The Republican journal., 1900-02-08
The Pilotage Question.

II bill which is to be introduced in tbis
session OF Congress by Representative Daily
becomes law many hundred of thousands
OF dollars will be saved annually to the
the present Sandy Hook pilots of New YORK
and New Jersey may have to seek other
employment. Newport Press
Legislation in behalf of our oppressed
coastwlse sailing vessels shoul be first
considered. Ten States, viz: Maryland,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana and Texas, while obliged by
United States laws to relieve coasting
steamers, still insist on mpelling coast
wise sailing vessels to pay fees to State
pilots, when these vessels are piloted by
their own masters or are towed by tug
under the charge of United States pilot.
lnasmuch as the ten Southern States which
retain such oppressive pilotage laws have
very few sailing vessels, it seems probable
that because of the slight local interest in
merchant marine the pilots are allowed
to dictate the State pilotage laws solely
in their interest. me of these States.
notably Georgia, exempt from the pay
ment of compulsory pilotage fees vessels
trading between the ports of such States,
but impose this burden on vessels trading
b. tween the ports of such States and the
ports of other States. 1t is time that
Congress should put an end to such dis
examinations in a matter under Federal
control and place all American vessels in
the coastwise trade, whether sail or steam,
on the same basis as to pilotage in every
State of the Union. The law that COM
pels one man to employ another against
his desire, and to pay that person for ser
10 ,nrfn
we'll, is manifestly oppressive and unjust.
1t is compelling a coast vessel owner to
pay pilot toll in direct opposition to the
Constitution Of the United States. What
right has any State to enact law placing
tax upon the commerce of another
State? The Constitution of the United
States says: mo State shall tax the
commerce of another State, levy dues on
tonnage" etc. Is not this compulsory
pilotage law a tax upon tonnage as illegal
as it is unjust? 1t is certainly directly
opposite to the reading of the Constitu
ton, which reserves to Congress alone the
right to regulate all matters pertaining to
our shipping. Such matters belong to the
General Government and not to the State.
Any State taking upon itself the right to
enact law taxing the tonnage of another
State is assuming an authority not vested
in it by the Constitution of the United
States. That document says: ''No State
shall, without the consent of Congress,
lay any duty on tonnage" Any law
exactng fee is a tax, or duty, if it be
something that we are obliged to pay,
whether it be compulsory pilotage OF any
thing else Yet coasting vessels are com
PEELED by the law of one State to contrib
ute to the support of pilot monopoly in
opposition to the Constitution of the
United States. The State assumes an
authority over the commerce of this
country, vested alone in Congress to regu
late; it tixesaduties on our tonnage in de-
tiance of Congress to prevent it. This is
illegal and unjust. The port of Savan-
nah alone collects from American shipping
thousands of dollars yearly for the sup
port of the compulsory pilotage monopoly.
Abolish compulsory pilotage for our own
shippers and give the coasting vessel free
access to every port and harbor in the
United States. american Shipbuilder.