The Republican journal., 1898-02-10

''Costly say you? Yes, costly. There
was never anything worth purchasing yet
that did not have its price. Costly? Not
SO costly as to find yourself decreasing in
profit from year to year and decreasin in
demand at home from year to year; cut
ting down wages of your intelligent work
men from year to year and finally degrad-
ing and reducing them to the condition
of the workmen of Europe. Why, gen
tlemen, that is SO costly that it might-it
might, | say-risk the life of the republic
itself"
OUR MERCHANT MARINE.
Senator Frye ueXt turned his attention
to the merchant marine of our country.
"Y GA cannot hope for success i'll foreign
markets until you become the carriers OF
your own merchandise, until you have
regular fleets carrying sold Glory to
every port in the world.
Fifty years ago Great Britain was trying
to solve this same problem. She deter
mined that trade follows the flag, and
decided to establish and maintain great
fleets of fast steamships to every port in
the world, and to this day she has never
wavered nor had occasion to waver in
that policy. Her exports are to-day per-
fectly enormous as the result.
1.-The result justified Great Britain to
the fullest possible extent. To-day she
owns one half of all steam and sail that
navgates the worlds oceans. What is
your condition? 1t is the most humiliat-
ing and mortifying that man can conceive.
1t shames every man who has the blood
of American patriotism in his veins. Ii
is a crime against the American people.
In 1918 you had 1000, 900 tonnage and
carried IS per cent: of your exports. To-
day you carry none, none worth mention
ing.
"You pay the freight.
''What are the causes? The free trade
theorists say the tariff. Theorists stick
to theories and say: Damn the facts'
| There is no sentiment in business. Ex-
ports have increased under the tariff.
1.-THE want of all protection on the
ocean did it; that's what did it. In the
old days we protected our shipping.
The people then did not stand in such awe
| of Great Britain as you and | do oday.
| The fathers saw Great Britain carrying
almost all our water treights. They i'm
medately concluded that it was time to
stop it, And stop it they did, They put
a duty ON foreign bottoms. They said
that goods brought in American ships
should be dutiable l0per cent. less than in
foreign ships. They put a tax of six
cents a ton on American vessels and tax
of about 80 cents ton on foreign craft.
Why they didn' care snap about Great
Britain, did they, or her retaliation?
''We soon practically owned the ocean.
I We were proud. We were successful,
and we concluded we could surrender.
''Great Britain Immediately took the
advantage. Great Britain was looking
out for herself, as she always does. She
doesn't lave any of our humanitarian
ideas as to her duty to other foreign
nations. She is as wise as a serpent and
| not as harmless as dove,
''Since 1919 our ships on the ocean have
been with absolutely no protection what
soever. They have been handicapped in
every way 1t costs 80 to so per cent.
more to maintain them, consequently
where a foreign ship can carry goods at
profit for 50, say, it would require charge
OF 81 on our ships to cover even expenses.
''There is only one way under the light
| of the sun to restore our American ma
rine. That is for the government OF the
| United States to putits hand in its pocket
and pay the cost of restoration. Our
ships to-day are unprotected, competing
against others protected and encouraged.
Regarding new tonnage tax the seDa-
tor talked at some length, saying he hop
ed to see a bill reported to congress that
would answer the purpose of discrimi-
mating duty to the degree that it would
help our shipping great deal more than
it is helped now.
Every time one of the American line
steamers goes into Southampton she has
to pay an aggregate tonnage tax of about
s 1-2 cents ton, or four times what the
English steamers pay here. In France
/ the tonnage tax amounts to about Is
/ cents a ton.
1.-THE result of this is said Senator
/ Frye, THAT at present we are practically
/ paying bounty of about 16 cents a ton
to the steamers of the French line and
| about six cents ton to the various Eng
! lish steamers.
''About eight months ago committee
Of the leading shipping men in the coun-
! try called on me at Washington and we
! had a conference relative to bill to amend
! the taxation laws as regards tonnage. The
| committee was a sub committee, and |
understand it is about ready to report to
the general committee of shipping men
bill for the raising of the tonnage tax.
Il do not know what the provisions of
the bill will be exactly, but my under
standing of it is that it will raise the ton
mage tax enough to materially help the
American merchant marine.
81 don't care for the cost of any action
if it will restore American shipping"
concluded the speaker, amid cheers.