The San Francisco call., 1897-04-07
OUR MERCHANT MARINE.

The speech OF Senator Eikins on Mon
day presented the argument in favor OF
discriminating duties on imports for the
purpose of advancing the ship-building
industry in this country in = clear, forci-
bic and impressive manner. 1t served to
bring the issue fairly before Congress and
the country and there can be little doubt
that the subject will be taken lip for de-
tini(ive action as.soon as the tariff bill is
out of the way.
AS the Senator pointed out, country
so large as the United States, with its
5000 miles of seacoast, its numerous fine
harbors and its immense productive ca
pacity, situated midway between Europe
and Asia and carrying on a commerce
with both, ought certainly to be one of
the greatest, if not the very greatest,
maritime power on the globe. 1t has
every inducement to build up vast feet
of merchant vessels, inasmuch as its for
eign trade is enormous and there would
be ample work for the ships in both the
Atlantic and the Pacific oceans in carry
ing the goods which the American people
buy and sell.
According TO statistics quoted by Sena-
tor Elkins the people of the United States
Poy pOOO,AOo u 0ay W SHlp-OW
for carrying what the American people
send abroad or bring home for their own
use. This enormous sum could be saved
to American industry by the adoption of
legislation which would promote Ameri-
can ship building and the extension of a
merchant marine owned and manned by
Americans, sailing under the American
flag and extending American commerce.
The cost of constructing such q feet of
merchant vessels would be comparatively
little when contrasted with the enormous
expenditures We now pay for the foreign
service, and it would be, therefore, an
economy in every sense of the word to
promote the ship-building industry.
To the argument that discriminating
duties on our part would lead other coun-
tries 20 retaliate, the Senator set up the
answer that the only commercial rival
whom we have to fear is Great Britain
and that she could not retaliate without
abandoning her free-trade policy and i'm
posing duties on American products car
ried TO England in American ships. The
products We send to that country are
almost wholly the raw materials out OF
which English factories make their goods,
or the food supplies on which the English
people live. A discriminating duty would
be a tax on British industry and the Brit
ish home. Such tax is not likely to be
imposed, and the threat of retaliation
therefore is a bugaboo OF which we need
not be afraid.
The measure proposed by Senator
Elkins is one of great Importance to Cali
fornia and the Pac fic Coast generally.
Our ship-owners cannot at present COM
pete with the subsidized ships of England
and OF Japan. Some protection must be
given them; and while the proposed dis
eliminating duties may not be satisfactory
to all, they will Ger ainly be better than
nothing. 1t really matters little whether
our merchant marine is built up by dis
elimination in duties or by direct subsi-
dies. The main thing is to promote the
construction of the ships and to give them
an equal chance with the merchant vessels
of other nations. That is the object of the
Elkins bill, and the soone: it can be
passed the more gratifying will it be TO
the people.