Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-03-26
The Shipping Bill.
SPEECH OF
HON. SETH l.. MILLIkEN,
OF MAINE,

In the House of Representatives,
Friday, february 27, 1891.
On the bill IS. 31Ssl to place the American mer-
chant marine engaged in the foreign trade upon
an equality with that of other nations.
Mr.. MILLIkEN said:
Mr.. CHAIRMAN: | stated that my vote
was the meanest ever gave n this House
not that it was not well to vote for the sub
stitute of the gentleman from Illinois Mr..
CANNON upon its simple merits but to
set aside the shipping bill which we passed
to third reading, bill to revive the en-
tire shipping interests of this codntry, and
suppant that hill by .his substitute which
helps the steam vessels alone, is some
thing which it is humiliating to be com
PEELED to do, and consented to do it only
because | learned that there were those
who would desert us on the final passage
of the bill so that we must accept this
substitute or get nothing.
But the shipping bill, which provides for
placing both steam and sailing vessels on
an equal footing with those of foreign pow
ers, should pass. | wish to say that there
is certainly nothing within the history of
the worlds progress more marvellous than
the advanced strides made by the American
people within the last thirty years. In all
the great industries upon land. in agricul-
ture manufactures, and internal com
merce, indeed in all that goes TO make q
great, strong, busy, thrifty nation, this
wonderful people who live between the
Canadian and Mexican borders, and be-
tween the two oceans, presents a spectacle
which challenges the admiration of man
kind.
Protecting our industries by adequate
laws from competition by pauper labor in
other countries SO that our own workmen
might by their well paid labor develop and
turn into wealth our manifold resources.
we have increased our population and ad-
ded to our national wealth beyond any
precedent in the annals OF the race. With
more miles of railroad than all Europe,
with 65,000,000 of people. who possess
more Of the means of human comfor. than
the people of every other land, with uni ar
aleled progress in every State of the Un-
ion, and improvements from day to day in
every vocation and pursuit within our
| country, there is one element of national
power and prosperity in which we are ra-
pidly retrograding; in which. indeed, we
have already so far retrograded that it can
hardly be counted among our great indus
tries, and that is our foreign carrying
trade.
| While by wise laws. protecting our in
dustries on land, we have grown to gigan-
tic proportions there, by neglect of our
foreign shipping interest we have shrunk
to a dwarf upon the ocean; and 1t requires
no very penetrating eye to see that unless
we at once change our policy in respect to
our merchant marine that goes to foreign
ports our flag will be unknown away from
our own coasts.
| Our foreign carrying trade was once the
pride of the nation and a source OF great
wealth to our people. While our foreign
commerce has enormously increased, we
paw $500, 900 900 per year to bring AND
carry our commodities-S200,0 ,000, 900 which
might and ought to be possessed BY our
own people, an addition to our wealth and
an increase of money among our people to
circulate.
This is surely great misfortune If moi
national disgrace. 1t should not exist
1t need not exist. 1t is only necessary to
protect our foreign commerce as we pro
tect our home industries upon the land, to
restore it to more than its ancient prestige
and prosperity; indeed, to raise 1t to the
same ratio of prosperity to that of our in
dustries upon land which it bore to then
thirty five years ago. Has any one calcula
|
would be in value, how great and tmpos
ing it would be upon every ocean and ir
every port of the world?
| What an arm of strength it might bt
made in case of foreign war; what mum
Der of sailors it would give US to furnish 1
navy; what employment it would give in
our shipyards; and what roomit would af
ford to other overcrowded vocatiOns. In
deed. there is no pursuit but would prod
nv il in mapy WAYS; not State nor county
in the land, however far in the interior. .bul
would be made richer by the rebuilding
and prosperous employment of our mer
chant marine. How shall 1t be restored
In the first place, we must build our owl
ships. Whether they be of wood or iroI
we have all the advantages in the possess
ion of the raw material for the construc
ton of vessels that are possessed by tn
most favored nations on the globe. Anf
we have the native skill, too. Once, wheI
wooden ships, almost, alone were known
we were proud of our superiority upon tn
ocean, No finer or swifter vessels sailet
the seas than were constructed In Ameri
can shipyards and carried the American
flag. Indeed, our superiority In ship
building was universally conceded. Ane
now it is beginning to be learned tina
American mechanics are displaying no lesl
skill, no less zest for improvement, and NJ
less activity in invention in the constrnc
tion of iron vessels than In those IN which
they became so eminent IN constructing o.
wood.
And besides, the fact that We can ant
do construct the best iron vessels made
besides the advantage to us OF employing
thousands of workmen in our shipyards