Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-05-04

british Bosr 49, Hhswa MssA a.
Merchant ohIpG. sSSs ss$ss

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strated to every nation the necessity
Of merchant ships for transport serv-
Ice. making each nation feel keenly
that to the extent 1t lacks In merchant
shipping It lacks IN an essential Of ma
tional defense. They will certainly
apply themselves % q consequences to
the creation and maintenance Of =
home-built and manned shipplng. hrst
for the national defense. and second.
for commercial advancement
The total population Of the tive
South African republics does not ex-
coed 100000. and yet 10000 tons OF
British shipping have been and still
are employed In transporting 250. 900
British soldiers. their accoutrements
and supplies Of all kinds to the seat OF
war. Great Britain alone Is capable
OF producing Z merchant shipping
equal to such an emergency. The great
powers are saying to themselves, III
this be 80 when .pitted against only
800, 900 people. what will be the case
when the number Is greater?
The Philippine islands contail
nearly 100000 people. Cuba contains
1873 900. With . general revolt in
any af them. our need Of merchant
ships for transport and other service
auxiliary to naval and military opera
tions would several times over exceed
our present supply. Were we to en-.
gage 750, 900 tons of our merchant ship
ping for such purposes not ton would
be left In its present employment. II
is impossible for this country to do
what Great Britain has done, simply
because we have permitted foreigners
chiefly Britons-to absorb the bulk
of our ocean carrying. so that her
withdrawal Of that shipping has least
affected her maritime interests. The
cost Of ocean transportation has risen,
however, 80 per cent as consequence.
Since this country pays 500. OOO,O 900 .
year in ocean transportation, that In:
crease If continued for only one year
means that the British-B oer war will
cost the United States SCI, 000, 900 In
extra ocean transportation charges.
the bulk of which goes to British ship
owners. It Is easily possible that the
increase In ocean transportation
charges levied upon the commerce OF
other nations, will reimburse Great
Britain, through her shipownera. for
the entire cost of the British-Bo
war. "a.
Our war with Spain has caused this
country to create feet of magnificent
transports. But they would be entire
~ inadequate for our needs In any
great war, while we have nothing upon
which to fall back nothing commen-
surate with our needs. Moreover. It
is but one year in ten, at most, that we
are at war; during that time our mer-
chant ships should be employed In
carrying merchandise, rather than In
being in immediate readiness for
transport service. But to have the
ships available we must encourage
their construction by effective legisla-
ton, and congress has not begun the
broad consideration Of this subject one
moment too soon.
Our foreign trade is increasing won
derfully. The increase in our exports.
and In the exports thes increase Is
wholly in manufactures. When our
great trade was in raw products which
furnished employment in manufactur-
ing to Europeans, they were content.
But now. when we rival them. in the
worlds markets In manufactures then
our real serious danger threatens. The
nations of Europe will not stand idly
by and see themselves denuded OF their
foreign markets. They will CONNER
cially combat our progress until they
see how futile such opposition Is;
and then, we may be sure, resort will
be had to less peaceful methods to
stifle our growing trade. Without
merchant ships of our own we are at
the mercy Of our great commercial
rivals. This robs our progress Of sta
bility. We cannot permit this condi-
ton to exist a moment longer than Is
necessary to secure the adoption Of
such legislation as will inaugurate a
lew uGpaIluIcs VIC AuoI A0vo On
American merchant marine. It
must be owned and manned by Ameri-
cans. That shipping must be adequate
to all our commercial needs. Only
then shall we be commercially indie
pendent and properly REINFORCED In
a naval sense.
Possessing Of ourselves the means
for our commercial development, we
also become possessed Of an essential
element in its proper defense. De-
velopment is uncertain, lacking the
proper defense. A merchant shipping
is essential to our proper commercial
expansion. Its production and main
tenance Is possible II congress does Its
duty. The knowledge that this coun-
try is paying out 100000, 1000 in ocean
freight charges to foreign ships each
year, when the money could as easily
be paid to our own shipowners, proper
ly protected by our government. is
humiliating and CALLING. We are not
lacking in anything necessary for the
construction, ownership and operation
of a merchant marine equal to all of
our national needs. We are only lack