The Portland daily press., 1886-12-14
AGAINST FREE SHIPS.
Bath shipb uiIders Alarmed over The
Dunn Shipping Bill.
The Board Of Trade Protests Against
Its Passage,
And Appoints Committee to CO to
Washington.
Especial to the PREss.l

that Congressman Dunn will bring his free
ship bill before the House this week.
During the day circulars were distributed,
and subscription paper started to raise
funds to send delegation to Washington to
oppose the measure.
No difficulty is anticipated in raising the
amount required. The passage of this bill
means death to American shipping, and every
citizen of this city is alive to its Importance.
Friday evening two committees were ap-
pointed, one to raise money. the other to pre-
pare a memorial to Congress. The following
is copy of the memorial:
To the Senate and House Of Representatives Of
the United Stutes or Anaertcd, In Congress as
Respectfully memorabilia and represent your
petitioner, the Bath Board of Trade, whose mem
bershlp includes the Representatives business men
OF our city, that we view with alarm the possibili-
y OF lne passage BY your honorabla body Of the
(so-ealed1 Dunn bill, providing for the admission
OF foreign built ships to an American register
keenly alive TO the wants and necessities Of our
merchant Marine we have struggled for years to
maintain its prestige, hoping for such legislative
relief as would enable us to meet bold and az
gressiye foreign competition. From the founda-
tion Of our government 1t has been the distinctive
American policy to encourage the building and
sailing OF ships by American citizens To protect
and strengthen this important service, and the
ildIly interests QbpcuucDL tnereOn, Congress has.
in the past, granted with generosity much needed
legislation. Now, at the moment when we can
discern some ray Of light, we are met with prop
oSlton which, II 1t ever ripenS tntolaw, will COM
pletely and forever para1yZe an.important indus
try whose prosperity Is synonymous with the de-
sired material prosperity Of our whole land. The
results of such unwise and cruel leg
isation are fearful to contemplate. The immense
capital invested in our merchant marine might
partially save itself when the death blow Is struck
but the immense labor interest involved, this win
be crushed beyond all hope of recovery. The ira
ditional policy OF our government has always en-
nant influence, vast army Of skilled mechanics
and artisans have grown up clean, bright and in
telligent factor In our body polite.
Foreign competition and aggression now reach
out grasping hand, and would rob our labor Of
its long established source of maintenance; and
more, 1t would use the law-making power OF an
late an important branch Of American labor To
what depths OF weakness and tmbecility have we
sunk when we surrender to England our last bull
wark OF national hope and national defence, and
cowardly permit her cheap materials and cheaper
labor to masquerade under the Stars and Stripes
doing the little carrying trade that still remains TO
u.s.; we hope, urge and pray that our Congress
Will not adopt policy so short-sighted and per-
nicious that great industry that has founded and
N 50 many happy homes the corner
well regulated labor shall not look in vain to its
own legislation for protection against foreign ag-
gresSlon, that we may still be permitted to float
an American flag over an American bottom, con-
structed by American capital, skin and labor
The following is the text of the free ship
bill:
In THE House or REPRESENTATIVES,
March 25, 1886.
Read twice; referred to the House calendar and
Mr.. Dunn, from the select committee on Ameri-
can shipbuilding and ship owning interests, re-
ported the following bill as a substitute for II. r..
1859 and 5207:
BILL
to amend sections forty-one hundred and thirty
Two and twenty-five hundred and thirteen of the
Revised Statutes OF the United States so to au-
thorize the purchase of oreign-bu.lt ships by cti-
zens of the United States, and TO permit the same
Re Il nactsd hv M saSst ~ .,v ana us p
resentatives OF the United States of America In
Congress assembled that section forty-one hun
dred and thirtytwo of the Revised Statutes of the
United States be, and the same is hereby, amend
ed so as to read as follows, namely:
Sec. 4l32.-All vessels owned wholly by cti-
zens Of the United States, or BY a company incor-
ated by the laws Of the United States or Of AM
State or Territory thereof, may be registered as
directed IN this title; and IT shall hereafter be
lawful for all citizens of the United States to buy
vessels built in whole or in part in any foreign
country, import them free Of duty or other charges
and have them registered as vessels OF the United
states; ana when so registered such vessels so
bought shall be entitled TO all the rights and sub
lected only TO the same regulations as are now
provided by law for the government and manage.
ment OF vessels built wholly within the United
States and owned and controlled by citizens there
1t will be seen that contrary to the general
supposition the bill includes all classes Of
tonnage, coastwise as well as foreign going.
A letter this afternoon from Congressman
Dingley states that the bill stands good
chance of passing the House.
At City Hall this evening the thirteenth
special meeting Of the Board Of Trade was
called to take immediate decisive action
toward securing the defeat of the dunn
free ship bill" Beside the members of the
Board about nftS otfiers <vcre present -ir,-re-.
sponse to a call to the public. The Olympian
Club was represented by several of its lead
ing members. Every shipbuilding or ship
owning firm in the city was represented ex-
cept the Houghtons. President Fuller pre-
sided. After stating the object of the meet
ing and arguing the Importance Of imme-
diate action, Mayor Wakefield, for the COM
mittee on memorial, presented ths memorial
given above, which was adopted. On this
subject Mayor Wakefield spoke very elo-
quently. Nothing is more humiliating, he
said, than for Americans to urge upon Con-
gress Legislation in behalf of American in
dustry. Shipping is a national industry.
The national government has fostered it
from the foundations of the government,
We arc confronted now by the efforts of Con-
gressmen, backed by British money and in
huence laboring to secure legislation for
English interests at the cost of American in
stitutions. This measure is fal. reaching.
There is some excuse under the present cir
cumstances that portion of the American
people should be willing that the English
bottoms of limited size should do share of
the foreign trade, but this bill means more
than that 1t means that in a short time our
coastwise trade will be done by Canadian
schooners and British tramps. One hun
dred and fifty to two hundred million dollars
are paid by Americans for the foreign car
rying trade. Eighty-fve per cent. Of this
goes to England. Her ships don't make
money, but her shipyards do. That is what
she seeks. They will not be content with
the foreign trade. They want the
coasting and lake business. They will
do all cur carrying trade and Ameri-
can ship yards will have literally
nothing to do. When our present fleet are
worn out they will be replaced by vessels
built and sailed'by the Provinces. At the
opening of the war in sixty days we built
a navy that blockaded many miles Of sea
coast If foreigners own our vessels, II our
yards become extinct we can build no navy
at all within reasonable time. If the ma
tion asked us to build vessels for the coun-
try's defence we couldn't do it. We should
be completely paralyzed. This is the most
infamous measure ever presented to an
American Congress. A delegation should 40
at once in response to Mr.. Dingley's letter.
The chairman Of the committee on shipping
notifies Mr.. Dingley that the bill will be
brought up after the sundry civil service bill
and the agricultural bill probably near the
end Of the week. One and three-ouarters
hours only are given to each side. A delega-
tion should 90 at once and confer with and
interview the Congressman. 1t is the only
way we can defeat the bill, if defeated il
will be once for all, if not it will probably be
held pending till the Senate are ready to pass
it. Collector Torrey dwelt on the fact that
this bill would enable England to get all the
river and lake trade now done by American
steamers, as well as the coal and cotton
trade. We shouldn't have anything left
from a ship to gondola An iron ship thirty
years old gets more than new wooden one
The provision for free materials would do us
good. Our delegation should work for that.
We have more to fear from New York and
Boston brokers who hope for our business
than from Enulieh ehinc