Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-11-01


men of the Atlantic and the men of che
Pacific States should have the same
rights as to the disposition Of their prop
erty. Against that principle the Re-
publican party has always been at war.
They have been doing their best to de-
stroy the very privilege that is so
essential to the American people and TO
the American producer, no matter what
may be the article he produces. l charge
them with that to-day, and they cannot
deny it. The statute book tells the story,
the condition of our government and
our affairs tells the story. They have
been warning with the American farm
er's right to export by putting prohibi-
tive tariff duties upon imports-the
right to bring back into this country the
things for which he wishes to exchange
his product. A ship cannot sail full one
way and sail back empty; to be profit
able ship must carry cargo full
across and como back with her cargo full
returning,
WHERE rs THE MERCHANT MARINE 2
Where is the American mercantile
marine-where is it? / ask what has
become of it since 1860. We were then
carrying nearly so per cent of the profit
able carrying trade; to-day We are not
carrying 13 per cent. The United States
has 1900 miles of sea-coast; it stands
between the two greatest oceans of the
world; there is no such country and there
neyor was a country, apparently de-
signed by merciful Providence to be-
come the leader of the worlds trade
and commerce. [Applause. Who have
had charge of it, that they have turned
their back upon the sea until no longer
can the flag of our country be seen, ex-
cept upon vessel of war, or except
upon some chance-purchased ship
brought into this country by breach
in the tariff laws. Laughter and ap-
plause. To whom is it due2 1t is due
to the party who has had the sole gov
ernment of the country for these 80
years, who have driven our flag from
the face of the ocean.
THE FLAG WAS NOT THERE.
My friends, within the last summer
had tour of pleasure and travel which
led me across a large portion of the
Mediterranean, clear across the Black
sea, and around into the waters of the
Grectan Archipelago; and never saw
the flag of my country in any place, or
any port, except upon the launch of the
American Minister which was to carry
him TO his house in the city of Constan-
tinople. / have been in Liverpool; l
have visited Southampton; | have seen
other ports in Great Britain; and l have
never seen the flag of my country flying
there. Why not? The answer is very
plain: the Republican policy of high
a,N, d IL A Lao
been deprived of his share in one of the
most interesting, the most valuable, the
most desirable of human pursuits. As
science progresses, and as the laws of
nature are permitted to be seen, the
value of the sea as source of power Is
growing upon mems minds. Invention
and discovery have shown that the
ocean--formerly scene of Ganger--is
now the scene of safety. Formerly the
wall of separation between nations, it is
now the closest tie that connects them;
formerly place of danger, in its trav-
ersing, now it is safety and pleasure;
along its watersheds and lines there lie
threads of communication that bring all
mankind together in friendly inter-
course.
"YoU SHALL NOT ENTER HERE"
But what is the use of the fast ship;
what is the use of the instantaneous
telegraph; what is the use of the quick
communication by letter and by cleo
tricity IL we are to have taxing policy
that builds up wall and says to the
stranger who brings you the very things
you need, "You shall not enter here"
Here you have policy that is TO isolate
tl,a tpftad Sfafnp fYnt,t nfhar
policy that is to deprive US of our fair
share in that great and wonderful ele-
ment that washes our continent on both
sides? Is that policy that We can
follow?
OF INTEREST In DELAWARE.
Is that policy Tor the people OF
Delaware to follow, to bring the matter
closer to our homes? Gentlemen, there
is no State interested in the sea to
greater extent than is the Peninsula
upon which we live. Our water front
is second to none; our shipbuilding
facilities second to none. We have
plenty of men to man those ships if
there were o demand for them. To-day
there are young mon coming forward
and the great question is, what they
shall do? What profession, what trade
shall the boy adopt? Turn to the
professions and they are over
stocked; turn to merchandising, and
you find that it requires capital that
you cannot control. You arc look
ing for honest. healthful, profitable,
patriotic pursuit. Is there one that is
better than that of the true sailor2 Is
there one that in the history of this
HnI taI eos rI h.
creation of those substantial but modest
homes that have marked out people and
given us so excellent a population. All
through this State-I put it to your own
experience, to you whose heads are as
gray as my own-you found men with
the title of captain, and that meant q
sea captain, who had by frugallty and
industry laid by enough to buy himself
snug home ashore, settled there with
his household, brought up his children
in fear of God and in obedience to the
law, and fulfilled every attribute of a
useful citizen.
Where are those men now? Where
is our line of families of navigators2
Where is their employment P-abollshed
by the friends of American industry,
Tapplausel abolished by their system
of protection handed oven to strangle
commerce and to throw American labor
more easily into the hands and at the
feet Of the trusts and the combinations
that glut the home market, and then let
the American laborer stand idle until
the surplus is consumed. [Applause.J
Forgive me if impress it upon you
again; but ! cannot consider, in looking
at my country, seeing that 1t must be
composed of varied interests, and the
laws of this country all for breadth of
thought, they call for wealth of feeling;
4, ,,,,a AZ, MIMI n ealtisb WAN hos -