Monroe City Democrat., 1908-07-16


would be remarkable if the coastwise
fleet, particularly along the coast and on
the lakes of the mainland, did not enjoy
a fair measure of success. 1t is hard on
our insular possessions, but it helps
American ships plying the local waters
of the mainland. l can see some reason
for the law under which this coastwise
mOnODOly has been created and fOstered
1t is not altogether good, for the policy
is sometimes carried to a foolish eX-
treme as in the case of the Hawaiian
Islands, but it at least has the merit of
partial success to commend it. But the
coastwise trade and foreign trade are two
wholly different things. and what has
proven meaSurably good for the one
has been destructive to the other 1t has
been long demonstrated that the same
or similar rules are inapplicable to both.
We can grant monopoly of our own
waters and ports, but We cannot mon
opOliZe the high seas or the ports of the
world A coaStwise fleet is valuable but
as compared with a merchant marine en-
gaged in the commerce of the world, it
is, from broad. national standpoint. of
minor Importance. When We turn from
the coast and lakes to view the wide
oceans rolling from continent to conti-
nent it is a rare thing TO see an American
vessel riding their crested waves, and a
rare thing to see the American flag at
the masthead of an American merchant
man in foreign port. The magnificent
commercial fleet we once had swarming
the high seas has disappeared. Our for
eign mails are carried in foreign ships
and less than ten per cent of our foreign
commerce. enormous as it is, is carried
in American bottoms. Some impressive
facts have recently occurred which il
IuStrate how low we have fallen as q
maritime power. A year ago the gov
ernment had occasion to send troops to
Cuba No American ship could be found
to convey them, and the world was
treated to the ludicrOuS and humiliating
spectacle of seeing American soldiers, in
the uniform of the American army, being
iu1U0a1iata mil Hr1ty-
under the British flag. Again, recently
a great fleet of war ships was marshalled
at Hampton Roads, and from thence
sent around Cape Horn to the Pacific
ocean. Never in history was there a
more imposing array of battleShipS con-
gregated under one command. 1t was a
splendid, inspiring spectacle to see this
Incompatible armada sailing out to sea,
and the people in Central and South
America viewed with wonder the white
painted leviathans, with ponderouS arma-
ments, as they sailed along their shores
or rested in their harbors. But another
fleet accompanied this aggregation Of
men-of-war, following in its wake and
constituting a part of its equipment. This
other, fleet was composed of merchant
vessels, carrying coal and supplies for
the battle ships. These cOllierS and sup
ply ships were not American vessels, but
foreign vessels, floating a foreign flag.
It was a strange spectacle the world be-
held, that of the most powerful nation
on the globe sending the most powerful
war fleet ever assembled nearly half
around the earth accompanied by supply
ships flying a foreign flag and owing no
allegiance, except that based upon a
mOmentary contract, to the nation they
served. Foreign ships were engaged for
this service because there were no Ameri-
can ships to be had. What has produced
this situation? 1t is not accidental; there
must be a cause for it. We are a ma
ton of nearly a hundred million people; ;
our domain is continental in extent; we
haH ThnIrSan6C of D1iIaS Of Sn1hn1 r6
the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Gulf !;
we have inSular possessions in both the
great oceans; we have enormous trade
relations with both the Occident and the
Orient, and therefore every reason ex-
lists why this should be the leading mari
time power of the world. There must
be some cause for our pitiful failure,
and there is. In fact, there are several
causes, and I would like to speak of
them except that it is impracticable, in
an address like this, to discuss the sub
ject in detail Generally speaking, the
vice of it all will be found in our navi-
CATION laws. The policy of the Repub-
lican party has not been so much to
create a merchant marine and put ships
on the sea, as to establish and secure a
prosperous monopoly for a few shipyards
on the Atlantic seaboard. The policy OF
free ships, and even the narrower poncy
of a discriminating tariff to encourage
American shipping, and all such things,
have been abandoned. Long ago we in
augurated@lhe scheme, which has be-
come the Y -Ontrolling principle of our
maritime Iolicy, of forbidding American
registry or the right to fly the American
flag to any. ship not constructed in an
American Shipyard. An American COM
pany may buy and own a vessel of for
eign make, but it cannot be brought
under the protection of the American
flag. There are numerous instances of
ships owned by American citizens which
fly foreign flags and sail under foreign
registry. Last summer l rode across the
China Sea in an English-built ship own
ed by the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany, an American corporation, which
was under the command of English Off
GERS and bore the British flag at her
masthead. This was done because our
navigation laws forbade the use of the
American flag. Few American ships are
built for the foreign trade, and but few
are engaged in it. This is due to two
principal causes: First, the cost of con-
Structing any kind of merchant vessel in
an American shipyard is approximately
one-third greater than the cost of con-
structing it in European shipyards, and,
secondly, the cost of operating an Ameri-
can ship is also approximately one-third
more than the cost of operating a foreign
larger expense have made it impossible
for American ship owners to compete
with foreign ship owners for the trade
of the world. The American cannot af-
which can be duplicated by his foreign
competitor for approximately 500. 900,
and. in addition, pay about one-thtrd
more in the way of expense for running
it. and compete at a profit. Republican
statesmen are as thoroughly conscious of
this situation as any of US, and they
have been long struggling to devise some
remedy for it: but they are hopelessly
hampered by their environments. Ship
yard corporations, opulent and powerful,
rise in the pathway to selfshly obstruct
them in every effort at intelligent prog
resS. The Republican policy now is to
try the experiment of rehabilitating the
merchant marine by the payment of
subsidies out of the national treasury.
During the last session of Congress a
bill passed the Senate appropriating So
900. 600 to be paid as mail subsidy to
induce the establishing of steamer lines
to South America, Australasia and to
japan and China. A large majority of
the Republican members of both houses
of Congress favor this policy of subsl-
dies. but there is minority of that
party, which so far has been sufficiently
strong. acting in conjunction with the
Democrats to prevent its adoption. This
shows that the Republican party, which
has succeeded in destroying, our mer-
chant marine is incapable of developing
n policy for its restoration. The Kansas
City Journal. in the cauStic criticism to
which I have alluded, charged, that
while complained OF the deterloration OIL
our maritime interests. constantly
voted against every proposition intended
for their betterment. The criticism was
unjust. I did oppose the subsidy PROPOSE
ton, as many Republicans did, because
under the circumstances. I believed 1t
would be a wasteful expenditure result
ing in no substantial benefit. The term
subsidy in itself does not alright me.
England, France, Germany. Japan and
all the maritime powers give subsidies
out of their public treasures to their
merchants marine. Jefferson was not op-
posed to subsidies, nor would I be under
proper conditions and circumstances, but
[ do not wish to give subsidies as pres
ents. as mere gratuities, to shipbuilders
or ship owners If the public revenues
are to be employed in this way, / must
he reasonably sure of a substantial re
turn, and that the public interest will
be promoted. AS long as the present
navigation laws remain. I do not believe
that subsidies will suffice to restore our
maritime prestige or to rehabilitate our
merchant marine, unless the subsidies
are so enormous as to make them intol-
cradle as n public burden. So far as
subsidies go, it cannot be expected that