The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-27
each thousand of our foreign population

Per 900.
o SO
! Austria neutrality-suspicious.. IVA
: England NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. .......'' az
Russia ................!..... .....''''. 20
Hungary ........'..'. ..''.'''''"'' 10
Poland NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 10.
Italy NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. ..'''.'' TO-
Most of this information is obtained
from House Document No. 46.
There are at the present time about
eleven and a half millions of foreign-born
persons in the United States. In some
communities they are actually in the ma
! iority. while in many communities they
hold the balance OF power. 1t is our
solemn duty to see to it that the American
laborer-the highest and best type OF the
man who toils--shoud be protected from
the competition of these halted, halt-
! starved. weak minded paupers and GRIM
inals from foreign lands The republican
party, Mr.. Chairman, promised to give
this protection, and you have broken that
promise You may rest assured that the
| laboring people of America will hold you
| responsible.
SHIPPING LEGISLATION.
! 1 am forced to call your attention, Mr..
Chairman, to still another broken pledge.
I find the following in the platform of
your party:
| "Our present dependence upon foreign
shipping for nine-tenths of our foreign
| carrying trade is a great loss to the in
| dustry of this country. 1t is also seri-
Gus danger to our trade, for its sudden
withdrawal in the event of European war
would seriously cripple our expanding for
eign commerce. The national defense and
naval efficiency of this country, more
over supply compelling reason for legis-
| laton which will enable us to recover our
former place among the trade carrying
/ fleets of the world.
The disappearance of American com
merce from the sea has been melancholy
indeed. Our registered ocean fleet in
1910 was 100000 tons larger than it is now.
The testimony of Mr.. Winthrop l..
Marvin, of Boston, before the House
! Committee on the Merchant Marine and
Fisheries is well worthy of consideration.
mot since June 1901 declared Mr..
Marvin, has a keel been laid in any
American shipyard on either coast of the
| United States for one steel steamship
designed and built for the purpose of for
eign commerce. There has never been
time in our hstory-not even in the Re
volution, not even in the war of 1912, not
even in the War Between the States
when ocean shipbuilding in the United
! States was in such a condition of ahso-
| lutcly arrested development. The ocean
tonnage of United States registry for
foreign commerce is smaller now by
| few tons than it was in the year 1898. The
proportion of American commerce carried
| in American ships has sunk from II per
cent. in 1898 to per cent in 1903"
| We are sending into foreign lands near
| ly 100000 worth of American products
and commodities every day, of which less
| than per cent are carried upon Amerl-
can bottoms, and during the year 1903
the tribute paid to foreign ships for car
rying merchandise to, and from the United
States amounted to more than 500, 10000 600.
| thousand.
! l give below table which shows how
the tonnage of fleet registered for deep
sea commerce Of the United States com
Iares with that of other nations:
United States .......... $4,000 tons
| Italy ...................... 1,lS0,C00 tons
| France Observation-Disclosures. 1,4S0,000 tons
| Norway OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1,66O,O tons
Germany ................ 100000 tons
British Empire ......... 1880, 0G0 tons
| l believe that the Committee on Mer-
chant Marine and Fisheries has reported a
bill providing for a commission to investi
gate the United States merchant marine
This is what might be called "do-nothing
| legislations. But for the arrogant
demands of the trust we might
hope to sec law passed Civ
ing a rebate off the Dingley tariff
rates on goods imported into this coun-
try on American bottoms. But the Re
publican party will not pass any such leg
| islation. 1t would tend to injure the
| trusts.
RECIPROCITY LEGISLATION.
I End also in the platform of 1900 a
plank headed Reciprocity" favored, in the
following words:
eve favor the associated policy of re-
| ciprocity, so directed as to open our mar
lets on favorable terms for what we do
not ourselves produce, in return for free
foreign markets"
VIII any gentleman rise upon this floor
and say that this promise has been per.
| formed? believe that some twelve or
thirteen reciprocity treaties were negotiat-
ed during Mr.. McKinlcy's administration
| and sent by him to the Senate for ratjfi-
cation, which still sleep in the Senate
archives. 1t is true that with our assist
ance you passed reciprocity measure for
the benefit Of Cuba, but this l believe is
all. The truth is. the Republican party
is in dilemma with respect to reciprocity
! Legislation. When that PARTY is in a
dilemma there are three or four gentle
mon upon the majority side of this Cham
Der who are always put forward to
speak, either the distinguished gentleman
! from New York, the leader of the ma
jority, or his lieutenants.
The distinguished gentlemen from Ohio
land Pennsylvania are always put forward
when the party is in a real dilemma. and
we must all bear testimony of their art
tul success in cxtricating their party
from its difficulties. Realizing that
trouble was ahead of the party in the
next campaign, the gentleman from Penn
eylvania (Mr DalzelD the other day un-
dertoOk to define the Republican position
with respect to reciprocity. In a nutshell
it amounted to this: That reciprocity was
ra1 oI I,