The herald., 1896-08-16
AMERICAN SHIPS

wreck of this boat suggests the need of
radical reforms in our laws on shipping
and navigation. The present American
shipping laws have been co-existant
with the decay of the American mer-
chant marine on the ocean. Their
evil effects we're long neutralized by
similar stupidity in the laws of other
nations. In 1S4S England commenced a
liberal ploicy towards its merchants and
shipowners. These laws We're followed
by others securing the comfort and fair
treatment of the sailors and by a sys-
tenn of officers certificates whereby COM
potency and character were made alb
solute essentials for an officer in the Ell
glisl merchant marine.
The English break from the old mar
row system was complete. All parts of
ships and ships stores were admitted
without the old fines and charges and
ships themselves were made free Be-
sides these revolutionary acts, the En-
glish coasting and colonial carrying
trade was thrown open TO foreign ships
These measures went hand in hand with
others securing the sailors just treat
ment and the officers and ship owners
against incompetents. While monopolies
were thus prevented, and while all cod
ding was pitched overheard the laws
forced the employment in the English
merchant marine of Engishmen, and
while providing means by which compe-
tency was secured to the ship owners
forced these for the first time in the his
tory of the world to give their sailors
liberal and just treatment. For a long
time England stood alone assfo all these
reformatory measures. The result has
given her the dominion of the sea. Eng
land is first and the other nations are
nowhere This is not only the case with
the ships in number, quality and bus-
ness, but 1t is even more true of the
men. The officers and crews of English
ships are a sturdy, patriotic set of men,
who will form the essential elements of
fighting manhood when their country
| needs them All of these measures were
adopted in and during the English re-
volt from class legislation. They were
vehemently opposed on the ground of
patriotism. The opening Of the coasting
business to foreign ships, 1t was said,
| would ruin British ship owners and take
even the coasting business from their
| own people. What it did was to destroy
the possibility of monopoles and COM
| btnes in the shipping business. No such
stagnation of men, methods and ma
chinery as we are saddled with could
exist No such antigua ted tubs a me-
ander along our shores, no crews of for
! eigners and even Chinese. such as our
! subsidized lines employ, could or do ex-
| ist on the English coast. The laws look
| ing to the welfare of the men and Sc
curing a high standard and reliability
! in the officers We're even more strenu-
ously objected to in England on the
! ground of patriotism. 1t was said that
| better quarters, better food and securi-
/ ty of pay for the men, together with safe
ships and competent officers. would so
increase the cost of running ships that
1t would force the ocean carrying trade
into foreign hands. 1t did exactly the
reverse, and forced the ocean carrying
trade away from less enlightened coun-
tries and out of the old cruel and inhu-
man disregard for the welfare of the
men. 1t demonstrated the folly and the
lie of the English protectionist claim
/ that cheap man is a cheap producer.
America alone of the great civilized ma
tions has continued in its navigation
laws the cruel follies of protectionis1n.
/ our land stands stupidity supporting all
protection IDEAS in ships. Americans
are forbidden by law from purchasing
foreign ship. We stand in the last
ditch of barbarism, deserted by the
world. one nation after another has
seen the folly Of restriction in the op-
portunity of its citizens to purchase
ships and abandoned the destructive
policy We alone have not given up the
idea Of shipyard protection. The result
of our navigation laws has been the
destruction of American ocean ship
ping. The American who wants ship
l. at the mercy of a combine Of ship
yards These are run ON political lines
and go for subsidies and public con-
tracts. The savage tax these men nut
upon all ship buyers in this country
prohibits purchases Of ships for ocean
traffic except in the coast trade. III
this trade the high cost of boats. to-
Gether with the ease OF sustaining coast
ing monopolies, perpetuates old danger
Gus craft such as are found afloat no
where else in the world The high cost
of all ships from this policy to Americans
makes remunerative freight ra tes high
er than they would be and tends to keen
down the wages and character of the
officers and men. our coast ship lines
sk!mp on their craft and men and gener-
ally stand in with gigantic railroad
trusts on fixing service rates The few
other ocean steamers we have are sub
Sidized. Besides the national naviga-
tion laws, ruinous coddling and con-
striction Of shipping, we have state laws
that are almost as bad. in California
the state system of taxing has driven
nearly every ship owner in the state
to sell out or to subterfuge Scarcely "A
steamer going into San Francisco is
registered in that port. TO such poor
statesmanship we have added the in
ere dible pilot cinch of San Francisco.
Every legisle tule the pilots are held
up for lobby money by trusts of black
mailing legislators What with one re-
strictiun, tax or handicap and another.
Ne have practically driven our own flag
from the ocean, taken the life from the
coasting trade, demoralized our seaman
ship with Chinese. and left us helpless
to carry our own foreign trade.
This has all happened to a country
with intelligent and inventive popula-
tion and Venturesome men. 1t has hap
pened to country that in 1850 carried
more of ocean frpipht than apv