Mexico weekly ledger., 1908-07-16

~ Il WIN w NAA1 AnM0t1 - - 49,
q fleet, particularly along the coast and Q
{ the lakes Of the mainland. did not EMO
e a fair measure OF success. II Is hard Q
Z = msuiaz possessions Y y hslp
: Of che mainland. l can see some reaso
(. for the law under which this coastwis
: monopoly has been created and ~fosteret
: II is not altogether good, for the polio
treme, as In the cpse Of the Hawaliai
4 Islands. but Il at least has the merit o
partial success 70 commend II, But IN
/ eeastwise trade and foreign trade are tw'
wholly different things. and what ha
proven measurably good for the on
I has been destructive 10 the other. II hai
been long demonstrated that the sam
or similar rules are inapplicable TO both
We can grant a monopoly OF our owl
waters and ports. but we n mon
opolize the high seas or the ports OF ths
world A coastwise feet Is valuable, bul
as compared with a merchant marine en-,
gagged In the conmercd of the world. u
Is. from a broad. nationsl standpoint, oil
minor Importance. When we turn fronl
the coast n lakes to view the wide
oceans rolling from continent TO conti-
nent, IL Is rare thing to see an American
vessel Hiding their crested waves. and a
rare thing to see the American nag al
the masthead OF an American merchant
man In a foreign port. The magnificent
commercial fleet we once had swarming
the high seas has disappeared. Our tor-
eign malls are carried in foreign ships,
/ anu less IttdH ten per CENT VI OuA Attttth
commerce. enormous as II is. is carried
in American bottoms. Some impressive
facts rave recently occurred which IL
lustrate how low we have fallen as a
maritime power. A year 8 the gov
eminent had occasion to send troops to
| Cuba. No American ship could be found
to conve them. n the world was
treated to the ludicrous and humiliating
| spectacle of seeing American soldiers, In
the uniform of the American army, being
transported for Immediate military duty
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
Incompatible armada sailing out to sea,
and the people in Central and South
America viewed with wonder the white
painted ~leviathans, with ponderous arrna-
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 neet was composed OF merchant
vessels, carrying coal and supplies for
the battle ships. These Golfers and sup
ply ships We're not American vessels, but
foreign vessels. floating a foreign fiag.
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 q
contract, TO the nation they
seryed. Foreign ships were engaged for
his service because there were no Ameri-
situation? 1t IS not accidental there |
must be a cause for IL. We are a ma
ion Of nearly a hundred million people; $
ur domain is continental in extent: we
he Atlantic, the Pacific and the Gulf; /
re have insular possessions in both the +
reat oceans. we have m trade +
with both the Occident and the r
ITS why this should be the leading mari q
me power of the world. There must y
e some cause for our pitifG@ failure, K
nd there Is. In fact, there are several 4
luses, and would Ike to speak Of I
except that II Is impracticable. In =
\ address like this. to discuss the sub n
ct In detail Generally speaking. the y
&c Of II all will be found In our nayi- :,
laws. The policy Of the Repuh- 4
can party has not been 80 much to :
a merchant marine n put ships Il
the sea, as to establish and secure a \
'osperous monopoly for a few s~hlpyards \,
| the Atlantic seaboard The policy Of Y
ee ships, and even the narrower policy :
a discriminating tnrin to encourage .
merican shipping, and all such things, !,
ave been abandoned. Long & we In !
agurated the scheme, which has be- !
policy, Of t~orbidding American !
egtstry or the right to fly the American ,
20 amy. ship not constructed In an ,
any may buy and own a vessel OF for I
lgn make. but Il cannot be brought :
ndeF the protection OF the American y
lg. There are numerous instances OF !,
owned by American citizens which Y
= foreign flags and sail under foreign 4
gistry. Last summer / rode across the .
nina Sea In an Engllsh-built ship own 2
by the Pacific Mail Steamship Com y
as under the command of English ofl- E.
rs n bore the British flag at her y
asthead. This was 10 because our !,
lvtgation laws forbade the use of the !,
ALT for the foreign trade, and but few U
e engaged In it. This is due to two n
-incipal causes: First, the cost Of con- g
ructing any kind Of merchant vessel IN n
. American shipyard Is approximately 2
-ructing Il in European s~hipyards, and, \
the cost OF operating an Ameri- p
an ship Is also approximately one-third 9
l9Te , ne cost Of operating a foreign a
lrger expense have made 1t impossible I
lr American ship owners to compete !
TN foreign ship owners for the trade !
me world The American cannot af- !
ord to pay a million dollars for a vessel ;
hitch can be duplicated by his foreign I
ompetitor for approximately 800, 90,
in addition, pay about one-third I
more In the way OF expense for running !
and compete at a profit. Republican
are as thoroughly conscious of
his situation as any Of us, and they
AVE been long struggling to devise some !
'enedy for III; but they are hopelessly
iampered by their environments. Ship
ard corporations. opulent and powerful, !
Use in the pathway to selfSnly obstr1Icf
hem IN every effort at intelligent prog
'ess. HI Republican policy now is to
~ the experiment Of rehabllitating the
merchant marine by the payment OF
subsidies out Of the national treasury.
During the last session of Congress a
oiIl passed the Senate a%ppropriating s.
se.Vo TO be paid as a mali subsidy to
induce the establishing of steamer lines
to South America, Australasia and 10
and China. A large majority of
the Republican members Of both houses
q Congress favor this policy Of subst-
dies. but there Is a minority Of that
party, which so far has been sufficiently
strong, acting in conjunction with the
Democrats, TO prevent its adoption. This
that the Republican party, which
has succeeded in destroying our mer-
chant marine, Is incapable Of developing
a policy for its restoration. The Kansas
city Journal. in the caustic criticism to
which l have alluded. charged, that
/ complained OF the deterioration OF
our maritime interests, l constantly
voted against every proposition intended
Tor their betterment The criticism was
/ did oppose the subsidy PROPOSE
ton. as many Republicans did, because
under the circumstances, / believed II
would be n 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 OBJ
posed to subsidies, nor would / be- under
proper conditions and circumstances. but
| do not wish to give subsidies as pres
ents.. as mere ~gratuities, to shlpbufiders
or ship owners. II the public revenues
are to be employed in this way, I must
be reasonably sure of a substantial re-
be promoted. As long as the present
navigation laws remain, / 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 a public burden. 50 far as
subsidies go. II cannot be expected that
We VIII outstrip other countries, or that