Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-01-30
A SPEECH FROM DYING LIPS.
The Last Utterance of ii Man Marked for
the Arrow of Death.


gentlemen who sat down at the tables
loaded with the good things of life, at the
banquet given by the Board of Trade and
Transportation last night, not one was
troubled by thought or premonition of the
awful manner i'll which that banquet was
TO be brought TO an eu!. Death, terrible
as he Is at all times, has an added dread
fulness when he appears at the banquet
ing board. But he was lowering near
and had marked for his victim one of the
nations great. Mr.. Window appeared in
| perfect health, and as he rose 10 speak to
The toast Our Country's Prosperity De-
| pendent Upon Is in,tvGiaclts of Com
merce' he hooked the last mum at the table
VINO would be likely 20 be Ushered sud
denly into tie life beyond Jha vel.
| These BE Solemn Words.
HIS speech was the first of the evening"
ana spoken as it was from tie very portals
OF the grave, it is given below:
MR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN: am to
speak briefly of the instruments of commerce
IN their relation to the wealth and prosperity of
the country. The subject is very broad and nv
time very limited. / shall therefore confine my
remarks to the two chief Observation-Disclosures Of
commerce-transportation and money. ma
tons wealth and prosperity are usually in pro
portion 70 the extent and success of its
merce, and commerce itself is dependent upon
the adequacy and adaptation of these two es
Sentl;ll instruments. The history of all civilized
countries attests the fact that the nation best
equipped In these respects rapidly becomes the
most powerful, the richest, and the most pros
porous
Domestic Commerce of the United States.
Our own country is no exception to the rule
NO nation has ever fOStered more literally or
protected more carefully its internal and
coaStwlse trade than We have done, and the
resultant magnitude and prosperity of our do
nestle commerce Is, believe. without paral
lel IN the history of the world We have more
miles of railroad than all Europe Asia and
Africa combined. The floating tonnage of the
United States engaged in coastwise commerce
and on our lakes and rivers, is very far in ex-
cess OF that of any other nation. Onr increase
of wealth from 1870 to 1889 as compared with
that OF other nations was-United States S13.-
3'3,isl isi; Great Britain. S3.2J0N0,001: France,
Sl4I5rnUO. Germany, S},G25 0O0OO0. Our
hume markets III 1850 absorbed five times as
much of our manufactured products as Great
Britain exported of hers to all the markets of
the world.
Decadence of Our Merchant Marine.
Contrast these grand results of our literally
developed domestic commerce. operating upon
our protected industries. with the present
shameful condition of our foreign CARRYING
trade There was time when we stood first
among the nations in shipbuilding and Great
Britain alone eXcelled in ocean tonnage
Once 50 per cent. of our imports and so per
cent. of our exports were carried in American
boats and our merchant marine became the
boast OF every citizen and the envy of the
world Now, SO far foreign trade is con
cerned, our shpyards are comparatively silent
and our flag has almost disappeared from the
high seas.
Iron Steamers and Foreign Subsidies.
SO strong had our position become under the
protective policy of the first twenty-five wears
o. our national life, that our merchant marine
Continued to be prosperous so long as wooden
vessels Were the only vehicles of ocean com
merce, and other nations refrained from heavy
snbSidies to their ships. But when wooden YES
sells began to be supplanted by iron steamers
and European governments poured their con-
tributions into the treasures of their steam
ship companies, the decadence of American
shipping began and has continued ever since
In my Judgment the remedy is plain and easily
applied If we would regain our lost prestige
relnstate our flag upon the ocean, and open the
markets of the world to American producers,
we must make the contest with the same
weapons which have proved so successful in
the hands of our rivals. The folly and danger
of depending upon our competitors for the
means of reaching competitive markets cannot
estimated.
A Plea Tor Protection.
Suppose that for twenty-five years we had
gwen S5UOO,UO year in aid of our foreign ship
ping, and reduced by that amount the prepsy-
ment of our bonded debt should we not have
been far better off than nowl Shall we
give that protection and support to our foreign
merchant marine that other nations give to
theirs, which we freely give to all other
great interests, shall accept as inevitable
our present shameful position: l regret to say
that the uniform record of Indifference if not
actual hostility, during the past fifty years at
fords little reason for announcement In fact
the tendency of late has been to surrender to
foreigners even our domestic commerce. rather
than to assert ourselves upon the ocean
Presidential Appeals Unnotic.d.
Determinations of the most astonishing char
acter have been made, both by congress and by
treasury regulations, in ia vor of Canadian rail
road lines and steamships against our own.
Presidents of the United States have repeated
ly expressed the national humiliation and ay-
pealed to congress for action in behalf of our
rapidly vanishing merchant marine, but thus
far their words have fallen upon deaf ears
Let us hope that the urgent appeals of Pres5
dent Harrison on this subject may bear fruit
In some well devised measure of protection and
encouragement.
An Ideal Financial system
1t Is as essential to commerce that the currency
with which it is conducted be adapted both in
quantity and quality, to the wants of trade as
that the vehicles of transportation should be
adapted to their purposes. The ideal financial
system would be one that should furnish Just
enough of absolutely sound currency to meet
the legitimate wants Of trade, and no more
and that should have enough elasticity of vol
uIne to adjust itself to the varying necessities
OF the people. Could such a circulating me-
dunn be secured the gravest commercial disas-
tiers which threaten our future might be
avoided. These disasters have always come
when unusual activity in business has caused
an abnormal demand for money, as in the
autumn, for the movement of our immense
crops.
Danger in a Cast System.
There will always be great danger at those |
times under any cast-iron system of currency |
such now have Had it not been for the |
peculiar condition which enabled the United |
States to disburse S75,0CD,0OO in about two |
and half months last autumn, am firmly |
convinced that the stringency in August and |
September would have resulted in widespread |
financial ruin / am thoroughly convinced that |
better method can be devised which will in q |
large degree place the power of expansion and |
contraction in the hands of the people them.