The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-01
Our Foreign Trade Shipping.

The proposal that discriminating duties
in favor Of American merchant vessels shall
be established by Congress naturally ex-
cites attention. The st. Louis Convention
that nominated President MCKINLEY ad-
vocated restoring the early American pol
icy of discriminating duties, Tor the up
building of our merchant MARINE" 30
that American ships, the product Of
American labor employed in American
shipyards, sailing under the Stars and
Stripes, and manned, Differed, and owned
by Americans, may regain the carrying Of
our foreign commerce." The candidate of
the convention gave his "hearty approval"
to this declaration, saying that the policy
Of discriminating duties should be again
promptly adopted by Congress, and vigor-
ously supported until our prestige and
supremacy on the seas is fully attained.
We should no longer contribute, directly
or indirectly, to the maintenance of tho
colossal marine of foreign countries, but
provide al efficient and complete marine Of
our own." This strong language leaves no
doubt that any steps which Congress may
a in the direction thus indicated will
have the Presidents support.
The civil war, during which our ocean.
borne received a destructive
blow from English-built Confederate cruis-
ers, ended by leaving us, in 1856, with
only 1,3s7,756 toni engaged in the foreign
trade, against 2,494,s 1914 &c engaged in
1851, which was the climax of our till then
ascending record. And our foreign trade
shipping continued to drop, until in 1895
it showed s22,347 tons only, or less than
for any year during the previous half CEN
fury, while in 1896 it was 500. 1913 tons.
During this period of decadence Congress
has made several efforts of a minor char
acter to help our merchant marine. In 1867
an act was passed appropriating $500, 900
for the China and $15O,OOO for the Brazil
mail service. In 1872 a law was enacted
to aid the trans. Pacific mall service and
another for remitting duties on foreign ma
terials used for building vessels employed in
the foreign trade. In 1891 came the Postal
Subsidy act; and the admission of the Paris
and New York to American registry re-
suited in giving US the American.built
st. Louis and st. Paul, all four now enjoy
ing liberal subsidies. The building of our
new steel navy has also furnished o great
stimulus to American shipy ards.
Nevertheless. the low ebb which our for
eign trade shipping has reached, In spite of
these and other acts, shows that more must
be done. Discriminating duties, favoring
goods brought in American ships, are not
advised by all friends of our shipping, but
those who do advocate them urge hat such
duties existed in this country for nearly
forty years and In England for generations.
Tho fappnpa Rrifioh NAVIGATION not rnpop
gated under CROMWELL and remodelled I'M.
der CHARLES H., established discriminate
ing duties. Double duties were imposed on
products Of foreign fisheries; m
with Asia, Africa, n America was re.
stricted to British vessels. and COM
mercc with European countries either to
British vessels or to those of the coun-
try exporting the commodities. Imports in
foreign ships were subjected to discriminate
ing duties, and ships were considered for
eign whose hulls were not built In Great
Britain or whose crews were not three
fourths British subjects. This act remained
In force more than ~sixscore years, and
our own laws. enacted by the First Con-
gress, which imposed IN extra duty of 10
per cent. on imports in foreign ships, and
which further aided American shipping by
registry and tonnage provisions, had their
origin In this British precedent
The objections urged against the restora-
tion of discriminating duties at this time
are, chiefly, that they would provoke retalia-
ton and violate existing treaties. 1t Is also
said that such a policy is Anticipated and H.
liberal, being based on conditions that no
longer exist. AS to this latter point, is our
foreign carrying trade relatively better
than when discriminating duties were
deemed necessary to- build 1t up 40 years
agoa Great Britain did, indeed, wholly
abandon tho system nearly half o CEN
fury ago, In 1910, after having pre-
viously curtailed its operation. But she
had then already become the mistress of
the worlds carrying trade. Illiberality Is
not to be charged at random against any
policy established by the founders of this
republic, although IL may be a ~favorite
word of some advocates of free trade.
More serious are tho questions of retalia-
tion and treaty infraction. The first In.
quiry is as to whether the a~brogation of
this one feature of our various commercial
treaties, Of which, II we do not mistake,
nearly twoscore exist with different coun.
tries, would prevent agreements to revive
the remaining features. The next is,
whether, as a business matter, it would
be of advantage to us to build up our
shipping in this way, should the removal
OF the other features of the ~abrogated
treaties be refused. But 1t is really only a
question of our business interests, since all
the treaties, we believe, provide for their
abrogation in good faith oil one years
notice, and, of course, any legislation by us
would comply with those terms.
II, however, the considerations which
prompted us to abandon discriminating
duties seventy years ago, should also avail
with Congress against their revival, as a
matter of business interest, 1t may at least
be hoped that some other way of recovering
our share Of the worlds carrying trade will