Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-06-20
QUE sHIPR1Na INTEREST.

and the N Aicrinls and supplies for
Their Use.
Boston Post
One Of the most important addresses OF
the annual meeting Of the Massachusetts
Tariff Reform Lsague was that OF the
Hon. John M. Forbes on our shipping
interests, in which he contrasted sharply
our present weakness, due to over pro-
lection and absurd Determinations
against American ship- owners, with the
proud position we held on the seas when |
our ship builders were free and unpro-
teeted; and pointed the only way by |
which our shipping interests can be re-
yivsd; through competition and free
trade in ships and the materials and sup
plies for their use. OF this address only
q brief extract was given at the time; no
oordingly the full text is reproduced
below:
Mr.. Prerident--I give you as you re-
quest some dry chips of driftwood which
have floated down from the very distant
and almost forgotten period when we
had commercial navy and carried on
ourselves foreign trade, but do it
chiefly In the hope Of bringing before
the League subject which has been
somewhat neglected in the hope that 1t
will lead to valuable contributions from
others.
Fifty years ago Great Britain was pro-
tecting her ship. builders, not 80 much by
national legislation Us by permitting the
growth OF system of guilds which I'M
dertook to regulate rot only the rates OF
wages paid for work on ships, but the
number OF apprentices q ship. builder
Ia n,I snNb Aafaft nf hiu
business, and OF course endeavored by
combination TO fix the selling price of
vessels. American ship.builders wore
free and unprotected, aud their maritime
genius, exercised freely, enabled them in
spite OF high rates of interest and high
prices Of iron and hemp, TO lead the world
in foreign commerce, carrying English
goods from England to the East, covering
the eastern seas with their fiags and doing
absolutely the whole packet business be-
tween England and America; 30 that no.
body, however bigoted his admiration for
the mother country, ever dreamed OF
trusting himself to amy but an American
packet-ship on the Atlantic. Steam, and
later iron, helped TO change this condi-
ton Of ship. buildings; but whila emanci-
patton from guilds and other paternal re-
strictions has brought the British islands
up in the scale, our fatal hailuoination in
regard to protection has weighed around
our neeka and landed us on the same
shoals from which our competitors had
escaped. The war, with its Confederate
cruisers, formed one element, but the
pervading influence of the goddess Of
| protection has been the continuing cause
of our downward career, and now the
costly experiment OF bounties and subsi-
dies will be urged, and perhaps accepted,
by those patriots who wish TO keep our
taxes high, before We can emerge from
the dead sea in which We have become
embayed.
Ono little incident may serve as an
illustration Of the absurdity of our
methods at the beginning OF the rebel
lion. When the war tariff was framed
had in q measure the ear of Secretary
Chase, and ventured 10 put in word for
our ship-owners and ship. builders. A
part OF my business had been for many
years ship building and another part
ship owning, the former chiefly in the
direction of supplying vessels TO my cor
respondents in China, who were using q
lar0a feat Of steam vessels nhiehy Amer
ican OG.it ior general service on the
roas, and rivers Of China. Our financial
Solomon listened e~idntl, 10 my state
ment, made in the Summer of 1861, that
the nav tariff would be the destruction
of our trade in ship building, and, az h
case in point, that at that very moment
had an order for q new steamer for the
China coast trade, but under the pro
posed tariff and other circumstances
could Luiid her % per cent cheaper in
the Clyde than here, while the clever
Scotchmen had 80 closely copied oui
! models and arrangements that we had
little to counterbalance their lower price,
except our reputation az ship huilder
and our being in possession OF the field
! and thus having preference. His reply
,, though coming from great lawyer
was hardly up 20 our mercantile
: logic: "0f course you will go OF
building here. What is IS per cent to
patriotic man like you?" When the gun
: against Fort Sumter opened, the new
: was accompanied by o telegram from
Norfolk that my latest Amarican-buil
. steamer for the voyage to China had pu
: in there with her rudder gone, and B.
: telegraph and rapid messenger got ha
:, ont Of that trap and into Baltimore
!, !, whence, with patched up rudder, v
: got her away on the morning OF the l9t
' OF April, 1861, the day when our troop
!. were fred upon in that city, and into III
70 more loyal waters OF New York. 3he wa
:, the last vessel that | could afford undo
= Solomon's decree to build for oommefci.
~ purposes until year ago, When, wit
~ come psngs of sentiment for the old flu
I. T. gave mp all hope of again becoming a
American ahip-owner, and tried Il
. practical experiment of investing in
"a u Clyde. bnilt freighting ship on mortgag
~ and taking perpetual charter OF he
- expecting to use her under any flag O
|. cept the old stars and stripes. fin
q that about the same percentage oil
\, exists against building ships in Ameri
a as did when ] appealed to Secreta
=, Chase, notwithstanding some concession
n, to American ehip-owners in regard TO Il
~ duties on ship building materials whit
,os have been grudgingly made by our Tor
10 and matters, the protectionists.
~ 70 show that the progress of Britt
- bodybuilding has bsen real, and to SOL
"a extent has established British superiorii
On venture to give you the rough figui
30 OF my new chartered ships first voya
20 from Glasgow to San Francisco and I
"a opinion az to her qualities OF Captt
sas Oliver Eldridge, formerly commando
;ts the Collins steam packet Atlantic a
-, ~ more lately acting as agent of the Paci
VS. Mail Company in California:
to San Francisco, Feb. IA, lss9.--Yestert
on. morning In company with one OF our
eminent Inspectors, and good Judge 1
HI vessel, | went by appointment with
VI captain on board the and
q NAMED Tor about an hour and half,
we both pronounced her to be- the IN
an. perfect ship We had seen--and this is 8
,as. Ing a good deal, for we have both s
the many fine ships, but never any equa
- her.
NV TSignadl OLIyER III pRIpaI