Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-25

extent lowers him still further in the
scale of wage-earning below his trans
Atlantic competitor.
Does any one suppose that if the mar
kets of the world were open to our manu-
facturers, as they would be if the mailed
hand OF corrupt and stupid legislation
were taken off from our industries, We
could not make our way against Great
Britain? In 1881 Mr.. Gladstone made a
speech at banquet given by the manu-
facturers of Leeds. He then told them
that as long as the United States pursued
the policy of discouraging foreign ex-
changes by high import duties, English
manufacturers were safe from competi-
ton. But that whenever our country
became a competitor, as she would,
under a wise tariff system, with the
manufacturers of England these would
be confronted with difficulties which
would try their courage and their
energies to the utmost. AS this speech
was made seven years ago, it is Of far
more value as pointer in the present
canvass than the doctored extracts
Republican papers are constantly pub
fishing as coming from the British press,
going to show how the election of Cleve-
land and Thurman will play into the
hands of the English people.
Absurd as it must seem to every sensi-
BILE man, that Great Britain is anxious to
have the United States as a competitor
in the neutral markets of the world, yet
this is one OF the stock arguments of Re-
publican papers and Republican orators.
They even 60 SO far as to gravely declare
that the manufacturer of Great Britain
will subscribe fabulous sums for the sue
cess OF the Democratic party-as if Eng
lishmen or any other sensible men would
pay round sums to purcha Sc sticks to be
used in breaking their own backs. Let
us dismiss this balderdash with the con.
tempt it deserves.
During the sixteen years OF low tariff
| from 1S46 to 1S60-our Golden Period, as
Professor Sumner terms it-every indus.
try was fourishing and our commerce
was carried to all parts OF the world upon
our own ships. According to Mr.. Blaine's
statistics the capacity of the American
ships engaged in the ocean trade in 1850
was l, 100000 tons. This capacity in
creased during the low tariff decade to
1880, 900 tons; but just as soon as the
exorbitant tariff of 1923 was felt, that
tonnage decreased until it fell to 1,2OO,-
600 tons.
The number of sailing vessels plying
between the United States and Europe
in 1881 was 5,210, of which 555 were
steamships. OF the sailing vessels, 10
per cent. were American and so per
cent. British. We had just four steam
ships out of the 555 In 1856 the ton
mage of England was $4,000 tons, con-
siderably less than ours, whilst o-day
she has $4,000 tons, or over four times
as much as we have.
A double blow has been inflicted by a
tariff policy which has almost swept our
merchant marine from the face OF the
ocean. 1t has not only destroyed our
foreign commerce, but it has wiped out
the nursery which supplied us during
two great wars with sailors to man our
navy. Without calling in seamen from
abroad, it would be impossible for the
United States now, in time ofexigency,
to man fleet.
A few years ago 1Ss5) Great Britain
averted a serious war with Russia by her
facilities for prompt preparation. OF the
seven hundred first-class steamers run
ming out of her ports she at once listed
five hundred as transports and had them
ready to commence operations before
Russia could make move. The Mus.
covite bear retired from Herat, and Eng
land won bloodless victory.
MIR. Blaine, in his Twenty Years in
Congress" referring to the decline of our
marine commerce, says:
every intelligent man knows that it
is impossible to maintain a navy unless
there be commercial Marine for the
education of sailors. The American Ma
rine preceding 1861 was SO large that it
could furnish 5000 sailors to maintain a
blockading squadron on the South Allan
tic and Gulf coasts. The value of this
school for seaman as one OF the arms OF
National defense could not have been
more strikingly illustrated or more COM
pletely proved. The lesson should have
been needed. 1t is a familiar adage re.
quiring no enforcement of argument that
navies do not grow at the top. They
grow from and out of a commercial Ma
rine that educates men for sea service" ;"
These remarks of Mr.. Blaine are clear
and to the point. The action of the Re-
publican United States Senate in reject
ing the Fisheries Treaty may lead to dan.
gerous involvements with Great Britain
Should war grow out of this action, il
would largely become a naval war. In
that event we would realize the enor.
mously evil effects of policy which has
almost wiped our merchant marine from,
the ocean, and left us without skilled
seamen to man the great navy we would
be compelled to improvise.
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Partisan Politics In ntnInr,. q