The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1905-06-17
OCEAN MARINE HARp-sHElL.
Something Which Free Traders Are
RI Respectfully Invited
to Crack.

American free traders unhesitatingly
assert that protection is the. only OBJ
stacle to the creation by the citizens OF
the United States Of an ocean marine.
They are never very clear as to the mode
In which the policy works to prevent
such consummation, but they usually
leave 1t to be inferred that It Is the high
price OF the raw materials used In ship
building which makes II impossible for
US to butt into" the oversee carrying
trade. That this is not the real ob3tacle
Is easily demonstrated. says the San
Francisco Chronicle. II high-priced raw
materials were hindrance to the de-
velopment Of a great, cheap and ef1cient
transportation system. the United States
would not have. as 1t admittedly has.
the best and most economical railway
service In the world.
In 1903 there were 207 ,604 miles VT
railway operated in this country. The
rails and other steel used In their equip
ment were almost wholly produced In
the United States, the Iron and steel Inn
ported In the early days before we had
built up a great rolling industry having
long since rusted and rotted. During
the time we were importing, however.
the free traders were unceasing In their
denunciation of policy which they de-
clared impeded railroad development.
They were too short-sighted to see that
the erection of rolling mills and the
creation of great steel and iron indus
try were helping to build up the country.
thus furnishing business to the railroads
and assisting In bringing about that
prosperous condition which alone can
materially promote development. q
Here is a'statistical account of the re-
suits produced by the alleged impedi-
ments offered by protection to our rail-
way development. There were 207,604
miles of railway in 1908, employing
1,309,640 people In all departments,
whose combined wages and salaries in 4
the year mentioned amounted to $775.-
100000. In one form and another the
stupendous sum OF 81, 525, 623, 800 Is in
vested In these railways, and their gross
earnings in 1903 footed up 81, sos, 1857. S26.
The vast traffic of the roads required
1.634,332 freight and 28,648 passenger
cars, and they carried 500, 9O8 ,994 passen-
gers one mile and III ,290 $40 ,685 tons OF
freight were moved one mile. But the
greatest achievement of all was the re-
duction under the protective system OF
the average cost OF moving a ton OF
freight one mile from 1.99 cents in 1870
to IA Of q cent In 1903.
In the face OF such an outcome It is
manifestly absurd to say that protection
has been hindrance to transportation
development on land. Under It's beneh-
cent workings railway system has
been created in this country which has
a carrying capacity greater than that OF
all the ships OF the world, and which
moves more freight than the latter.
and does II more cheaply than the rail-
ways of free-trade England perform q
like service for the people Of that coun-
try. 1t is equally absurd to charge that
the high price OF raw materials and pro-
lection generally are responsible for the
failure to develop an American oversee
carrying trade. The failure Is due to
the opposite cause. The refusal to pro
tect American shipping against the COM
petition of Lascar labor at three dollars
q month. and the almost equally cheap
labor of northern Europe explains why
we are not Sin IT, on the ocean. When
we recognize this fact we shall see the
American flag flying In all the ports OF
the world, and later the cost Of freight
Ing on the ocean will, through Ameri-
can methods and ingenuity. be cheap
ened as 1t has been on the land. II we
can improve our railways under protec-
ton so as to make them beat those OF the
rest Of the world, what is to hinder us
from making an American shipping
system equally effective?