The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-24
OUR MERCHANT NAVY.

WSshington's birthday was an appr0prl-
ate daS to inaugurate the new departure In
the American mercantile navy. 1t will be
said by the future historian that on that
day, in the year 1898. that navy took its
second start, and resumed the contest for
supremacy with the navy OF England which
was suspended by the outbreak of the war
and by subsequent industrial changes.
American shipbuilders had on that day set
before them an object lesson in the shape
OF the steamships New York and Paris, the
supreme effort OF British naval architecture.
Net being recreant sons OF worthy sires
Americans resolved to equal and surpass
that foreign achievement, and the result is
what the world has before it. Snch, in all
reasonable probability, will be the language
of the future historian in painting for his
readers the events of which the beginning
Is before US.
The laws which have been adopted by
maritime nations on the subject of ocean
navigation have been few and remarkably
uniform. They began with the rules which
were laid down by Spain at the close Of the
fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth
centuries Those laws forbade the trans
portaton of merchandise or passengers be-
colonies except in vessel built in Spain,
manned by Spanish sailors and owned by
Spanish subjects Thus all the traffic be-
tween Spain and the West Indies, Mexico
and Peru, during the sixteenth century, re-
NAMED in Spanish hands. a century after
Spain had established this monopoly Eng
land began to reach forth for the American
trade, and fifty years later Cromwell arrived
at definite conclusions on the subject. BE
trod closely in the footsteps OF Spain. His
laws provided that no ships save British
ships should sail from one British port TO
another, and they defined a British ship IS
one wholly built within the dominions of
England, owned by British subjects and
manned by British seamen. These laws.
which are substantially identical, the one
being copied from the other. produced ex-
actly opposite effects. All the historians
agree that SPANS close monopoly of the
trade with the Spanish colonies was one OF
the causes Of the decay of that trade and Of
the decline of the art Of shipbuilding in
Spain; whereas high authority states that
''the rigorous execution of the navigation
laws and consistent adherence to their
principles have done more than any other
cause to give to Great Britain her enor-
nous commerce"
Whatever may have caused the same law
to operate in one way in Spain and ia an
other way in England, the United States
followed the law of both nations; pre-
cisely a hundred years ago the American
navigation laws were passed, giving 10
American shipping the same preference
over foreign shipping hat the English nayi-
Cation laws gave to Brit ish shipping.
Those laws are substantially in force to-
day. II 1S49 the English policy was re-
versed. Foreign built and foreign manned
ships were placed on the same footing as
British ships in the carrying trade to and
from British ports. and a foreign built YES
sci could take out a BRUSH register when
she passed into the hands Of Englishmen.
The act Of last session does not surrender
the principle Of the act OF 1893. 1t merely
suSpends its execution in a specific case. 1t
provides, exceptionally. that two steam-
ships therein named, having become the
property Of American citizens, may take out
American registers on the condition that. as
soon as convenient thereafter. their owners
snail build In American shipyards two or
more steamships not inferior in size, power
or speed.
That the Paris and New York can be
duplicated in this country needs no demon
stration. Owing TO the enlightened CO.
operation of the two successive Secretaries
of the Navy the United States has now
national ships afoat W hich for offensive and
| defensive purposes are unsurpassed in any
foreign navy. What has been done with
ships of war can be done with ships Of
upacp