Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-05-06
PROTECT OUR SEAMEN
-.AT GOOD OLD POLICY MUST BE
READOPTED.

discriminating Duty on Foreign Bot
vould Create Demand For Amer
,.a, ships-Plan Proposed Would Gre
ia Activity In shipbuildinE.
Tho measure introduced by Senator
p1,-ius If West Virginia known ms SEN
arc bill No 3232 has for its object the
encouraging of the American merchant
marine until it shall again hold that
foremost position that 1t attained during
.braa-ouarters Of the first century of our
no+ional existence. The special feature
If this bill is the proposition that inn
,orrs brought to this country in foreign
bottoms shall pay an ad valorem duty of
10 per cent more than those brought Ill
American ships.
II is the principle i'll this law which
,re wish to advocate rather than the
rate of additional duties proposed. 1t
will he admitted that the same PROPOSE
+;on when a law was very successful
:, the establishment of the American
merchant marine in the early history of
the government In fact, it is conceded
b,. all historians that law similar to
the bill introduced by MIR. Elkins was
-ba direct cause of the great growth Of
American shipping.
The nrotectionist stands for protection
10 the employees of American transpor-
tatiou companies on land. He also
stands for the protection of American
seamcn. 1t is well known fact, en-
forced by our shipping laws, that Ameri-
can seamen receive higher wages than
any sealnen in the world. We are credi-
blv informed that the cost of operating
American ships, based simply on the
question Of wages, is nearly double that
of other nations. 1t is manifest, then,
that American shipping can be fostered
in only two ways-viz, by bounties and
subsidies or by discriminating duties.
The American people are not III any
temper to take up an elaborate system
Of subsidies, but they have declared
themselves in favor of protection upon
land and sea.
The discriminating duty plan simply
means that goods brought here in Amer
lean bottoms shall pay the rates of duty
laid down by law, and that goods
brought here in foreign bottoms shall
pay an additional duty. The difficulty
to American shipping is not i'll securing
a cargo going abroad, but rather III Sc
curing cargo returning to this country.
A humnward cargo, aided by Il discrimi-
mating duty, would unquestionably make
a great demand for American ships, and
it is believed that every shipyard from
Maine to the gulf and on the Pacific
northwaTd from San Francisco to Puget
sound would be busy with orders. This
is not simply an opinion, for the same
policy when in effect during the first
decade Of this century accomplished the
same result
We regret TO know that there is oppo-
siton to this wise measure of protection,
and specially coming from Philadel-
phia as expressed in the resolutions or
memorial adopted by the Maritime Elk
change of that city recently. mis- Mari
time Exchange, like some other organi-
cations Of the kind, may be simply the
agent Of the north Atlantic shipping
pooI-a foreign trust which should be
investigated The foreign shipping in
tercsts have become so powerful in this
country and SO involved with the trans
p0rtation interests that tits not difficult
to secure opposition to 4 measure Of this
kind 1t is also quite possible that the
American line, owned by the lnterna-
tonal Navigation company (now heav
lily subSidized), which has fully as many
ships under foreign flag as under the
American, has taken an interest i'll de
foating this patriotic proposition. This
measure would create activity in ship
building and restore the American flag
IN the merchant marine. Every one
who t1Fors adequate protection by i'm
port duties should favor the policy OF
discriminating duties, for it will accom-
phsh for American shipping the same
grand results to American interests il
the ocean carrying trade that protection
has given upon land.