The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-01
Shall Our Own Ships Have the Carry
ing Trade?

The policy of a discriminating duty in
favor of goods imported in American ships
has been passed Upon already by the voters
of this country. 1t was an issue in the last
Presidential election. Right or wrong, ju-
dicious or inexpedient, effective or i'm
potent as a measure for the restoration of
the American carrying trade on the oceans
of the world, the discriminating duty is as
much a part OF the fixed Republican policy as
is a protective tariff or the payment of our
national obligations in money Of present
standard.
The platform upon which Major McK1N-
LEY was elected contained the subjoined
resolutions which had previously been
adopted by the Republican conventions in
several States:
W favor restoring the early American policy of
discriminating duties for the upbuilding OF our mer
chant marine and the protection OF our shipping in
the foreign carrying trade. so that American ships
the product OF American labor employed in American
Bhipy ards. sailing under the Stars and Stripes, and
manned. onicered. and owned by Americans-may re-
gain the carrying OF our foreign commerce."
That was not buncombe, but business.
hat was not slipped INTO the platform
in any conference committee. 1t had been
openly advocated and publicly discussed
for months and years. When the st. Louis
Convention adopted it they knew what
they were adopting and when seven mil
lions, one hundred thousand and more citi.
zens voted for 1t they knew perfectly for
what they were voting.
Now. as we pointed out the other day,
the ten per cent. diferential in favor of
imports by American vessels was already
In our laws. 1t was In the tariff of 1888,
In the tariff of 1890, even In the Wilson
tariff of 1894. The discriminating duty
in favor Of American ships was in all
these laws, just as 1t Is in the
Dingley act; but as n measure for
the restoration of our shipping it was
practically nullified by the clause excepting
such foreign vessels as were entitled, "by
treaty or any act of Congress, to be entered
in the ports of the United States on pay
ment of the same duties as shall then be
paid on goods, wares, and merchandise i'm,
ported in vessels of the United States
In the Dingley tariff, as finally enacted
six weeks ago, the difTerential duty of ten
per cent. is still encountered by the excep,
ton OF foreign vessels entitled by treaty
or convention" to privileges at our custom
houses equal to those of our own ships.
The exceptions shy any act of Congress
have been dropped. The only exceptions
now are by ~"treaty or convention" We
shall see when the time comes exactly how
this small change affects the question.
When the Republican platform. there.
fore, called for a discriminating duty in
favor OF carried in American
ships. and when the nation ratified the
resolution at the polls, what was meant
was not that a provision for a d~ifferential
duty should be put into thelaws; for such a
provision was already there. The demand
of the platform n the vote of the people
were for making that provision operative
by removing the obstacles to the collection
of the differential duty.
The obstacles existing at the time when