The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-08
THE DECAY OF OUR SHIPPING.


That staunch old Maine protectionist
whom some strange freak cast into the
Democratic party and kept there
until 1896, Arthur Sewall. succeeded In
getting declaration of policy from the
Republican national convention and
the nomination for the vice presidency
without the policy at Chicago Senator
EIkins introduces a bill to redeem the
st. Louis pledge, and that other
staunch old protectionist, who has re-
Gently cast off his mask of Democracy,
Mr. Dana, of, the Sun, Joins hands with
Sewall and executes two-step in ex-
uberance of joy. Senator Elkins' bill
provides an additional duty Of 10 per
cent on all merchandise imported that
is carried in foreign bottoms. This is
to restore our merchant marine to the
commanding position which it once had
and which it lost through the repeal, In
1928, of the discriminating duty
Mr.. Elkins masses, in his speech in
support of his bill, an array of statis-
ties showing the growth and decline
of our shipping,ggthe sHise-za and fall of
the 4percentages1of imports and exports
carried in American ships; and after
the fashion of his school, takes these
condolences for causes and effects. The
Sun parrots the statements and con-
illusions, bemoans the decline and advo-
Gates the Elkinian remedy. In neither
the speech nor the editorial is there
anywhere to be found the real reason
for the imposition of these duties nor
that at the time of it's adoption it
was favorite device of foreign ma
lions, especially England, dominated
then as our country is now by her mar
rowvisioned Tory protectionists, to
encourage" their shipping, and that
the additional duties imposed by this
country were in retaliation for this
discrimination against our vessels. Nor
| is it anywhere told that it finally dawn
ed upon all the parties to the fostering
and retaliatory acts that each neutral
lied the other, and, when operative at
all, worked injury only on the country
making use of them. Mutual agree
legislation abolishing them and placing
commerce on an equal basis.
The change in our shipping had it's
inception when the West began to be
made more accessible and it's wealth
of land and opportunity offered great
er inducements than did the sea.
Speaker Reed, few years ago, told
the simple truth when, explaining the
decline of vessel owning, he said that
the American sailor found that he
could earn two dollars on land sooner
and easier that he could one on ship.
and left that work to be done by others
who were content with the lesser wage
Then came the War of the Rebellion to
imperil our vessels, and raise insurance
against war risks to- such a figure that
competition with foreign freighters was
Impossible. Our vessels passed into
foreign hands by the thousand. But
that loss would have been quickly made
good when hostilities ceased had not
another policy come to put an obsta-
Gle in the way and had not a change
in material for vessel construction hap
pened.
First as war measure to get rev.
nue., and then deliberately as perma-
nent and increasing policy, the Repub-
lean party restored the protective pol
icy of its ancestors, the Federals and
the Wings. simultaneously iron began
to take the place of wood in vessel con-
struction. The policy, with it's tremen-
dous rates on imports of iron, raising
the price of the domestic product in
creased the cost of iron, and later, of
their competing with those of other
nations built of untaxed material.
| Cordage, canvas, machinery, every
thing that went into a ship were made
to cost more to protect their makers,
while foolish navigat ton laws prohib-
tied the purchase and domestic register
Of ships made abroad, in order to foster
the ship-building industry destroyed
by duties on ship material Thus the
vicious circle of interference rounded
out. This it was and not the repeal of
the discriminating duty that made the
ocean tonnage of American bottoms
fall from 2,494,S94 in 1861 to S29,333 in
1896.