The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-16

t6IUl WHGn uS6Q III COuuSCllOu WIFI LIS
efforts of American statesmen to arrive
at legislation that will assist to produce
fleet of American vessels adequate to
the carrying of a fair proportion Of our
own foreign ocean freights. While we
have produced with unexampled rapidity
railroad properties valued at $4,000. 00O,
600, and that carry freights earning near
1y s9OO0OO,00O per annum, no American
statesman has yet imposed upon his fell
lows measure that has prompted Ameri-
can capitalists to depart from landed in
vestments long enough to set the ball
fairly rolling towards vessel construction
for foreign trade. 1t is perhaps true
that the Rockefeller interests have con-
structed q few iron tank steamers for
carriage of oil, but even they are using
foreign steamers for most Of their car.
goes, amounting to some $45.0OO,0O0 in
value annually.
May 1t not be possible that, in all the
discussion and consideration that has
been given the subject, Importance
enough has not been lent to that feature
of the vessel business made conspicuous
by Alex. McDougall, the whaleback in
ventor, in his letter to the Marine Review
of date Oct. 8, 1899, the main points of
which were in the following paragraph:
The long-voyage, ocean-going ship Is
the advance agent of the country to
which she belongs. On an average, prob
"a mil hQU cfn
or ownership in her; then she has Of
f1cers of the same country on board; and
the officers of the country. who may be
stationed in foreign lands as consuls, be-
como interested In her from contact. All
these. with the regular ship agents, and
the bankers and brokers who come in
touch with the ship, are looking up trade
for her; and direct trade for her Is direct
trade for the country to which she be-
longs. Thus, when you create a ship for
foreign trade you have probably a hun
dre tI agents engaged In foreign trade, d.
have owned so few ships that we are not
familiar with the geography or business
OF the world. This is better illustrated If
European who lives near the coast If
we had ships and trade with the world,
think the great depression just passed
would not have been so severe.
rive have owned so few ships that we
are not familiar with the geography or
business of the world" That is consd-
cradle of an Indictment of the American
people by an old lake skipper. is 1t not?
Yet 1t Is too true to be comfortable read
Ing.
The total registered tonnage Of all
vessels trading between American and
foreign ports ranges all the way from
60.0O0O0O to 60.0OO.OOO per annum, cleared
and entered, that IS, coming and going.
But the registry Of all vessels trading be-
tween British ports and the rest of the
world runs up to sometimes as high as
tSO,00O.OO0 tons, with but small proper
ton of it costly liners between great
seaports. Tho fact seems to be that
England is sea-going, from top to bottom,
and that enterprise there runs to vessel
owning and operation as naturally as it
does to looking abroad for trade. And, as
Capt. McDougall said, every line Of YES
sells, every vessel, has its agency, its
master Or factor looking for cargo. and it
is intimately associated in some way
with the merchant or manufacturer in
the inland town or the ocean port 80
that the interest of one is that Of the
other
The mere cost of some $10O, 100000 or
$500. 100000 for freight charges made by
foreign vessels carrying our goods thus
becomes of minor Importance, and the
half million or million persons who are
engaged in the missionary business for
British trade while operating her sea-
going vessels, and while thus ostensibly
doing dray business for US, overshad-
ows any other view of the matter. For
we are now ready for the development
Of foreign trade in manufactured goods,
and must struggle to repeat, by mum
dating China and South America and
Africa, the swift success that has been
won in the Mississippi valley In the last
fifty years In the making Of market.
Ships. and ships, and ships, are what
we must have. Missionaries Of top boots
and blankets and frying pans. If not
great liners. then plain tramps, indi-
vidual seekers after cargoes. backed by
the support and sympathy of our
merchants and makers of goods for all
kinds Of markets. Tramps bound for the
Amazon, for the Cape. for Manila. for