The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-27
SHIPS VERSUS JoRs.

SHIPS VERSUS JOBS.
We were the sailors of the world. Our
flag was in every port; our ships swept
every sea. The Yankee tar was the ruler
Of the waves, and the marvel of the mari
time world The American merchant
marine was The freight-caIrier and the
passenger-carr,er of the Atlantic and Pa
cific and the waters connecting. The
standing of the nations on the high seas
was: The United States, first; the Uni ed
Kingdom, second.
When was that? 1t was during the first
half century--yes, the first seventy years
of the American republic. 1t was from
1870 down to 1860. 1t was until the United
States government took it upon Itself to
destroy American shipping by dest: i've
tariff and navigation laws. 1t was down
to the time when congress thought it
mere important to put through a few
jobs in the supposed interest of New
England shipping companies and ship
builders, than to maintain a free, indie
chant marine.
Congress in Washington, through the
per. onal efforts of Senators Marcus A.
Hanna and Frye, of Maine, is. now en-
deavoring to pass an act to ''rehabiH-
tate our merchant marine. But what is
it proposed to do? To wipe out legisla-
ton that destroyed our shipping and ere
ated the Jobs? No! 1t is proposed to
legislate still fatter jobs for a yet more
select few. It is proposed to give heavy
! subsidies to handful of concerns that
need neither subsidies nor government
aid of any other kind The proposition is
simply to expand and intensity the evils
| that already exist. In place of free ships
| for the nation, the bill proposes free jobs
for coterie OF gigantic combines.
Senator Vest, in his eloquent address
on Wednesday, charged that the chair
man of the committee OF shipping con
Germs promoting the bill was president
of a company which would reap nearly
| pne-fourth of the entire volume OF sub
! sidy. The total estimated subsidy fol
the proposed twenty-five years life o.
the bill is 1856, 100000, of which one cen
Germ will get s42,OOO,OOO. A second com
pany will get $55O,00O a year for two yes
sells it is now building. And third poo
aid to build vessels to haul its own prod
uct is the Standard Oil company, who's
stock is quoted at $50 and whose divi
dends now aggregate $50, Co., coo per an
num- 1t is significant, that when Sena
tor Vest finished his expose of the hi
he was warmly congratulated by numer
Gus senators on both sides of the cham
Der
During forty years of class Legislation
of which the proposed subsidy bill is
vicious type, American shipping has de
clined from tonnage of 5,299, us in 49,
to 1885,, 23S in 1899 During the same pc
Rod British tonnage has grown fror
100000 in 1860 to IA, 900 in 1899.
But four-fifths of the tonnage we pos
sess is after ali simply engaged in
coastwise. trade, and only one-fifth in tn
worlds commerce. During the year 19t
our coastwise tonnage was 100000; an
that engaged in foreign trade, in carrJ
ing our exports and imports to and frol
the markets of the world, was only $50
OOO What a showing for great natio
that now boasts itself a ''world-powerl
= And of the 100000 tonnage engaged
foreign trade, less than half, only 5000
D was steam, and 100000, or nearly GO p'
cent, consisted of sailing vessels, barg,
= and what-not.
:, The odious comparison between Gre
Il Britain and the United States, therefor
+ stands thus: Great Britain, 15,000,C
i tonnage, fully one-half steam, and pra
it tically all engaged in the worlds &C
/ eral trade; and the United States, SEQ
't GOO tonnage, of which one-fifth is engag
e in foreign trade, and over half of tn
lie consisting of sailing vessels and barge
1t leaving a paltry tonnage of $4,000
u steam tonnage to represent $1,000, 900 pc
lie pie in the worlds carrying trade.
$ Consider for a moment a great natiC
like the United States able to carry abo1
5 per cent of its own imports and e:
ports, and having to pay the ships of 70
" eign lands for carrying So per cent
'e it's own products. What kind OF bu:
" ness, what kind of patriotism, is tina
IS Take the carrying of our exports f
Is the month of December, for exampl
In December, 1898, our exports we
l. S135 O00, 900, of which American bottom
d carried only $5,SO0,OcO or a tribe over
lie per cent, while foreign ships carri
t. s12S, OOO, 900, or over twenty times as muc
It In December, 1899, our exports were $ig
Y 900, oOO of which American ships carri
re s5.7ooOOO, or less than per cent, viii