Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-09-06
BRYANTlES ON SHIPPING
THE DEMOCRACY HAS NO PLAN BY
WHICH TO BUILD 1T UP.


cratic party regarding American ship
ping Is q clear index Of the inherent
inability Of that party to construct.
1t seems only to be able to oppose and
denounce the constructive policies of
it's progressive political opponents.
The foreign commerce of the United
States is regarded the world over as
the most important of all. To this
country come the finest foreign ships.
The greatest and most powerful steam
ship lines vie with each other for our
trade. The largest, the swiftest, the
safest and the most luxurious ships
that are built are for the carrying of
the trade in merchandise. passengers,
specie and mails from and to the
United States.
But eight per cent. of our foreign
trade is carried in American ships.
Foreign ships carry ninety-two per
cent. This carrying is worth fully
2O0,O0O,000 each year. All but eight
per cent. of it goes out of the pockets
of American producers and consumers
for paying foreigners for doing our for
eign carrying. Not only does it go out
Of our peoples pockets, but it goes out
of the country. 1t goes abroad and is
there used to pay for the building and
running of foreign ships. 1t gives the
employment to foreigners that the
carrying of our foreign commerce
creates.
People ask, Why is this? The an
swer is simple. Foreign ships are
built more cheaply than American
ships. This, however, is a disadvan-
tage that could in time be overcome if
the shipbuilding industry We're put on
basis Of permanency. If steady
and large demand were created for our
ships very soon the cost of their con-
struction would be reduced to the level
of foreign prices. 1t is the unsteadi-
ness, the irregularity, and the uncer-
tainty of employment in American
shipyards that keeps the cost of Amer
lean ships from twenty to twenty-five
per cent higher than the cost of for
eign built ships. Better food AMI more
of it is given on American than ON for
eign ships. This also creates disad-
vantage which the American ship can
not easily overcome. Then again wages
on shipboard are much higher under
the American than under foreign flags.
In the cases of officers the wages on
American ships are on the average
twice as high as they are on foreign
ships.
Worse than all this, however, for
eign governments pay their merchant
ships great subsidies and bounties
Great Britain spends about $6,000,000
a year in this way; France spends
over $7,000,000 year. Germany,
Italy, Spain, Russia. Austria and ia
pan all give large subsidies to their
ships. In all the subsidies and boun-
ties paid by foreign governments to
their ships amount to more than $2G,-
100000 each year
Unaided American ships. it must be
clear, cannot protitably compete with
foreign ships under the conditions
above described. That is why it is
that foreign ships have driven Ameri-
can ships from off the seas. The Re
publican party, recognizing the unequal
conditions which confront American
ships in the foreign trade, is committed
to policy of subsidiZing American
ships in that trade. The amount of
the subsidy proposed is barely enough
to enable American ships to compete
on terms of equality with foreign ships.
This bill Democrats have singled out
for denunciation in their national plat
form. They oppose the accumulation
of n surplus to be squandered in such
bare-faced frauds upon the taxpayers
as the Shipping Subsidy bill, which
under the false pretense of prospering
American shipbuilding would put un-
earned millions into the pockets of ia
vorite contributors to the Republican
campaign fund" The alternative of
the Shipping Subsidy bill is to keep on
paying nearly $200.000,000 year to
foreign shipowners whose govern.
ments. in paying them subsidies, en-
able them to prevent American ships
from competing. Rather than have
our Government pay subsidy to
American ships, the Democrats would
prefer to have our people send nearly
5000 ZOO, 600 out of the country each
year to build and sustain foreign
ships.
In their platform the Democrats "es-
pecially condemn the ill-concealcd Re
publican alliance with England"
When we remember that Democra-
cy's platform denunciation of the Ship
ping Subsidy bill will nowhere be re-
ceived with such favor and gratitude
as in Great Britain, whose command
of t. S, oa ar1 especially of American
forei rylng the Democrats would
perpe,at e. and which present British
monoryty of the passage OF that bill
would do much to destroy. the insin-
certify and the secret pro- British lean
ings OF the Democrats are clearly dis
cerned.
Not word have the Democrats to
utter In behalf of policy that would
cause the building Of the ships our for
eign commerce employs out of Ameri-