The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-10-09
AMERICAN MARINE.
The Question Of Increased Subsi-
dies and Munificent Bounties.
EFFECT OF HARRIsoN's TRIUMPH.
A Simple Method 81 Restoring Our Carrying
Trade on the High sess Ably Presented
by Captain John Goldman.

An article giving the rounds of the news
papers, copied from the Echo. g London
journal of wide circulation, reminds me of
my uroniise to contribute TO The HERALD
a uaner on tie American Commercial
marine with which l was connected and
in which Eava till this day taken deep
interest.
A single paragraph taken from the Echo
wsil serve for my text:
There can be no Doubt that the Ameri-
can shipping received q mighty blow from
the pirate ships ordered and paid for by
the South and fitted out in England, and
that but for the Aiabams the commercial
marine OF the states would not have re-
coded"
Until oy an ample appropriation IN the
river ard harbor bill, tho Great Salt Lake
aud the Bear river are made navigaole and
are connected with the Pacific ocean 0y a
canal. the question under consideration
will no. iramediateIy interest those VINO
dwell in this region. Still, they are indl-
rac.lv interested il commerce, which Is an
Industry al our seRbosrd, just as the peo-
Pie who 1--we upon the coast sre indirectly
Interested III mining, agriculture, cat
tie and sheep raising, which are
the occupations of those who live
In the Interior. We are all parts
OF one common whole, and as the whole
body suffers from the amputaIion OF
single limb OF Joint, Sc the whole country
suffers from the loss of its ocean carrying
trade. which IN the last thirty-seven years
has dwindled down from the elimination
OF its prosperity, when it was on the high
road to equality with that OF Great Britain,
10 such small percentage that it nearly
amounts to annihilatlon. Whereas we once
collected for our own use not only almost
the entire freight on our own products, but
also took no inconsiderahle part OF that
emanating from the products OF other na-
lions, we now pay TO the foreign
ers whom we then assessed. over
SOC, 000, GOO of freight money annu-
ally. which we might, could. would
and should earn for ourselves aud
put into our own pockets, had we not
been prohibited from doing 80 by our own
legal enactments.
II. goes without saying that all other
thugs being equal, the cheapest ships will
DO the business Of the ocean and that
people who own such ships, whether they
build them or buy them, will reap the adj
vantages of the carrying trade. Thus
England in 1S49 having had till that time IN
force precisely the same prohibitory laws
that still exist on our statute books, (and
of all nationf of the world, only in ours),
when she found thst We were
building class of clipper ships SUI
perior to hers and thereby depriving her
shipowners CT the ability TO earn freight,
properly repealed the obnoxious law
and gave her people the means OF supply
ing themselves with what may be called
the tools CT trade from the American ship
yards She thus maintained her maritime
prestige, and moreover By the introduction
OF our ships into her service learned tC
equal them in chespness and utility OF CON
sIructiOn When six years later, England
had inaugurated q resolution IN substitute
lug iron for wood and g great measure team
for sails, we should have followed bel
example as all other nations did,
in the adoption of the policy OF free ships
If we had done SO our prestige would have
been maintained as carriers and, as hal
been the case notably in Germany, where
this freedom was allowed, we should have
become iron ship builders as well as irol
ship owners.
now come TO the special consideration
of my text Refusing to buy iron shipi
and unable to build them in competition
with England, when the civil war b-ok'
out we had nothing left to US but the
remains Of our wooden sailing fleet. TIT
Alabama and her concerts destroyed some
OF these ships and the loss was afterWard
amply mace good by the payment o.
$1,000, 900 by tbs British government.
Bnt the owners of a vastly create
number of them sold them to Englishmel
and received their pay in gold at an exor
bitaut premium In the meantime. dur
ing the war. iron shipbuiiding on the othe
size of the Atlantic was making rapi'
strides, SO that at its close. wooden sailing
ships owned either here or there, becam
unremuperative property.
Had there been no war the result woul
have been precisely the same, with this dill
ference. however, we should not have 60
that $4,000, goo and We should not hav
GOT The much larger sum arising froI
the sale of ships to the English
Therefore, regarding the matter IN imam
cial light Americans were gamers rattle
than losses by the war Furthermore, JUS
rs long as a high tariff is levied on shiI
building material, and an absolute prohibi
ton on the purchase OF foreign built ship
is enforced, the lamenteble condition of GU
commercial marine will remain to be use
iessly deplored. This prohibition will cor
time SO long as the domestic shipbuildin
monopoly has power TO block the wheels c
Legislation. 1t is monopoly far create
than any one that is protected by the tariff
excepting perhaps that OF printing oh
scene books, for in singular combination
Ships that are most useful and ooscen
BOOKS that are most Geleterious, are 10
only articles the import alton OF which
absolutely prohibited. OF course, our shi,
builders have the monopoly of the coastin
trsds. and ring OF them on the Delswar
I
ing customers 70 per cent. more for ship
than the price Tor which they can DC pur
chased abroad Thus tbs whole commuuit
Is Indirectly taxed because freights nus
be charged in proportion TO the cost
saips. and SO the cost of the merchaEdis
they transport is enhanced.
These cormorants will keep up the
prices SO long as they are not forced b
wholesome competition to reduce then
And vet these men SO protected beyon
the pounds Of protection itself, are contir
uslay infesting the Hobbies of Congress be,
ring for subsidies and bounties. Tw
years ago, IN the Republican house, the
most infamous bounty bill was happily d.
tested by q bare majority. This was
plan for paying a bounty 10 all steam
sailing ships of wood or of iron for ever
ton engaged in foreign trade, wheths
carrying mails or not, and even If snilin
from one port to another IN ballast An
the farmers OF the west were expected
contribute their share of the money for til
highway robbery Even Republican prt
tecfionisss were staggered at this impuder
attempt 10 steal, and although most OF thu
party voted for it there were found q fe
honest men in thst Washington Sodom
But the thieves did succeed in passing
subsidy bill the chief enormiry Of whic
was q payment under the name OF ms
contract OF "a per mile for first class stesr
ships on their outward passages from til
country 20 England.
This IL the first instance on record of tt
attempt TO promote shipbuilding by sui
sidy All subsidies have heretofore bes
paid for the carriage Of mails when Ina
carriage was needed, and for the buils
ing Of steamships in such manner tn,
they could be made serviceable for nav
purposes In this case we had already q
= the mail facilities that were needed b
n 20 md ID