The Forrest City times., 1899-01-06
a National Need.


at 81, $50, 100000 annually, in the
carrying of which ships earn each
year considerably more than $780,
00e, 900, only fraction of that for.
eign commerce-less than 10 per
CENTS carried in American ships.
The drain upon the United States
of paying ont annually as much as
$500, 600, 900 to foreign ship own
ers for transportation service, is
one that no other nation could
bear except this one. While last
year the balance of our trade in
our own favor was s616, 600, 600;
that is TO say, we sent abroad mer-
ehandise valued at $4,000, 900
more than we imported; yet. fully
one half of that enormous fayora-
bic trade was used up in squaring
our transportation account. 1t is
a fiction, in reality. TO suppose
that our actual favorable balance
is over SIX hundred millions of
dollars, when our own ships do
but Ten per cent. of the carrying
OF our imports and exports.
| This is a subject worthy OF the
cal eful attention of our national
Government. With foreign trade
so vast, with its future expansion
SD promising, the necessity for a
sh ipping of our own becomes more
and more imperative. The matter
of fostering the growth of our for
eign trade deserves the careful and
constant attention Of the Govern
ment. That scrutiny is necessary
n order that nothing shall be per.
n1ittcd to iniure that commerce, I'M
k nown to the government or un-
known to Congress and the nation.
TIL e same applies 10 our shipping.
Considering that a shipping of our
our own, adequate to the carriage
of only one~half of our foreign
comm cree, would cost, at least,
three hundred millions of dollars
to construct, and fully thirty mill.
ions, annually, to keep up the pro.
portion, to say nothing of the
needs of an expanding commerce,
and co nsid ering that this shipping
would result in keeping in the
United States at least one-half oil
the thre hundred millions of dol
lars now annually paid to foreign
ship own ers, here. too, the con
slant and critical attention of de-
partment of the government is q
national necessity.
If a member of the Cabinet, one
of the constitutional advisers Of
the President, was concerned, all
the time, in promoting the expan
sion of our foreign commerce
equally concerned in seeing to il
that nothing prevented the en-
ployment of American shipping in
the carriage of that commerce
watching for and pointing out new
opportunities for trade and profit
for shipping, keeping the subjec
of our commerce and our shipping
constantly before the administra
ton, and before the eyes and il
the minds of Congress, need We
doubt that the people would soor
realize the importance of the sub
ject of expanding our foreign com
merce and promoting and con
serving a great national merchan,
marine of our owng
The nation, In the strength, the
lpower, the prestige, the wealth
that a shipping of our own would
give, that would be able to take
care of the steadily increasing for
eign commerce, would be lmmeas
urably benefited, beyond question
The national neglect of our foreign
commerce and our shipping engag
cd in its carriage, is one of the
dark pages of our glorious indus.
trial history. 1t is time that Con.
gress put an end to the neglect.