The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-08-15

Special Corresponds
Buffalo, N. Y, Aug. II, 'Ol.
At the usual reception given to
visiting and local journalists by Mr..
Bennitt and his staff in the Press
Building at the Pan-American Expo
sition, Wednesday evening, Captain
Richmond Pearson Hobson was in
yited to make short talk on the
needs of the Navy and the Merchant
Marine. Captain Hobson recon-
mended large appropriation for the
Navy, a subject about which few men
know more, and strongly urged the
esta blishment of powerful Merchant
Marine. He said:
CLOSELY allied with the Navy, in
deed, inseparable from it, is the Mer-
chant Marine. In huge organizations
like those of a great nation, provision
should be made for the control of
transportation commensurate with
production. A nations independence
and greatness are not complete until
that nation possesses the ships that
carry its products to the distant
markets over the seas, the question
of this transportation being of so vital
Importance that it cannot safely be
left in the hands of the outside
nations. 1t involves not only the
saving of payments and proportion
ate increase in expenditures and ac-
tivities at home, but it also involves
the vital question of the protection Of
,va n rbcrpo nronortv Amaripap ~
nually pay millions to foreigners for
ocean freights. Hundreds of millions
of American property are carried
under foreign flags and can only look
to those flags for protection. A con-
dition of war in Europe at any time
would be liable TO mbarrass and in
measure destroy the efficiency of the
products. We cannot look upon our
selves as independent of Europe until
the important matter of the trans
portation of our products to their
foreign markets is in our own hands.
Furthermore, the appearance of
the flag in distant markets has pro-
found influence upon securing, hold
ing and extending those markets.
And this will be matter Of ever in
creasing Importance as the competi-
tion of the various nations for those
markets increase.
"But it is not from economic
reasons alone that the Merchant
Marine is important to all great
nations; for strategic and military
purposes also it is Of the first import
ance. 1t is only necessary to refer
to the great expansion that navies
must undergo in times of war. This
expansion involves the taking into
the naval service of large numbers of
merchant vessels of all kinds for aux
iliary purposes, for scouting, for
despatch vessels, for colliers, supply
vessels, for transports and for auxili-
ary coast defense purposes. Besides,
the crews of all war vessels must be
augmented and numbers of war
vessels ordinaril? out of commission
must be put into active service and
these additional seamen can only be
drawn from the Merchant Marine. A
great nations Merchant Marine should
be of such proportion that this large
expansion for naval purposes would
still leave ample facility for usual
transportation purposes of commerce,
either unprotected or under convoy.
So important is this feature of Mer-
chant Marine that it may be said to
be the basis of naval power, and
throughout history no nation has
ever created and maintained great
naval power without having large
mercantile marine.
The great nations of Europe have
come to appreciate this important
question and have not hestitated even
with their heavy budgets to contri-
butte in the forms Of subsidies, to the
creation and maintenance of steam
ship lines, requiring in return that
these lines organize and prepare their
vessels and be ready for calls in case
of war for auxiliary naval purposes.
The United States, however, may al
most be said to be without a Mer-
chant Marine, and has exhibited an
apathy toward this important branch
parallel to the apathy toward the
Navy that followed the Civil War. |
will not 90 into the particulars of the
causes that have brought the dis
appearance of our Merchant Marine.
when it had been prior to the war the
largest in the world. We are familiar
with the blow that the war struck at
this commerce and with the advent Of
iron shipbuilding shortly afterward
when the United States lacked facili-
ties for such building, nor will enter
into particulars about the economic
situation that apparently caused
American capital and American men
to seek other channels, nor to the
part played by the subsidies of foreign
Ship lines by foreign governments.
wish simply to call attention to the