The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1900-05-03

When in 1898 the United States be-
came involved in war with Spain, one
OF the first things the government
found 1t necessary to secure was mer-
chant ships 1t was found that the
growth of our coastwise trade had
brought into existence a considerable
number of vessels in many ways
adapted to various military and naval
uses for which merchant ships are re-
Quired in time of war, such for scout
work, and the like. In the latter ser
vice the ships OF the Prairie class were
conspicuous These vessels, of which
there were but four, had belonged to
the Morgan line, and ran between New
York and New Orleans. connecting at
the latter point with the Southern Pa
cific Railway. They were Of about
5000 tons register, each capable of
steaming sixteen or seventeen knots
an hour. They were furnished with
guns, manned by the Naval Militia,
and a number of times were under the
enemy's fire, from which they emerged
with records alike creditable to the
ships and to those who manned them
All of these ships were built in the
United States, our laws ever having
provided that none but American-buil
vessels may engage in our domestic
commerce. Of course, if this trade had
been open to the ships of all nations,
as has been suggested at times, they
eminent in time of war. But the num-
Der of these vessels that We're capable
of being transformed into government
use was altogether too few, and so re-
course was necessarily had to our
ocean-going vessels. Here the lack of
American ships was sharply accentu-
ated, much to the peoples surprise
and humiliation Tt was found that
the four ..crackerjack'' ships of the
American line, in the transatlantic
trade-the ST. Paul, the ST. Louis, the
Paris and the New York-of 1000
tons register each, and each capable
of steaming at the rate of 81 knots an
hour, were of inca1cuIab1e value to the
United States. They were Immediately
impressed, their crews voluntarily en-
tering into the nations service, they
were quickly provided with formidable
guns for which they were equipped,
and swept the Atlantic from the Grand
Banks to the Bahamas.
But ships were needed for a great
many other purposes, such as carry
ing troops to Cuba and Puerto Rico
also for supply and hospital needs, for
GOLFERS, and for a number of other rea-
sons all directly connected with the
war. Having practically stripped our
coast of all it's available ships, and
having exhausted everything American
that was available in our foreign trade,
resort to foreign ships. None could be
chartered, as that is contrary to the
rules of war. Neutral powers are ex-
pected to see to it that their merchant
ships are not used for military or
naval purposes by either belligerent.
After the government had chartered
or purchased every available American
craft that could be utilized, less
than &c, 500 tons of foreign merchant
steamships were bought for the war
department, and 56, 800 tons of foreign
merchant ships were bought for the
navy department, making a total of
126, 81S tons of foreign merchant
steamships thus purchased by our gov
eminent for use in war that ceased
within three months of it's Inaugural
ton.
While 1t is impossible to charter for
eign steamships, it was quite difficult
to purchase those of the higher types
and of the greatest utility-these could
not be purchased at any price from
their foreign owners. The consequence
was, the government was forced to
take the best 1t could get, and in fact
some of the purchases made were of
character that would never have been
hooked at, had it been possible to Sc
cure frst-class ships. Had American
ships been doing the bulk of our car
rying they would have been at the i'm
mediate command OF the government.
Some of the wealthiest and most
powerful steamship lines in our for
eign trade actually sold some of their
vessels to Spain for use against the
United States-the very vessels our
trade had created were turned against
us! Had the enemy been a powerful
maritime nation instead of weak Spain
not only would our own available sup
ply of merchant steamships have been
IN fa lint T1o
chase of foreign steamships would
have been an impossibility.
1t is now found that only per cent
of our imports and exports are carried
in American ships. The foreign ships
carrying the balance earn, it is conser-
vatively estimated, 5000, 900 900 a year.
at the expense of the American people,
In five years this means billion dol
lars, and in a quarter of century five
billions, for our ocean transportation
account, sent out of the country to pay
foreign shipowners. The magnitude of