Evening journal., 1901-10-15
NEWSPAPER. OPINION
Our Merchant Marine

uur Merchant Marine
Frcm The Boston Globe
1t viii always be a happy memory Of
the late President Mckinley that in
his last great speech at Buffalo he
dwelt very forcibly upon the necessity
OF our possessing our own merchant
marine. To the citizen of patriotic in
stincts the idea of American ships for
American cargOes, American mails and
American enterprises soon finds decid-
ed favor.
There is. however, a certain type of
American who is differently made up
With him the main question is as to
where he can buy ships cheapest. II
you can show him that England can
build ships cheaper than they can be
built in this country. that settles it
with him. He Is perfectly wiling to see
the American flag floated over any kind
IOf a foreign bottom or disappear from
the seas altogether If by that means
commerce can be executed cheapest.
He never let's consideration of alleged
patriotism interfere with the affairs of
his counting room He thinks the flag
Is all well enough in it's place. but
never forgets that business Is business
Now the question as to whether a
ship can be built cheaper abroad than
in This country iG still a disputed one
But even II il were true THAT foreigners
can underbid the American shipbuilder
In prices, why Is SO much talk expend-
ed on the protection OF American
labor, If the American merchant re-
fuses to give work to the American
"a Tho
by patrOnizing foreigners?
Why buy a foreign ship instead of hav-
ing one built at home. when American
worNingmen are looking for work?
Here in way is found a test of the
sincerity of some OF those pompOus
Republicans who at every presidential
election are so interested in the protec-
tion OF American labor, but are later
found buying up foreign ships and still
sailing them under a foreign flag.
Many men would feel little
ashamed TO drive out their families in
English built carriages with the Eng
lish flag painted on them, and drawn
by English made harnesses, while hon
est American carriage makers, paint
ers. wheelwrights and harness makers
in the village We're starving-and all
because the English carriages could
be built a little cheaper We have
some American flunkeys here who are
ready to ape anything English. but
the average American likes to ride in
an American-built carriage. behind
American-bred horses with American
made harnesses on their backs. and feel
that NE is thereby patronizing Ameri-
can labor.
Often II is claimed that American
ships best become Americans. In the
first place il Is declared a necessity for
the United States to carry our own
mails to Europe, Asia and Australia.
Just as England, Germany and France
carry theirs to the United States, Asia
and Australia. Isn't it as much a po-
itical necessity to carry our own mails
TO South America in American mail
steamers as It is for England. France
and Germany to carry theirs to Africa
in their own ships? Wherever we car
ry the American ilag we advertise
American trade. There is where the
lamented President Mckinley had
come to see the point very keenly and
to reach far beyond calculating the
profit of circulating the old flag by the
mere cost OF shipbuilding.
And what is true of merchant ships
is equally true of the navy. The flag
in the navy advertises the merchant
ship. and the merchant ship carries
our products and pushes our trade.
The navy and the merchant marine
both carry the national .dfe. One is
as necessary TO it as the other, and
both should alike carry the national
flag. A sea power may be built up by
The navy alone. but it may possibly
prove a despot, as it once did in France
Restore our merchant shipping as the
navy develops. All history teaches the
wisdom and safety of this policy.