Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-13

part. a very small part of the total
cost, cost that grows greater and great
er each year. for the damage Semmes
did lived after him He more than any
other one man. paralyzed the ocean
carrying trade of the nation. Primarily
he hurt the north. Today the south, too,
suffers
Before the civil war the Stars and
Stripes were known in every sea and in
every harbor. Next TO Great Britain the
United States had the largest share of
the commerce of the world. and it seemed
only question of time and not long
time, either. when this country would
rank first. Today America. the greatest
nation in the world commands no sea
traffic except that between it's own ports,
and II commands that only because the
ships of other countries are excluded from
sharing in the coastwise business. Other
agencies have contributed to the long
continued paralysis. but the first great
blow, the one that brought the stagna-
ton that led TO ruin, was struck by
Semmes.
An odd man was Raphael Semmes He
had legal. but not a judicial. mind III
international and admiralty law he prob
AMY was as We'll verSed any officer III
any of the navies of the world. He was
Dit of scientist. too and natural phe-
nomena were a fascinating study for him
The sea the tides, the winds unfolded
wonders To him that other mariners never
dreamt of. He could spend hours absorb
ed III contemplating the chemical change
III drop of sea water. and he delighted
III writing reports of his meteorological
observations. From the calm philosophy
OF nature he could turn without batting
an eye!ash to the pursuit of n gallant
clipper ship. and after taking off the crew
of the doomed vessel and making a hon
fire OF the ship and cargo he could re-
turn In observe the drop of sea wafer mr.
- he II fc
lures that build the coral beds that line
so much of the ocean floor.
And now he hated ii Yankee. The
Yankee" he IS on record as declaring
lis remarkable specimen of the genus
homo. He is at once a duck and :,
chicken, and takes to the water or the
land with equal facility Providence
has certainly designed him for some
useful purpose. He is ambitious, rest
less. scheming. energetic, and has no
1nconVenieDt moral nature TO restrain
him from the pursuit Of his interests.
Dc the path to those never so crooked
In the development OF material wealth
nc rs unsurpassed. and perhaps this is
ms MISSION on TINS continent of ours.
BUT ne Is like the beaver, he works
from instinct, and is so avid OF gain
mat he has no time to enjoy the wealth
. .e produces sn les Some malicious demon
seems 10 be goading him on in spite of
himself to continuous and exhaustive
cNertlon, which consigns him to the
10 o1m nn,d before his tns leaving pile
NOT so bad a picture of one type of
the New Englander but Semmes, in his
contempt for the whole tribe, could see
no virtue in any Puritan" as he called
the down casters. but his seamanship
he did pay tribute to MIN as a great
man with "a boat. and he did pay tribute
TO the beauty and the speed of
Puritan built vessels
No wonder be had contempt for the
business morals OF New Workers. and
New Englanders. He resigned as com
mander in the United States Navy Feb
ruary Is. 1861. and at once proceeded
10 Montgomery, Ala. and offered his
services to the Confederacy. A little
later he was sent north by Jefferson
Davis. and in New York Connecticut
and Massachusetts he purchased large
Quantities OF powder cannon and other
munitions of war for the Confederacy.
Manufacturers not only were willing
but anxious to deal with him. No
qualms Of patriotism troubled them
when IL came u trading. They had full
knowledge of his mission. They had
him HIM as guest in Their homes and they
could communicate with them by tele-
graph.
In addition to the large amount of
war supplies that he purchased outright
he contracted for machinery for rifiing
cannon, and the contractors agreed to
send tn the south the skilled workmen
necessary To put the machinery in
operation. The manufacturers, eager
for the big profits, rushed work on the
orders, SO that the material could be
delivered before the outbreak of war.
Senmes was commissioned also 10 pur-
chase in New York or elsewhere sea
for