The Portland daily press., 1895-01-31

England's opportunity. FIVE huhdreu
vessels were taken directly from our
merchant marine to make a navy aLo
over two hundred more SUNK III Soueni
ern harbors to keep OUT the EhsIlsh
blockade runners, whose eargoes OF arms,
ammunition and supplies Iurnlsneu Cno
sinews of war THAI prolonged the fratfl-
cidal struggle for four long years. Eng
land let loose against our commerce, tn9
horde of rebel cruisers Whlch niaAsu
their bloody paths around the Wofiu ~
the light of our burning ships, Whlle
those that escaped destruction sousnu
under foreign flags that protection Gneil
own was unable to furnish, or robteu a.
our docks in the only security they coulu
obtain. while England seized their trade
and thus, in those few years, the ue-
struction to our mercantile marine was
we'll nigh complete. England was no"
ready to take advantage OF her oppol-
tunity. No trade was SO small, no couh
try so far distant or obscure, but her laI
seeing eye spied it out, and her nanu
bestowed the bounties that built up
the foreign trade that now supports hsr
merchants, her bankers, her brokers aha
her mechanics. The old adage thar
trade follows the flag" is known 10
England to mean that direct line OF
steamships to any country makes IL
easier, quicker and cheaper for IhaI
country to do business with England
than with any other country, and when
England granted the subsidies that alone
enabled line after line of steamers to pay
dividends, after reducing their rates 60
drive away com petition. it was, not 10
benefit her shipowners alone, but the
W hole nation, every interest in the KING
dom receiving directly or indirectly, us
proportional share, while in the end the
world at large contrib uted the money.
The principle of action by when ENG
| land crushed the Collins line of steamers
has been her principle ever since, and as
legitimate result she today almost
monopolizes the carrying trade OF tne
world, and takes, IN freight and passage
money over $500, 900. 900 year from TINS
country alone.
| From a paper in the North American
| Review, by Hon. j. Henniker Heaton,
member of the British Parllameut,
quote the following: "For many years
| the American mails, as well as goods
were carried to Europe almost exclusive
| ly in British vessels. Early in the CEN
| fury the British government adopted the
sagacious policy OF su bsidizlng the COM
panies that ran vessels TO the colonies
and other countries. This .poiicy Oh
State aid was SO successful in developing
| trade and maintaining the supremacy
of the British mercantile marine that III
was aioped in turn by all the great
powers, with the single exception until
quite recently, of the United States. AS
| American ships were not SUBSIDIZED,
their owners could not compete with the
| Cunard and other companies, and as
result the American carrying trade was
| transferred to foreign bottoms. As
consequence Of refusing to pay SUBSIDY
of SIS, 900, 900 year to her ship owners,
/ which in thirty years would nave
amounted to only $50, 600, 900, the nlted
| States had to pay in the same period no
less than 5000. 900, 0000 for freights ,
while our mercantile marine dwlndled
into insignificance."
In 1870, with prospect of the whole OF
Europe becoming EN- brolled In Ine
Frauco-German war, the first free ship
iIbiIl was introduced into Congress, 1t
Twas designed to afford safe and tenn
porary asylum under our flag, for their
| imperriIled shipping, it was introduced
into Congress, backed by powerful
Hobby of foreign shipowners, but beaten
by an amendment providing Tor Dona'
that each ship SO entered to be IorIelt-
ed. If it was re-transferred to foreign
! flag. By this action the true policy OF
the bill was disclosed, and this Free
Ship Billn has perennially appeared ever
since. and its continual agitation has
kept capital out of the shipping inter,
ests, closed and destroyed nearly all Of
the great yards and shops whose exis'
II tence had saved the nation in her houl
of peril. and worked as much injury tc
our merchant marine as the war itself.
Again, John Roach, an eminent snip
builder and an honest and patrlotlc cltl'
zen, referring to the free ship bills OF nil
day in speech made eleven years ago
saws, "Consider it's injustice then anc
now; everything in the ships construc
tion. from keel to truck, was taxed tf
establish credit, pay off our war burden
and meet the expenses OF the govern
ment. Besides this, the plant, machin
ery and capital invested in the American
| shipyard were taxed for city ana count,
taxes. but here was proposition to Ie
the shipbuilder of England. who palf
nothing toward the support OF our gov
| eminent, and did nothing to lessen tn
war burdens which, by the treacherou
building of cruisers, did so much to he'll
: create-here was law to let him sci
his product free in our market. wa
this inst? Would it be right or decen
, TO allow the nation that had PREACHER
ousIy driven our ships from the sea T.
bring in the product of her cheap AM
) down trodden labor and drive US out
t tb ability to build ships as we'll? Woul'
= it be in the interest OF the American
n eonIe thus to make this nation depend
emit for ships upon the nation that bull
I them to destroy us"
It is part of the specious argument 9
8 the advocates Of the Fithian Bill, that
: is not designed to interfere with tn
S coasting trade at all. The writer believe
S that such law would be unconsitutioI
s | al. but will the reader kindly listen t
) JohnsRoach again: "The attempt on GU
f coasting trade would not have been mad
openly. The repeal of the navigatio
laws would BIO asked for first, professef
+ ly to bring ships under our flag for tn
J. foreign trade. But if that point wer
g made it would be said that it was
], strange law that allowed the America
3 citizen the right to buy ship, place b
n Amer lean flag on her, and make hii
y pay taxes on her, but deny him the priv
S ileee to use her except in one kind {
j. trade; that is, he could run his ship
}. havana. but not to Savannah, ne coul
u run her to Vera Cruz, but not to Ne
q Orleans
: Listen again to what Mr.. W /. Babcocl
e of Chicago Ito whom the writer is il
IS debted) says in letter published IN I'll
n New York Sun of May 20, 1894: "Thes
Y then, and not the navigation laws, a.
:. the real cause of the decline OF Amer
n can slipping; on the contrary, our coas
j. ing trade, protected from the foreign'