New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-06
AMERICA ON THE SEAS.
rx,t, NEED OF DISCRIMINATING DUTIES
IN FAVOR OF THE MERCHANT
MARINE

srS AroR EI.KlNs'S MAsrERLY SPEECH IN THE
srx,rr AND THE BILL HE PROPOSES
TO AID THE UNITED STATES CARRY.
ING TRADE.
r, the Editor Of The Tribune
ctr. desire to invite attention through the
.,,umns of your journal. extensively read by the
,sourhtful American. to a speech recently delivered
- tho Senate by Stephen II. Elkins on American
wer,hant Marine Discriminating Duties" The
rhicc, deserves the earnest consideration or the
rno,e people and the speech IL an abridged volume
:, wisdom sound thought and unanswerable argu-
-, suprorted by facts and statstics--the strong
-. u,oapors of logc-gatherod from the record OF
- national life as we'll that Of England for
~ hundred and Atty years The greatest political
,o,,Ics we have fought for a century have been
ver the question OF protection TO American indus
,-,es The Republican party from its organization.
-, long prior 10 its birth the old Wing party.
,nod by protection TO all our Industries as the one
ranal principle absolutely necessary TO sustain
md build UP National prosperity. promote the gem
val welfare and TO make the Nation great and
s,rong In our infancy, and for more than third
=, 4 century the early statesman as earnestly
,,vored protection TO our ocean carrying trade az
=, our Industries upon the land. and by law threw
,.a same shield OF protection around ships
az around our manufactures.
senator Elkins has shown in his mastery presen-
cation of the subject how for seventy years We
have neglected to preserve our rightful place upon
che seas and have given to other nations the ehor-
nous carrying Of the United States. The Si.
has offered and supports provides for duty g, IL
ner cent ad valorem, in addition to other duties
,nposed by law and 10 per cent whore no dulles
are imposed. all goods wares end merchandise
imported In ships vessels not of the Z .ted
States The bill does not prevent any importer
from bringing his goods to our shores In foreign
shps but gives him his choice to do so by paying
an additional duty OF 10 per cent. he can bring
them in American ships and pay additional duty.
The Senator calls attention to the fact that Great
Britain kept such a law In force for nearly two
hundred years and did not repeal /, until she had
control Of the worlds markets He cites Jeffersons
rtterances in 1873 the value OF navigation as
q branch of industry. and the declaration OF Sir
Walter Raleigh who for nearly forty years lived
upon the seas This most daring OF navigators
declared that "whosoever commands the sea CON-
mands the trade; whatsoever commands the trade
Of the world commands the riches OF the world. and
consequently tho world Itself
The Senator shows that none but American-built
vessels as early 1898. could be used In our coast
WISE river and lake trade. and that this policy has
ever since continued; that this protection has
guarded oar lake and coastwse shipping and the
result that the trade of eight thousand miles
Of coast is the largest in tonnage and its reve-
nues surpass those of any other on the globe. 1t
q also shown that for the first eleven years of
our history, under protection as Is now proposed.
the carrying Of our imports in American ships In
creased from III to 80 per cent and exports from
% 10 IS per cent and that that Increase was main
tanned 10 1910. at which time "our shipping and
share in the carrying trade OF the world was
about great that Of England" He points out
the wisdom and the beneficial results of the &C, OF
I7s9 by the fact that during the next year Ameri.
can ships carried 20. the second year 50, the thirG
year 65 the fourth year 70 and the NTH year IS
per cent Of our foreign commerce. and the latter
percentage maintained for more than third of
a century and until Congress suspended the oper-
alton of the laws intended 10 protect our shipping.
A SUICIDAL POLICY.
Under the unwise legislation Of 1915 and 1917 the
prosperity shipping had enjoyed was destined
10 pass into other hands. and the elimination OF
this suicidal policy occurred In ls2s when all pro-
lection TO American ships and shipbuildng was
withdrawn by law We could no longer boast with
Webster that had "a commerce which leaves
no sea UNEMPLOYED: navies which take no law from
superior force. In 1925 just prior 10 the passage
Of that fatal act, we carried 81 per cent of our
Imports and 50 per cent of exports In American
ships Now. in the very day OF our strength and
power. when We should be the greatest carrying
nation upon the globe. when we should carry
everything buy and sell. as we'll as the prod
ucts Of nations that have but few ships. we pre-
sent the miserable spectacle Of having only the
ability to carry a little over 10 per cent OF our
imports and a little per cent Of our exports
Our shipping In the last two-thirds of ID century
has suffered a decline of II per cent After pre-
sentiIlg these unwelcome facts and the additional
one that we ere now paving S0O.OD every day TO
foreign ship-owners for carrying what the AmeTi-
can people buy and sell, Senator Elkins well ASKS
If protection TO our industries on land and TO our
cOastwse trade has been necessary and has made
prosperous. why should II not have been con-
tnued as TO Industries the high seas? why
should protection stop when II reaches the ocean
Nor for this great and inexcusable neglect or
hn,-a ai tine
The attention Of our statesmen can we plead ignor-
Ance of the benehts-yea the very necessity 70 our
National prosperity-of discriminating duties III
favor of shipping in American bottoms. The speech
OF Senator Elkirs cites the very highest American
and British authorities in support OF II. We were
taught the lesson and the duty by the statesmen
who guided the Nation in It's infancy. The wise
and sagacious Madison. in the second sct passed
by Congress. provided for protection 10 our SNIP
ping by a law like the under discussion
member Of the British Parliament in 1894 declared
that by our refusal 20 pay 100000 year for
thirty years TO ship-owners We had TO pay IN
the period scoo,0D.oo for freights to foreign
shippers while our mercantile marine dwindled into
insgnihcance.
II we had not protected our lake and coastwise
trade II would be to-day largely In the hands OF
foreign ship-owners but under the protective policy
We have increased shpbuilding until the carry
Ing power of coastwise vessels represents
s3tNO tons II we rad continued protection TO
carrying on the high seas VINO could measure
our strength ana power on every sea ana IN
every harbor OF the globe? AS we have surpassed
England in manufactures. so we should have
wresed from her the supremacy OF the seas Al
dough her tonnage Is greater than that OF all
other nations combined being % per cent OF the
worlds carrying trade. with l5.GU vessels on the
and 10000 hardy seamen on their decks-her
3cean commerce being valued at nearly S."O0O,Wo-
sc should. under rejection, have surpassed her In
- vt.r.1, n
der she could summon 10 the Queens Jubilee five
square miles Of ships standing side by side. while
he seas were still covered with her sails.
ENGLAND's METHODS POINTED OUT