The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1900-06-09
FIGURES THAT AMAZE
Proportion of Our Imports and Ex-
ports in American Ships.
Foreign Attack Conferred on Only
American Line in That Trade
Some Enemies of Our
Shipping.

house merchant marine and fisheries
committee, Alexander Il. Smith, Of
New York, n former member of the
New York commerce commission, an
swers an attack on the ship subsidy
bill which has been favorably reported
to each branch of congress. Mr..
Smith openly charges that the foreign
shipping interests, aided by the free
traders and other enemies of Ameri-
can shipping, are striving with might
and main to destroy the one American
line now engaging In our trade with
Europe.
In his letter Mr.. Smith says in
part:
"Mr. Peabody's assertion that 'the
cream of the subsidy is designed to
fall to those vessels of the Interna-
tional Steamship company is not
only erroneous, but seems purposely
designed to prejudice the public
against that line-the only line, by the
way, engaged in our trade with Eu-
rope under the American flag. This
line has been singled out for the most
virulent, malignant and frequent at
tacks ever since the shipping bill has
been before the public. 1t has been
asserted, but without word of truth,
that it is controlled by the Standard
Oil and the Pennsylvania Railroad
companies.
THAT line has been pictured as part
Of monopolistic trust, whereas it is
battling, single-handed and alone,
against the most powerful steamship
Lines in the world. These other lines
all under foreign flags-arc
backed up with unlimited wealth and
the support of their several govern
ments to whatever extent may be nee
essary to enable them to successfully
compete for the transatlantic trade.
"The American line in question is
struggling at considerable pecuniary
loss to succeed and to still further in
crease it's tonnage under the stars and
trated amounted opposition. In doing
so it has been subjected to the I'M
bridled abuse of every free trader,
every free trade newspaper, every
enemy of American shipping, and
every defender of foreign shipping in
the United States.
IF the stockholders of this line are
ready to invest still further in Amer
lean ships, in the hope of ultimately
earning profit, and are ready to sub
ject themselves to the fiercest and
most concentrated competition of the
most wealthy and powerful ships in
all the world under foreign flags, the
American people will applaud and
commend them.
"The deadly purpose of this opposi-
ton is manifest, when we study the
statistics of the United States for the
last fiscal year. OF the total foreign
trade Of the United States, 67.07 per
cent. is with Europe-more than two
thirds of our total foreign trade is
with Europe. OF our imports from
Europe, valued at $353,ss4,534, only
$15,430,242, or ABS per cent, was car
ried in American vessels. OF this, the
ships of the American line carried inn
ports valued at $14,S13,033. OF our ex-
ports to Europe, valued at $936,602,-
003, but $27,55s,O76, or 100 per cent,
was carried in American vessels, the
ships of the American line carrying
exports to Europe valued at $25,O77,-
TAO.
''The value of the imports and ex-
ports carried in the ships of this line
was $39,S90,7S2, out of total of $780,
2,206 carried in all of the American
ships engaging in our entire foreign
trade. The ships of this American line
carried within fraction of 25 per
cent. of all of the imports and exports
of the United States that were car
ried in American ships. If, therefore,
the four steamships of the American
line-which rendered such exception
al and invaluable auxiliary naval serv-
ice to our government during the war
with Spain-can be driven out of our
trade with Europe, the proportion of
our carrying under the American flag
in our trade with Europe will drop
from the present 2.15 per cent. of the
total to but OF (two-tenths of one)
per cent. That is to say, the foreign
ships now monopolize 07.s5 per cent.
of our carrying with Europe, and are
striving with all of the power and in
fluence at their command to increase
their proportion Of our carrying to
oo.s, leaving for the stray American
vessel that will dare to venture into
that trade the carrying of OF of our
imports and exports! BY driving
these ships out Of our foreign trade,
the proportion of the entire foreign
trade of the United States carried in
American vessels would be reduced
from SO to just seven per cent, leav-
ing for foreign ships the carrying of
% per cent. of our imports and ex-
ports, and the estimated 5000, 100000
in freight earnings that are taken
from the United States each year.
mo wonder" concluded Mr.. Smith
In discussing this portion of his re-
ply, "the foreign steamship lines, and
all other friends of foreign shipping,
and every enemy of American ship
ping concentrates his opposition on
the American line-the single heroic
carrier of the American flag in our
transatlantic trade"
------
OIn four states carried by the
popocrats-Colorado, Idaho, Montana
md NVyou,ipo-hanL Jonos;te En-