The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-08-14

VI NdSlllh1 uli ~ ~ ~ ANNN avn
Tribune; l desire to invite attention
through the columns Of your journal, so
extensively read by the thoughtful
American, to a speech recently deliv-
cred in the senate by Stephen b, Elkins
on American Merchant Marine Dis
eliminating Duties" The subject de-
serves the earnest consideration of the
whole people, and the speech is an
abridged volume Of wisdom, sound
thought and unanswerable argument,
supported by facts and statIstcs-the
strongest weapons of logic-gathered
from the record OF our national life, as
we'll MS that of England, for two hun
dred and fifty years, The greatest po-
lltical battles We have fought for
century have been over the question of
protection to American industries The
Republican party from It's organization,
and long prior to its birth the old Wing
party, stood by protection to all our In
dustries as the one cardinal principal
absolutely necessary to sustain and
build up national prosperity, promote
the general welfare and to make the
nation great and strong. In our in
fancy, and for more than n third of q
century, the early statesmen as earnest
ly favored protection to our ocean car
rying trade as to our industries upon
the land, and by law threw the same
shield OF protection around our ships as
around our manufactures.
Senator Elkins has shown In his mas
terly presentation of the subject how
for seventy years we have neglected to
preserve our rightful place upon the
seas, and have given 10 other nations
the enormous carrying trade of the
United States, The bill he has offered
and supports provides for a duty of ten
per cent ad valorem, In addition to
other duties imposed by law, and ten
per cent where no duties are imposed
on all goods, wares and merchandise
imported in ships and vessels not of the
United States, The bill does not pre-
vent any importer from bringing his
goods to our shores in foreign ships,
but gives him his choice to do so by
paying an additional duty OF ten per
cent, or he can bring them in Amerl-
can ships and pay no additional duty
The senator calls attention to the fact
that Great Britain kept such law in
force for nearly two hundred years, and
did not repeal It until she had control
of the worlds markets. He cites JEFF
ferson's utterances In 1903 as to the
value of navigation as O branch OF in
dustry, and the declarations of Sir Wal
ter Raleigh who for nearly forty years
lived upon the seas This most daring
of navigators declared that whatsoever
commands the sea commands the trade;
whatsoever commands the trade OF the
world commands the riches of the
world, and consequently the world
itself"
The senator shows that none but
American built vessels, rs early as 1893,
could be used in our cOast-wise, river
and lake trade. and that this policy has
ever since continued; that this protec-
ton has guarded our lake and coast
wise shipping, and the result is that
the trade of our eight thousand miles of
coast is the largest in tonnage, and It's
revenues surpass those Of any other on
the globe. 1t is also shown that for the
first eleven years of our history, under
protection as Is now proposed, the car
rying of our imports in American ships
increased from 17ls to 81 per cent. and
exports from 30 to IS per cent. and that
increase was maintained to 1910, at
which time Our shipping and share in
the great carrying trade of the world
was about as great as that of Eng
land He points out the wisdom and
the beneficial results of the act of 1889
by the fact that during the next year
American ships carried 49, the second
year 90 the third year 65, the fourth
year 90 and the fifth year SIS per cent. of
our foreign commerce. and the latter
percentage was maintained for more
than u third of century, and until Con-
Sress suspended the operation Of the
laws intended to protect our shipping.
A suicidal Policy.
Under the unwlse legislation OF 1915
and 1917 the prosperity our shipping
had enjoyed was destined to pass into
other hands, and the elimination of this
suicidal policy occurred in 1928, when
all protection to American ships and
shipbuilding was withdrawn by law.
We could no longer boast with Webster
that we had "a commerce which leaves
no sea unexplored; navles which take
no law from superior force" In 1926.
Just prior TO the passage OF that fatal
act, We carried 95 per cent Of our inn
ports and 50 per cent Of exports In
American ships. Now, in the very day
Of our strength and power. when we
IAlltlA Ndllg tNNAN AUlHH We Duy hIlu
sell as well as the products Of nations
that have but few ships we present the
miserable spectacle OF having only the
ability to carry a little over 10 per cent
OF our imports and q little over per
cent OF our exports O9r shipping In
the last two-thlrds OF a century has suf-
fered a decline Of n per cent. After pre-
sentlng these unwelcome facts and the
additional ha
100000 every day TO foreign ship-own-
ers for carrying what the American
people buy and SELL Senator Elkns well
asks II protection to our industries on
land and 90 our coastwise trade has
been necessary and has made us pros-
porous, why should It not have been
continued as to Industries on the high
sens? Why should protection stop when
IL reaches the ocean?
Nor for this great and inexcusabe
neglect Of subject that should have at
all times commanded the attention Of
our statesmen can We plead Ignorance
OF the beneilts-yen, the very necessity
TO our national prosperity-of discrlm-
mating duties In favor OF shipping In
American BOTTOMS The speech Of sena-
tor Elkins cites the very highest Amer
lean and British authorities In support
OF H. We were taught the lesson and
the duty by the statesmen who guided
the nation In IT, infancy, The wise and
sagaclous Madison. In the second oct.
passed by Congress, provided for pro-
lection to our shipping bv law Ike
the one under discussion a member Of
the British parliament In 1891 declared
that by our refusal to pay {j.OOOOOO a
year for thirty years 10 our BhIp-own-
ers we had 10 pay In the samo period
S.0Oo.00O.OOO Tor frelgh,s 10 foreign ship
pers, while our mercantile marine dwln-
died Into inggnlncnncc.
N we had not pf0ieotad oup I1b. n,,d