The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1900-12-28

and anyone can verify the statement .
here made. He says the st. Louis and (
St. Paul cost $4,000, built in this
country, and that builders on the
Clyde offered to construct them for
s4,O0O,0OO. Tt is also admitted, besides I
the increased cost Of construction, that
interest on the money invested in /
ships, insurance and cost Of operating !
is double on American ships to similar /
charges on foreign ships.
Now, what has caused all this, and /
the consequent decline Of American
shipping? Nothing but the high pro |
tective policy Of the republican party. !
In other words, the republican party
has destroy the American mercantile /
marine, and it now proposes to coun-
teract this and cure the disease by
more Of the same sort-similia simiIi-
bus cUrantUr. 1t reminds one Of the
Old-fashiOned remedy for hydrophobia
-'some hair from the tail Of the rabid
dog that bit the victim" Frye would
| fry more grease out Of the American
people to make salve for the wound Of
American national pride which he, and
others like him, made nearly 40 years
ago. He's a homeopathic.
On page u he says: 81 have been all
my public life contending against the
doctrine Of free ships. fought most
vigorously every proposition for rehab-
ilitating our ships that were practical
" compelled to go under a foreign flag
during the civil war" On the same
page he admits opposing the admission
Of the American line feet Of trans-At-
lantic steamers, but finally consented
to the admission of the New York and
City Of Paris on conditions that they
would complement them by building
two more Of like speed and capacity,
which we're, presumably, the st. Louis
| and st. Paul before referred to.
It viii be remembered that these
four ships Of the American line, cOndi-
tiOnally subsidized, were taken by this
government for cruiser and transport
service In the late Spanish-American
war, and that besides these we bought
many foreign vessels and put them IN
der the American flag, as the govern
ment was not subject to the prohiba-
tory navigation laws on the statute
book.
The editor of TIE REPUBLIC was in
southern California about four years
ago, and there became acquainted
with a retired sea captain who owned
and resided upon a fine orange ranch
property. In a conversation with him
on the subject Of the decline Of the
American merchant marine,' he said,
in substance, that 40 years ago, when
he first went to sea, American vessels
led the fleets of all nations in the
carrying trade, and, no matter what
port they were in, American vessels
got the cream Of the cargOes ready for
shipment; but after the repeal Of those
laws favorable to American shipping.
and their substitution by burdensome
ones, such as referred to in this article,
American vessels soon dropped back
to the tail end Of the procession and
that even American captains of vessels
and American seamen were treated
with scOrn and contempt. He declared
that some of those laws actually dis
eliminated against the American and
in favor Of foreign vessels. He became
so thoroughly disguised that he quit
the sea altogether.
The speech Of Senator Frye brings
out the fact that the old moss backed
law rs still in fOrce-that no vessel can
be admitted to American registry and
sail under the American flag unless
built in an American ship yard; or, if
wrecked within the three-mile limit Of
the American coast, rebuilt In an Am
erican ship yard at a cost Of three
for sea. This, and other laws have
kept thousands Of vessels from coming
into American registry. The wreck Of
our supremacy upon the sea lies high
and dry upon the rocks of the Devils
island Of protection, Iured by the false
light kindled by such men as Mr.. Frye.
1T costs more to build ships here, /
the senator says. Why? Ships are
now built Of iron and steel and we now
have the rapacity Of those monsters,
like barnaCIes on a ships bottom, the
iron and steel trusts, to carry; and the
sapient senator actually advocates
the taxing Of the people nine millions |
Of dollars annually to pay for coal /
TO keep up speed and catch up with |
the procession, instead Of putting into /
the port Of patriotism and into the /
dock Of common sense to get the bar /
nacles scraped of. He admits that be
took council Of . capitalists, and one
Of the number old Coils P. Hunting /
ton, who owned the Newport News /