Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-04-27
FOR AND AGAINST FREE SHIPS.
A Vigorous Protest from -Four Repub-
licans and New York Democrat.

The Dunn Free Ship bill, a. reported to
the House last week by the Committee on
Merchant Marine and Fisheries, is identi-
cal with the bin reported to the last Con
gress, with the exception of two amend
mcnt- limiting the business of the foreign
try to the foreign trade. and expressly
prohibiting them from engaging in the
coastWise trade Of the United States. The
majority report is also similar to that
which accompanied the bill when it was
reported during the last Congress, with
addition of few tables from the report
of the Commissioner of Navigation and
the statement that to longer retain in force
the superannuated laws of so-caled Pro-
lection to our merchant marine and the
ship building interests of the country.
which have produced the present disas-
trou> and humilating conditions would
would be "protcction run mad"
minority report is signed by Messrs. Ding
ley, Farquhar, Hopkins, FELTON, and Clark,
all Republicans, and by Mr.. Amos j. Cum
mings, the Democratic representative of
the sixth District of New York. 1t SAYS
The bill originates in remarkable manner,
for aside fir m the bare aJority of the mem
hcrs of the committee who voted to report the
bill fayorahly to the House and the individual
who advocated the inclusion of our coastwise
tonnage III the provisions of the bill, not
person, nor company nor maritime
association, nor a board of trade nor Il trades
guild or union of workingmen, nor single
Knight of Labor, nor an American sailor, nor
an American merchant, nor an American
shipper has by personal appeal or petition
asked for the enactment of the bill into law.
In this respect the free ship" policy of re-
viving aud restoring the American merchant
marine is unique to say the least 1t is
serious injustice to the shipbuildng industry,
in that it proposes 10 place on the free list
completed manufacture of the most compli-
Gated character, while every other completed
manufacture imported from foreign coun-
try is left with duty of at least 30 per cent,
1t is true that section of the bill allows the
importation of ship-builling materials free of
duty. But this is only mockery, for the
reason that the materials of even an iron YES
sci constitute but small part of her cost.
free ship policy looks to the purchase
abroad of the vessels We may want for the
foreign trade and would result in the destruc-
ton of the shpbuildug industry of this coun-
try The average wages pad in an American
shipyard are at least 30 per cent higher than
in an English shpyard With this disadvan-
tage no capitalist would invest the money
required to establish extensive ship
yards in this country with the knowledge that
he must compete with English builders in the
common market. While the bill on its face
limits the free importation and registry
of foreign-buit vessels to such as are intend
ed for the foreign trade. yet everyone practi
cally acquainted with the subject understands
that no one would import and register for
cign-huilt vessel unless he believed that the
law would be ultimately so modified as to
allow him to use the vessel in the coastwisc
as well as the foreign trade 1t would be
impossible to resist the appeal that would
come from every man who imported and
registered such a vessel to allow him to use
the vessel in all trades. Good lawyers main
can register she can not be denied all the
privileges which the laws grant to other
American vessels, and that the law in this
respect would be void. Therefore the pas
sage of the bill would be justly regarded as
the entering wedge for the admission of for
eign-built vessels to our coastwise as well as
foreign trade.