Evening journal., 1888-08-08
ro THE WoRKINGMAM.


s'subsidy" has never been forcibly
brought home to the Wilmington
workingman. AT first thought, he
may scout the idea that he is indirectly
interested. He may not be able to
realize that his own welfare is closely
connected with the restoration Of our
Merchant Marine.
Wilmington is pre-eminently a
manufacturing city. u has a national
reputation for the manufacture Of
powder. matches. paper, car wheels,
vulcanizod fibre, cotton anS
wooden fabrics and for the
construction or all grades Of
railroad cars from the freight car to
the finest parlor cars. It's machinery
cannot be excelled. It Is the national
centre Of the morocco interest. The
first American iron vessel was built in
Wilmington, and its ship building
interest has since grown to gigantic
proportions. Ia these various great
industries. an army of intelligent and
skilled workmen are employed. Is it
to their interest that Congress should
legislate SO IS to revive our declining
Merchant Marine, and thereby restore
the American flag to the seas We
most emphaticaliy say, yes
1t is obvious that without subsidy
American steamship lines TO foreign
ports cannot exist. 1t is Improbable
therefore, for American capitalists to
invest money extensively in the build
ing of steamships. The same is true OF
sailing vessels. Most OF our foreign
carrying trade is done ia English bot
toms, and the profits 80 into English
pockets. In England. France and
Germany the ship building trade is in
a thriving condition, and the number
of skilled workmen employed is irf
nitely greater than in this country. What
is the reason Of this? 1t Is simply due
to the fact that theae countries pay to
their vessels a stated sum Of money
annually, rated upon their tonnage
and the number of miles travelled
This is subsidy, pure and simple
They encourage tho ship building in
terest and, at the same time, enable
the vessel owners to compete success.
fully with American owners, and
eventually to drive the American yes
sells from The seas. This. as a matter
OF course, means wealth pouring from
the hands Of the American people into
the pockets Of these foreign ship
owners.
Now, if Congress should subsidize
our steamship lines and pass the ton.
mage bill, now hung up in the House
Committee, what would be the effect
here in Wilmington? Our large snip
building firms would soon find them
selves crowded with orders. Capital.
lists, always looking for a profitable
field in which to invesr, would see
great profit in commercial intercourse
with the fast developing South Ameri-
can Republics, and they would estab-
lish steamship lines to these countries.
They would need vessels, and viii
mington would get a large share Of
their orders. Our firms would soon
find themselves compelled to enlarge
their plants and employ more men.
Money would flow from the boarded
TREASURED Of these capitalists into the
pockets OF tho workmen. Higher
wages would Of necessity follow. This
is not a visionary result. 1t is but an
app LEGATION Of the natural laws Of
cause and effect. History verifies it.
Some may affirm that only a small
portion of cur skilled workmen
would be benefited. Far from il. A
gentleman Of this city undertook
recently TO compile list of the trades,
the occupations and the business inter.
ests that directly and indirectly de-
pended upon the ship-building interest
for a part of their subsistence. He
found nearly 800 such dependents and
had by no means exhausted the num-
Der. The benefits Of sti nulated trade
would therefore be reaDed by the
greater portion Of our workingmen.
1t is inconceivabls what motives act
uate Congress when it refuses even to
consider Subsidy" The present pitiable
aud humiliating condition of our Mer-
chant Marine has repeatedly been
pointed out to them, and yet this un.
patriotic body Of Legislators stubbornly
refuses to adopt the only distinctively
American course, which is to subsidize.