Arizona republican., 1898-12-15
ouR MERCHANT MARINE.

h his latest DOCK Mark Twain IellS
 of his surprise at sighting in the south
 | acifc merchant ship flying the
 American flag. He gives a picture of
 the ship. which hailed from Duluth, if
 we reco1lect alright, and he labelled the picture: The American Merchant Ma
 rlne" Of course things are not quite
 so bad as that, but they are in a very dop1orable condition The foreign carry
 ing trade has gone Almost entirely out
 Of the hands Of Americans.
 In 1897 the total value of the imports
 by sea was over seven hundred millions carried in American ships. The value
 of 'the exports by sea was nearly one thousand millions of dollars. American ships carried a fraction over per cent of that. Of the total foreign carrying trade then in 1897 but Il per cent fell to American ship owners. For the last forty years this percentage has been constantly decreasing. Tn 1860 Ameri can ships carried 661a per cent of the total foreign trade; 32 per cent in 1871; 16h per cent in 1881; 121a per cent in 1891; and now Il per cent in 1897. It is high time for something to be done To help our merchant marine back to
 where it stood.
 The republican platform Of 1896 rec commended the restoration of discrin1- mating duties to upbuild our merchant marine and protect our shipping in the foreign carrying trade, ''so that Ameri- can ships-the product of American labor employed in American ship yards, sailing under the stars and stripes, and manned, oficered and owned by Amer ieans-may regain the carrying of our foreign commerce." Thus far congress has been so fully occupied with other matters that il has neglected to take any measures upon this question, though already in the present session the senate has had under consideration a bill that deals with one branch of it; that of foreign ships wrecked on our coast and purchased and reftted by Americans.
 But now both the president and the secretary of the treasury call upon con- gress to take speedy action In this matter. Spain, the president says, suo- sidized the steamship lines communi- eating with her colonies to the amount of two million dollars annually. Some things of this sort will have 10 be done for the American lines. The president refers to the report of the secretary Of the treasury
 This is what MT. Gage says on the subject:
 The war with Spain and the annexa- tion of the Hawaiian archipelago, which have changed the political and commercial relations of the United States not only wieh Cuba, Porto Rico, Hawaii, and the Philippines, but also with the continents between which and North America those islands are step- ping stones, requires the prompt adop- tion of an affirmative maritime policy by the United States. 4 positive policy which shall create anew an American merchant feet is not intrin- sically more difficult to establish than has been the recent rehabilitation of the American navy, or than a third of a century ago, was the establishment of transcontinental railroad cOmmuni- cation. It will Jndou6.edly require at the beginning, duu ICI SOlll3 elIle lO come, the appropriation of appreciahle sums of money.
 That i5 will require q great deal Of money to set our merchant marine on an even keel again is Of course evident But with proper measures success would be sure. But men are needed as well as ships. A great many, if not Ghe majority, of the officers of the American Line" of steamships are who have been naturalized that they might retain their positions. They are good officers, of course, but it would be well for congress to see that steps are taken so that there may be no lack of perfectly trained ship mas ters of American birth. They are not any too plenty at present, but the coun- try will be quite able to furnish men to be trained If there are to be ships to put them on.i Now the responsibility rests with congress.