Frostburg mining journal., 1894-10-06

thing further of this plan, l will be
pleased to hear from them. | would
also like to have their ideas for pub
lication. No matter how poorly they
write, let them put down their thoughts
as best they can-I will get the pitR of
them. | have found that the poorest
men have just as deep thoughts on all
subjects as the greatest statesmen and
scholars, and they are often great
deal more practical.
FRANCIS B. LIvEsEY.
''Ships that Pass IN the Night" no More.
LoNACoNING, MD, Sept. %, 1898.
To the MINING JOURNAL.
England and France haye driven the
American flag off the ocean by their system
of bounties.
Very respectfully not so, Mr.. Ne,cs.
In 1861 the merchant marine of the
United States had a tonnage of
5000, 900 tons, all owned by American
capital and flying the stars and stripes
in every part of the earth, but the G.
o. P, in passing its war tariff, had to
protect every industry, and, of course,
the ship-owners of the country had to
give way to the ship builders, or give
up the business. A law was passed in
connection with this bill requiring
every vessel with an American license
and flying the flag of the United
States, must be built in this country.
The consequence was-Our ship-owners
had their vessels built on the other
side, and since the war have had to fly
the British flag,
in 1860, out of foreign commerce
of 75O,OO0,000 tons, 550,000,000 tons
were carried in our own vessels, and
about 200, 100000 tons in foreign bot
toms.
In 1890, under the republican gov
ernment, out of 1.6o0, 600 tons,
vessels owned in the United States
carried 2O9, 100000 tons, and foreign
vessels ], ,450, ,000, 600 tons.
In 1860 we handled &c per- cent. of our
tonnage; in 1893 we handled | | per cent
So much for paternal class legisla-
tion.
Previous to 1860 the starry banner
tioated proudly upon the breeze in
every seaport and on every ocean in
1893 the commerce of the world had
forgotten that America ever had a
merchant marine, or that seamen had
ever lived under the benefcent in
fiuences of the greatest republic on the
face of the earth-merely because the
republican party had to keep the votes
of the New England ship p-builders, but
unfortunately the goose that laid the
golden egg was killed both "a going
and a comiEg,' and in a short time we
neither had ship-owners, ships, nor
ship builders on this side of the At
lantic.
Before the war hundreds of vessels
cleared annually for the West Indies
and South America loaded with flour
made in Maryland and Virginia, and
came back filed with coffee. Now, as
we have no flour to ship, or vessels to
ship it in, this same coffee comes to US
eia Liverpool, and England gets the
benefit Of the freights paid the ship
owners foreign seamen get the wages,
and our merchants have to buy
through middlemen.
So much for the tariff tinkering of
the G. 0. P. in 1861, 1883 and 1890.
Under the paternal management of
our affairs by class legislation we have
reduced our merchant marine from a
o'-oo.ooo touudSo W less tIan JUU,UUU
tons, and the most of this old sailing
vessels.
Why is it that the steamship COM
panies must be subsidized ? 1t is to
enable them to send more high priced
agents to Europe to 60 into homes of
the peasantry and falsely represent the
condition of affairs in America, and
by low rates of transportation, such as
SO and $12 from Bremen to New York,
allure them to this country, already
cursed by too much cheap labor of this
kind.
This pauper immigration should be
suspended at once tor at least five
years, so the great numbers now here
being supported by charity may be
given 1emunerative work, and the
steamship owner violating a suspend
ing law should be sent to the peni-
tentiary. Nine tenths of the foreigners
in this country are in favor of such a
law. MOSES GIBSON.