri-
can steamships for carrying the foreign
mails. 1t has long since been settled by
the courts that when the word "author-
ized' is used In the above connection 1t Is
direction to the executive officer to do the
act he is "authorized" TO do.
This construction made II as much the duty
Of the Postmaster General TO cxpend the four
hundred thousand dollars "authorized'
for carrying the mail In steamships US 1t was
to expend tho fourteen million and ten
thousand dollars provided In the same law
for transporting the mails on railways. Why
has he obeyed the law in the one case and
failed to obey It in the otherY
Possibly the speech made by Mr.. Abram
s. Hewitt in New York last week on the
subject of rebuilding the American mer-
chant marine may account for the course Of
Mr.. Villas. The debates in the last Congress
and in several previous Congresses show
that II is the opinion Of those who favor
the policy Of giving to. American ship
builders and shipowners proper government
aid have contended that subsidies " to
American vessels is one OF the ways by
which our merchant navy could be re-
established. It is also an established fact,
as shown by the debates in Congress, that
the representative men Of the Democratic
party are divided on this question, some
favoring the policy and others opposing
| It. Among these latter is Mr.. Abram
s. Hewitt, of New York city, and 1t
may be that Mr.. Villas is so strongly
attached to that wing Of his party that he
has failed to comply with the plain letter of
law rather than lend any aid toward re-
building the American merchant marine.
Mr.. Hewitt favors Stree ships" that is
he wants Americans not to build, but to
buy ships, and speaking last week, said
some things that for his reputation's sake,
had better been left unsaid. Here is por-
ton Of his speech, as reported in the New
York Sun:
1t has been said here that the shipping in-
terosts are entitled to the same protection that
the tariff gives to other interests. But 1t has
rot been seen that the shipping interests have
been better protected than any other, for by
the navigation laws they have had perfect
monopoly of the coastwiso trade, within which
all protective laws most operate. For the
jurisdiction of this country does not cover tho
ocean. on which trade must be free. But with.
in the jurisdiction of this country the shipping
interests have had the benefit Of an absolute
monopoly, and yet we are told that they arc
about to perlshl Here, ut least, protection has
failed TO protect.
The shipping interests arc, therefore, the
hest protected of any in this country. Butthey
have been loaded down with oXactions which
have never ceased trying to remove. We
have done so at last. Everything has been
done for this interest which law eau do, except
TO pay bounties. Ships are not now taxed IN
this state, nor by the United States. But now
bounties arc proposed. If they are given, a!
shipowncrs are to receive them especially, they
must come from the pockets of other people
am not n shipowncr II were should bt
ashamed to receive such bounty, and ashame(
OF the men who offered it to nc
Two things have driven our ships from tn
seas. First, we cannot build them so cheapl
as other nations can, and, second, we cauno
: sail them so cheaply as other nations eau. Tn
man who can do q thing for you more eheap
than you can is a beneiactor, not an enemy
: There is no more merit in floating the flag q
the United States on the high seas than ther
is in hoistpg II on the steeple of Trinity Church
The bounties paid by France aud German
to foster their shipping interests have not take
from Englands maritime power, which still
D owns IL per cent. Of the tonnage of the world
: The reason why England still leads all he
/ competitors is because she has increased th
efficiency of her ships. Two million tons no,
. are us efficient as eight millions were twent!
U five years ago. Low freights benefit the col
i sumer and progress consists in the cheaper
Q ing of commodities The people whom rel
b resent would welcome the day when ever,
|. thing they desire could be had for nothing
l. and the nearer we get to that day the more
civilization advancing toward the millennium
- and so far as prices are below those of lS6
u which you all consider the halcyon days
II American shipping so far have we advance
the general welfare Of the people.
% Here are several assertions, the first beir
70 that American ships are 'protectedn
& cause they have monopoly Of the coastir
y trade, We give Mr.. Hewitt the credit
l. knowing more than this assertion indicate
'i All nations have the same rule, and that ia
N precludes the idea that this is ''prote
y tionn to American ship builders or owner
u Besides 1t is not our home trade, but h
Y foreign trade which is making so fearful
VI drain upon the resources of the country
IS the way of freights paid to foreign shi
&c owners.
There has been paid, since the close
10 the war Of the rebellion, to foreign shi
owners as freight upon the exports and II
IS ports of the country and for carryii
ot passengers sum greater In amount thi
~ the entire national debt, and this drain co
~ tinues taking from the country annual
's over one hundred and fifty millions Of d,
e lars. II the money thus paid out
u foreigners had been paid to American shi
- owners, they and the builders who fl
nished them the ships for this traffic wou
~ have expended over two thousand m
y lion dollars to American laborers a
, every man, woman, and child In the cou
=. try would have been more or less beneftC
., ~ while the country would have been rich
y, by that vast sum.
~ Mr.. Hewitt says shipowners should g
:" ashamed" to receive bountles, and In I
- same sentence says he Is an iron maxi
' Mr.. Hewitt asks from Congress I
a., "bounty" Of being allowed to put the sla
:, labor Of Africa, Spain, and other countr
~ in competition with free American lab
ho engaged in delivering iron ore from 81
~ bowels Of the earth" that he may max,
"a greater profit upon pig iron, and yet he
- not ashamed!
sI But this bounty or subsidy, call 1t wi
20 you will, would inure, as we have sho,
above, to the benefit Of every one, Nor
it a bounty or subsidy. 1t is simply
% pay for work proformed.
,g We pay our railways from nifty to abe
- one thousand dollars per mile for carryl
~ ~ the mails. Why refuse to pay steamsh
~ reasonable sunni
w. Mr.. Hewitt says the bountles paid
,o France and Germany have not euab
~ them to compete with England lie see