Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-30
LAKE SHIP BUILDERS
Preparing to Hold an Important
Convention to Secure the
LBROGATION OFTHE TREATY OF IL
And Reach Out For Contracts to Build
Lake War Vessels.
CANADA PREPARED FOR EMERGENCIES

DETROIT, Jan. ga movement is on
foot TO gather in convention all the ship
builders and iron and steel men of the
Northwest at some one of the great lake
ports in order to urge upon Congress the
complete abrogation Of the 1917 treaty with
Great Britain. Nh. w. McVitie, Secretary
of the Detroit Dry Dock Company of
Detroit, Mich, has placed himself in COM
manication with representative men of
every port on the great lakes lying between
Buffalo on the east and Duluth on the
west. and arrangements are now so far conf
pleted that every shipbuilding plant on the
lakes will send representatives to the con-
vention. In addition, iron and steel men
all through the Northwest whose interests
touch those of the shipbuilding plants will
be in attendance, with the result, it is cal
culated, of the entire Northwest interest
being represented.
The place and date of the convention has
been lett to the Detroit Dry Dock Com
panr. Mr. NTcVitie states that without ex-
ception every shipbuilder and iron and
steel man with whom he has been in COM
munication is not only anxious for the con-
vention, but is enthusiastic over the idea.
Want share of the Naval Pork.
\ correspondent who recently made
visit 10 the majority of the principal ship
building plants along the great lakes, every
where observed marked unity of action
among the men of the Northwest. Unques-
tionably the success of the shipbuild-
ing interests along the lakes is due
to this cohesiveness in action. The
shipbuilding plants along the lakes of the
Northwest exceed in combined capabilities
in magnitude and in capital, the interests of
all other shipbuiIding plants in the United
States combined. The lake men are deter
mined to share in the building of the new
navy of this country. In the opinion of
the lake shipbuilders the treaty of 1917 has
heretofore served to enhance the interests
OF a few shipbuilders along the Atlantic
and Pacific seaboards, and has discrimi-
mated against the real shipbuilding inter
ests OF the country engaging In Government
work
The Solicitor of the Treasury has ruled
within few days that the treaty of 1917
with Great Britain, limiting the naval arma-
ments to be maintained on the la6es, does
not exist. The Solicitor declares that, ac-
cording to the Revised Statutes of the
United States, the treaty of 1917 was abro-
gated bv Congress on February g. 1866, and
that the statutes do not show that the treaty
was again enforced by act of Congress, and
this despite the agreement made by Secre
tarv of State Seward with the British For
eirn Minister, mutually ruling the treaty
in force.
Will Question Our Statesmanship.
The lake men in the convention soon to
be held will devise means whereby they
can learn definitely if Secretary of State
has the right to declare in force treaty
which has been abrogated by formal act of
Congress. and has not by that same body
been again declared in force Once the
lake men learn that the treaty is not in
force. as has been ruled by the Solicitor of
the Treasury, they will then take steps to
bid on all warship work that may hereafter
be advertised by the Navy Department.
Secretary Tracy is heartily in sympathy
with the men of the Northwest. He real |
izes that the great lakes represent in their |
plants the really great ship |
building interests of the United States |
Tracy is anxious that the lake
plants shall engage in war-ship work, and |
with this knowledge in the possession of
the lake men. the coming convention will |
to solve in short order the exact |
status of the treaty of 1917. If the treaty f
exists despite the ruling of the Solicitor of |
the Treasury, the lake men will demand of |
Congress that the treaty be at once abro- |
gated. They will base their demand on the |
ground OF the defenseless condition of the |
reality cities along the shores of the lakes, |
Bav City. Toledo, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, |
Oswego, Ogdensburg, Duluth, South Chi |
cago and others, allNof which are exposed to |
the attack of hostile British gunboats. The |
lake men will demand that their homes and |
cities be afforded some adequate and tangi- |
bic means of defense, defense which they |
assert cannot be afforded by garrisoned |
camps pitched in the vicinity of the various |
cities
Canada Prepared for War.
1t is known that the British have feet
of over 100 war vessels able to enter the |
great lakes through fhe canals To oppose |
.his force the United States possesses in the
I'D and worn-out Michigan the only war
ressel on the Northwest lakes. Further
more, it is known that five Canadian steam
RS. each one having a speed of not less
han 13 knots an hour, and all fitted with
.un tracks covered over with light flooring,
ire at present practically ready for active
ervice. These vessels are now engaged in
lie passenger trade on Lake Ontario. Their
,uns, all modern breech-loading pieces, are
stored at a point near the
mouth of the Welland Canal Inside of Sc
lours after orders were issued these five
-esseiS would not only be fitted out as war
hips, but have passed through the Welland
anal into Lake Erie. Once in Lake Erie
hese ships alone would be sufficient to de-
troy every city along the great lakes, and
he United States would have no means to
revent it,
To fit out merchant steamers as war ves-
els requires time. To fit out the majority
Il the present type of lake steamers as ves-
els Of war will require precious time. The
mischief would be done before the British
.unboats could be encountered and an invas-
on Of Canada would not suffice to distract
he attention of the latter craft.
The lake men know all these facts They
viii demand that the lakes be furnished not
My fleet for protection of the cities on
he Northern frontier, but show at the same
ime how national benefits will result by
he development of the lake shipyards as
Farship plants.
Represent Immense Interests.
As before stated, the lake ship builders
epresent the greatest combined interests in
he United States. Cleveland and the coun-
ry about contains, perhaps, no less than
900 men engaged directly or indirectly in
he commercial interests on the lakes. De-
roit, no less than 10000; Toledo, 5000;
Buffalo, 25,O0O; Erie 5000; Bay City, Mich,
600; Saginaw, 5000; Milwaukee,, $4,000:
'hicago, 10000; South Chicago. 10000:
V yyandotte, S,OOO Duluth, Ii, 900, and other
axe sections combined, 100000. These
umbers can be supplemented, perhaps. by
t least 25O, 600 men in the Ohio and Missis-
ippi Valleys directly in touch with the i'm
irnn and Sfnn1 |