The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-02-25
Thursday, Feb. IS, 1897.
Discriminating Duties.

Inc American NcOnOmlst q
taken occasion to discuss quite fully
the subject of discriminating duties
in favor of goods brought here in
American bottoms or per contra,
against goods brought here in for
eign bottoms. This proposition was
drafted into o bill and offered in the
United States Senate by Mr.. Elkins
of West Virginia, and known as
Senate bill No. 3232. The measure
has for its object the encouraging Of
American Merchant Marine, and
proposes that goods brought to
this country in foreign bottoms
shall pay 10 per cent. duties adva-
loren more than if brought in Amer
lean bottoms.
It is the principle in this law
which We wish to advocate rather
than the rate q additional duties
propol =. V admitted that
the same proposition (when a law)
was very successful in the establish
ment of the American" Merchant
Marine in the early history of the
Government. In fact, it is conced-
ed by all historians that a law sim
liar to the bill introduced by Mr..
Elkins was the direct cause of the
great growth of American shipping.
The Protectionist stands for Pro-
lection to the employees of Ameri-
can transportation companies on
land he also stands for the Protec.
ton of American seamen. 1t is a
well-known fact, and enforced by
our shipping laws, that American
seamen get higher wages than any
seamen in the world. We are cred
itably informed that the cost of OPP
Grating American ships, based sim
ply on the question of wages, is near
ly double that of other nations. 1t
is manifest then that American
shipping can be fostered in only two
ways-viz, by bounties and subsi-
dies or by discriminating duties.
The American people are not in any
temper to take up an elaborate sys-
TEN of subsidies, but they have de.
clared themselves in favor of Pro-
lection upon land and sea.
The discriminating duty plan
simply means that goods brought
here in American bottoms shall pay
the rates Of duty laid down by law,
and hat goods brought here in for
eign bottoms shall pay an additional
duty. The difficulty to American
shipping is not in securing a cargo
going abroad, but rather in securing
a cargo returning to this country.
A homeward cargo aided by a dis
eliminating duty would undoubtedly
make a great demand for American
ships, and it is believed that every
shipyard from Maine to the Gulf, and
on the Pacific northward from San
Francisco to Puget Sound would be
busy with orders. This is not sim
ply an opinion, for the same policy
when in effect during the first de-
cade Of this century accomplished
the same result.
We regret to know hat there is
opposition to this wise measure OF
Protection, and especially coming
from Philadelphia, as expressed in
the resolutions or memorial adopted
by the Maritime Exchange of that
city last week. This Maritime Ex-
change, like some other organiza-
tions of the kind, may be simply the
agent of the North Atlantic shipp-
ing pool-a foreign trust which
should be investigated. The foreign
shipping interests have become so
powerful in this country and so in
volved with the transportation in
terests that it is not difficult to Sc