Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-17

| OUR FLAG AT SEA.
Talks by the Delegates 70 the Shipping
| Convention.
| THE pKLEGArEs EXPRESS THEIR oPryroy-rHgY
| WANT SOME OF THE MONEY THAT HAS BEEN PAID
| TO THE GOVERNMENT BY sHrPowNERs-How THEY
PROPOSE TO REVISE THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY.
The Shipping League Convention were rather
| slow in getting under way this morning. HALF
past 10 O'Clock was the hour named for the meet
ing, and at that time there were only O few dele
| gates In willard Hall. The number, however,
| gradually increased and before long there were
| groups OF delegates standing about engaged IN
conversation AS nearly all wore their hats the
| appearance OF the hall presented an interesting
| study in hats, antique, ancient, and modern. The
hat with the rolling brim, the wide brim, and the
| low crown were all represented and there were
| specimens from the modern hat stores well as
| from the garrets All the delegates were seated
when Gen. Wheeler, the president Of the conven-
! small man and seemed lost in the capacious
stuffed chair which mad been provided for his
presiding officer.
| sHIPBUILDER's TALK.
| When he called the convention to order he said
that, while waiting for the committee ON creden-
| tials to make report they would listen TO Capt.
| Samuel Watts, of Boston, ship-builder. Mr..
| Watts refused TO take place on the PLATFORM and
said that As lie was not accustomed to speaking
| he would probably get along better on the floor.
| lie then spoke OF the condition OF the shipping
business and said that IL did not pay TO send out
| ships because OF the cost OF running them. The
| trouole was he thought, the competition which
American shippers had with other countries where
| the governments subsidized the ships. He said
that ships could bt built In this country with ad-
| vantage, but the expense OF running them was
| greater than with foreign ship-owners. He be
lleyed that The only way 10 restore American ship
! ping Was through aid from Congress-.
| The vice-preSident, Mr. Ambrose Snow, stated,
when Mr.. " ats had concluded that at a caucus
OF some OF the delegates held last evening IL was
| thought best that the delegates should be heard
from as far possible and 10 This end 1t was de-
cided to devote the session this morning TO five
] minute speeches.
! The president, upon the suggestion being made,
SAID that ne would call the states represented In
| the convention IN alphabetical order.
| MAKING FIvE-MINUTE SPEECHES.
When the state Of Maine was called. DR.. Fuller.
the president OF the board OF trade Of Bath, Me-,
| responded He said that all were in favor OF re-
| storing the merchant marine, but the difficulty
was how this could be accom- pshed. He said
| that an obstacle In the way was the existence OF
the great transcontinental lines of railroad, and
spoke OF the competition Of the Canadian Central
road. The speaker repudlated the idea that the
before Congress as beggars. He commended the
letter OF Admiral Porter read at yesterdays seS-
to the Government during twenty years amounted
| 10 $6O.OOO,OOO, and now theXwanted the Govern
| ment TO do something for them The speaker re-
| ferred to the discrimination against American
| shippers by English underwriters, and charac-
| terized IT as shameful. In his experience as a
ports there had been only two ships and three
cargOes owned by American merchants. The Eng
! hsh merchants controlled the trade, and the
speaker referred TO the large increase OF foreign
merchants doing business III New YORK city. He
said that II was just as absurd for
s Ships as It's Would be for
family TO adopt; children when they coad raise
that II Congress did not come to the relief Ol tile
merchant marine, and pay out portion OF the
| money which had been taken from the pockets Of
The people aud boarded up in tDis city, that places
would be a more suitable place for them to live in
than great free country Ike this.
Inc next speaker, eX-G0v. Parham, spoke OF the
Importance TO the Government IN time Of peace,
and especially in time OF war, OF maintaining and
assisting the merchant marine.
Capt. Gos5, OF Maine, said that this was ma
tional question, not one merely Of local impor-
portance. la his opinion the passage OF Iree-
shp bill would XIII The industry. He referred TO
the fact that the president Of the convention was
| from the state OF Alabama, and said that it was
another indication OF the national character OF the
| movement. As business men The impo. lance OF
this question was being realized In all its bear
lngS.
TO BE RECEIVED BY THE PRESIDENT.
The president stated In an interval between the
speeches that the President OF the United States
would receive the delegates tomorrow at 80.
New Hampshire was the next state called, and
DIR. Hacketu responded. He said that his state
had only ten miles OF sea coast but 1t contained
one OF the best harDors on the coast. There was
built the first naval vessel for this country. He
spoke OF the activity in ship building In his boy
hood days, and expressed the hope That the music
OF the hammer would again be heard there ana all
along the coast. This movement, he said, was in
favor OF the revival or American commerce. He
believed that II was not alone a spirit OF money
getting, but one OF real patriotism that underlay
This movement He Thought that If Congress were
acquainted with the 1actS that some action would
be taken, and he counseled unanimity OF views ON
The part OF the delegates, so tina. they could pre-
sent a united front before Congress.
Mr.. Sewali, OF Maine, the next speaker, dwelt
upon the Importance to the labOring Classes and
TO ali the industries Of the country OF revvng the
ship building industry. He thought 1t better TO
keep the millOn expended In this industry ia this
country rather than to let 1t go 10 foreign cOun-
tries.
WANTS THE MONEY BACK.
The delegates had hearty laugh over the state
ment made by Mr.. Watts, who said that when he
spoke before he forgot to mention an incident OF
his visit TO the Treasury Department yesterday
When he was shown The piles ST money boarded up
he thought that he saw there the money which he
had paid TO the Government on the vessels owned
by himself and by those he represented. lie wanted
the Government now To pay him back part OF
this money.
Mr.. Moody, OF Massachusetts,, deprecated the op-
position TO this movement, which maintained that
IL was only intended to give the Maine ship-buid-
ers bounty. lie referred to the decadence OF the
shipping interests or this country the absence OF
the American flag on the high seas, and the i'm
In an emergency. The merchant marine, he SAID
was the schOol-house OF the Navy. He thought
that no nation could be great unless 1t built and
owned its own ships. still, in spite OF these facts
which every one acknowledged, there was great
apathy displayed In providing the means TO revive
our shipping Interests. The cry was raised when
bounty was spoken OF that 1t was taxing the poor
men. He believed In protection for ali interests
and all parts OF the country as compared with free
trade.
THE MERCHANT MARINE AND THE NAVY.
"The veteran ship-buider," as Mr.. WIN. II. Webb,
OF New York, was called In the OF his speech
said that the commercial interests OF the country
needed the restoration OF the merchant marine
He thought that in the attempt now being made
by the Government TO build navy, they were be-
ginning AT the wrong end. There must be sailors
who are made by the mercantile marine. He spoke
OF the services OF the merchant vessels in the late
and said that II 1t had been for this aid the
country would have been divided. The Govern
ment was having trouble TO have the naval vessels
built because there were but few SHIP builders in
the present tine In speaking OF subsidies he said
that there was greater reason a ship-owner to
be paid for carrying the mails than that the rail-
roads should be paid.
MIR. Henry of New York. referred to the deca.
dence OF the commerce OF the country and to the
Navy, which, he said, was a disgrace to the
nation He said that In the chamber OF commerce |
OF which he was member, all the members with
the exception OF q small minority, not more than
One-tenth, were In favor OF advancing our ship |
ping interests. The minority referred 10 were COM
posed OF those who were interested in foreign
ships. He said that he interested directly In
n