The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1898-02-12

| Z.
| Great Britain is as wise as serpent,
not as harmless as a dove. More than
| half century ago Great Britain was
seeking to do Just what you are to-day,
and she settled upon policy. W hat
was it ,? On the theory that trade fol-
! lowed the flag she determined to esta-
bli.h steamship lines to every CONNER
ciaL port in the world, and to maintain
them there, and she has never wayered
one single moment from the day she
departed upon that policy down to now.
She spent $ 5Do,oJU the first wear in
subsidy. She Increased 1t finally up to
s., 600, COO a year. Size reduced ii when
We were at war, Deciuse she was not
afraid of us then. After the war was
over she increased it once more. What
was the result? The result is that Great
Britain has banking facilities, establish
ed houses, commercial agencies. a
knowledge of the wants of all peoples in
all the world, and an enormous export
trade. She built last year 81 per cent.
of all the ships that were launched; she
owns to-day nearly one-half of all the
ships afloat, steam AMI sail.
"How about Us? We are in the most
molti.ving and Illuminating condition
possible. In 1918 it took one million
tonnage Of American ships to carry our
exports and imports, and we carried 90
per cent. of them. Last year we lad a
little less than eight hundred thousand
tonnage engaged in our ocean carrying
trade. We carried is per cent. OF our
imports and 8 per cent. OF our exports.
We PAID in 1862 foreign nations, priuc;-
paliy Great Britain, 500, 900 every single
dav, including SUNDAYS, for carrying
our own exports and our own imports.
In 1892 our exports and imports amount
ed to about S2,UN.0O0 900, and it took
80 ships with 5000 men. We furn-
ished IS ships and 5000 men. In 1894
two American ships cleared from the
entire Atlantic coast from Liverpool;
none for Hamburg and none for B.e.
men. Is it not notifying beyond
measure? Car you men hope in that
condition Of things to meet any great
successes in your endeavor to get a
foreign trade ?'
In his annual report President Theo-
dore G. Search, of the National Manu-
facturers' Association says, in part. as
follows, upon the same subject:
The shippingqU is still to-day.
as | declared it 10 be in my annual re-
port last year, inse parablv bound up
with the problem Of the extension Of
American trade The most important
link between the maker and the foreign
consumer Is the ship, and if our systems
OF ocean transport are not the equal Of
those OF any other land we are, it would
seem, at a disadvantage, Tor which MOTH
ing else can give us adequate compeusa-
ton. Upon the high seas our flag is
scarcely ever seen. The harbors of the
world contain the ships of every great
nation except our own. The year be-
gins ana ends again In many of the
greatest ports without one American
vessel or one Yankee sailor entering
there. 1t has been SO in many ports
for many consecutive years, and but for
the occasional visit of sailing ship OF
which We still have a certain number
engaged in the foreign trade, our mer-
chant marine would be wholly unrepre-
sented except upon a few trade routes
which our ship owners and naylg ators
have lately pressed forward to occupy.
The solution of this problem must
come through the efforts of the manu-
lecturers of the United States. 1t is no
longer the seabOard merchants and the
vessel owners whose interests are at
stake. 1t is a question that strikes hard
upon the commercial aud industrial in
! terests OF the nation in the far interior,
:;S well as upon the coast. i Is for the
manufacturer, the merchant, the Jar
mcr, TO say how much longer we shall
be leaders OF the world In our produc-
tive industry and followers Of our weak
est rivals Ill the foreign distribution OF
the goods we make. Nothing that the
organized manu- acturers of the tnite,!
States can ACCOMPLISH would be so far
reaching in It's benefits to our trade and
our Industries as the solution of this
great problem-the replacement of our
once glorious fleet of seagoing vessels
The enforced retirement of Senior
! Dupuv de LONE from the position OF
! Spanish ambassador at Washington, for
writing 4 letter rejecting upon Presi-
dent Mckinley, will recall to the mem
DRY of many people the enforced retire
mcnt OF Sir Sackville West, the British
ambassador, during Cleveland's first
| term. The only difference is that Sir
>ackville got the sack, while the Senior
! didn't wait 70 be kicked out.