Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-01-28
AMERICAN WARSHIPS
iN CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT
they LEAD THE WORLD.

rilkru VI stlt trfr tidtASt : ba tsHr At|AA<V
cratic party. Proudly leading the ,deet
was one OF the ships built by John
Reach, the Chicago, whose white and
graceful hull has been seen IN nearly
every foreign port since she was com
supported on her left by the
and followed by the Dol
plrin on the right and Atlanta on the
Extreme left, escorting the visiting war
ships Of France, Italy and Spain, and it
was apparent To even the most skeptieal
that our ships fairly carried of the palm
That noble pageant recalled the sad
days from 1854 to 1883. when John
Roach was declared defanlter in his
contract with the United States govern
ment fer the building of these same
ships, now held SO stanch and perfect.
and az true and skilled a man as ever
laid ships keel went down to his grave
"a victim of bigoted prejudice. But in
his case it proves true that
Ever the RICH, comes upperinoet.
And ever is justice done.
John Roach had his triumph on tina,
naval parade day. when his noble stlir
fifty led the fleet The Chicago. Dolphin.
Atlanta and Boston, which for model.
faithfulness of construction and adapia.
|bility are among the best ships that float
in all the nayies Of the world. will long
prove his eminent ability and integrity
The continual dinning in our ears those
wears when he was so uniustly treated
was that the United States could mol
build OF equip armored ships, that we had
no shipyards or builders capable Of coz
-tructing either bulls or engines, no de
lgners capable of planning srch ship,
tor plant 70 furnish armor plating o.
guns. but that we must go abroad for al
these w. {. Whitney. then secretary OF
the navy. purchased from English de
|signers the plans for two cruisers in pref
renee to the plans of American naval de
|,igners ana constructors. For a time il
.ertainly looked as if we must submit Il
having our warships designed in Eng
land. if not built there, but with the de
feat of the Democratic party in 1888 and
he advent of Republican president ant
congress this unpatriotic and foolisl
curse was changed, and since March
$50. we have not only demonstrated thai
ve can design, build and arm and eguil
warships. but that we can do better thai
he best abroad With such evidences al
ave been submitted to the American
reason to doubt that the future vii
realty outstrip the great achievement
4 the past: Our navy and our .lerchan
marine should equal any i'll the world.
This is one of the most important q1Ies
|tions, when we consider the opposition
II the Democrats of the Fifty-tirst con
,ress TO the passage of the postal Tonnage
| bill, course i'll which Democratic con
,ressmen went against the views ant
wishes of able business men Of their owl
party. How Postmaster General sila
opposed in every way possible the carry
ng ont of the then existing provisions o
aw in regard to carrying transoceai
nails cannot be easily forgotten.
Who will question but that if the re
nisite encouragement is extended to on
opening American steamship lines i'll +;
few years we shall witness such a reviva
If our American commercial marine a
hall reyolutionize our entire carryiu.
trade? Instead of foreign ships trans
porting the bulk of our imports and "a
ports of 30, 900, 900 tons yearly. Ameri
can built and owned ships should be on
carriers.
Now that the Inman line has bee,
granted the right to transfer the City }
New York and City Of Paris to the Amer
lean flag under conditions requiring then
| to build at least three similar ships il
American shipyards, it will not be- out
side of the limits to expect that within
very few years they will have four o
| five similar ships running to Europe
built in the United States, as swift ant
rs stable as any then shoat and capahl
ot being used when necessary a auxiliar,
cruisers.
1t is ais, u matter of congrainlatiol
! that other - lnslip lines are opeDin.
| mp communication with South Aineric;
and elsewhere. and If the people vii
only awake to the importance of sup
porting their merchant marine we sinai
soon witness a great change in this Re
spect, especially in those places wher
European competition is the k"enrsi. Il
1885 England paid for transportation q
foreign mails $.;,joo.0o4 the sam. yea
France paid "a 800. 400. Germany an'
Italy 81 6oo,o each, Austria Belgium
| and Spain 1000 900 each for simila
service The United States pad in ha
~amr year for service only 500, rs, %
which f21S. I. went to foreign eumpa
MES and less than %jo.N to Anlericai
lines. While these foreign nations an
'udeavoring ta establish their CONNER
i-ial supremacy by such means wifi
heavily strained revenues, it docs no
seem strange that the United States
with revenues the wonder of the world
should stand alone in its seeming indif
ference to the extension Of its commerce
I. j. O.