Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-03-27

american ldNor VIII be The ga.r
~beneEclaf5 Oh tae sAIppng un n !.
Is enacted, its deitaI Would be f;
greater blow 10 American lapar tnal
10 any otner Aneican interest. tx
istlns conditions all favor the fur
tisAer. lney are al a-ainsl tne Ann,
rcan To kevp taem as tney ale non
10 10 favor the foreigner. To aite,
them would be 10 benefit Americans
SHIPS DuilI by foreigners OF ioreIsl
materials, made by ior.isn worhmen
commanded, oilicered, manned ana
managed Dy aliens now carry ninety
per cent. OF our imports ana exports.
The anuani yaiue OF our foreign com
merce now aproyimates closely 70
three billions OF collars.
American capltal Is free. ii Il
chooses, 10 invest IN Ioreign. ouil,
SHIPS, and 10 III them with alien mas,
tiers, officers ana men, unGer allen
fiaSs, in our foreign trade. Uur laws
MAKE no discrimination Whatever in
VNi POhAo ao bNNNttH Jul OWu anu
foreign ships in the carrying OF our
foreign commerce. Every privilege
that our snips ENJOY, unoer the laws,
in n a trade is as freely given 20
competing foreign ships.
The mere fact lnat an American Gilt.
zen may not pace under the American
flag a iorelgn'Duilt ship when he pur.
chases cuts no Iigure, None OF the
many thousand tons OF foreign-built
ships, now Differed, manned and man.
aged by foreigners, and sailing under
foreign flags, would be placed under
the American flag, by their owners,
even II our laws permitted II. The
reason for this is mat the cost OF
operating such ships would be greater
under the American than IL Is now un.
der an alien flag. And the cost would
be greater because the labor employ
ed ON board the American ship is far
better paid and much better fed than
1t Is on competing foreign ships.
A great many millions OF dollars OF
American capital are today invested
in ships under foreign flags. command
cd, ofticered. manned and managed by
aliens. The only possible benefit TO
this country from such American
ownership is that the owners net
earnings from such investment, a pos
sible five per cent Of the vesseis total
earnings, might be expended in the
United States. Foreigners enjoy all
Of the benefits arising from the ea-
penditure OF the remaining ninety-hve
per cent.
Were the ships built in the United
States, OF American materials, ana
commanded, Differed. manned and
managed by Americans $200,eo 20 900
now annually paid TO aliens for doing
our foreign carrying would emain IN
the United States, affording employ
ment for Ameican labor in every part
OF the country. The money would
first go to the %shipowner; he would
pay part Of it to the shipbuilder he
WOuIu pay nliUtitI pdiN III A'oot WIZ
Omitted and repaired his vessel; he
would pay some to the men VINO cora
mand, officer and man his vessel:
some to those who victual the vessel:
and he would retain a moderate pronit
for himself. The money paid TO the
shipbuilder would, by him, be paid in
part to his workmen; some would go
to makers of materials and shapes,
and he would retain a profit for him
self; the money paid the outftters, 10
the dry docks and repairers would, in
turn. by them be paid to their work
men, in each ease the employer re-
tanning a fair profit.
And thus the money would work
to the merchants. &rom the hands of
the workmen, and, from the mer-
chants back to the manufacturers. and
from them to their workmen. Some
OF the earnings would go 0 farmers
to pay them for the food they raised.
and the materials they produced from
which clothing Is manufactured. The