Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-09-26
u. 8. MERCHANT MARINE.

+. U. 8. MERCHANT MARINE.
/ "For navigating people to
! purchase Ito marine afioat would
J be a strange speculation, az the
J marine would always be depend
ent upon the merchants furnish
/ them. Placing as a reserve with
! q foreign nation or In a foreign
shIpyard, the carpenters, black
smiths. calkers, salImakers, and
the vessels Of a nation, would be
q singular commercial combina-
tIon. We must, therefore, build
them for ourselves. "-Thomas Jet-
+ ferson.
The above logic from one of the
greatest thinkers the nation has pro-
duced and from the founder of the
democratic party, should be studied
very carefully now that the demo
cratic administration is considering
to do that which Jefferson advised
against foreign built
ships to make an American merchant
marine. Unless he becomes afraid OF
what England. France and Russia will
do. President Wilson is apt to lend his
approval to the plan to purchase out
right many of the German merchant
vessels that are now tied up at Ameri-
can docks, driven off the sea and out
Of commerce by the British and
French navies This is the plan that
is favored by the administration to
build up an American merchant
marine.
Less than a hundred years ago, the
United States had real merchant
marine. It's vessels, built in the New
England and middle states sea ports,
covered the ocean and its bold, hardy
and competent seafarers were the en-
Wy Of the world. The United States
bid fair to take from England the car
rying trade of the seas.
Then came the civil war that rocked
the foundations of this country. Eng
land saw chance to give knockout
blow to dangerous rival and the
south was given every aid possible
in running the merchant marine OF the
middle and New England states. Eng
lish-built. partly English-manned
cruisers preyed upon American ma
rine until it was all but driven from
the seas. The end Of the war found
the nation without q merchant marine
and with no money to replace the
ships that had been lost. Then, too,
came the development of the steel
steamers which replaced the sailing
craft OF the days before the war, and
the United States permitted itself to
be counted out as sea-faring nation.
The carrying trade of the ocean went
to England and other nations and the
shipyards OF the sea port towns de-.
cayed.
Various attempts have been made
to rehabilitate the American merchant
marine In late years but without sue
cess. Except for the coastwise trade
which the law retains for American
built vessels, the transportation from
our sea coast cities is all in the hands
Of foreign-built, foreign-owned ships
Now when merchant marine
would give back to the United States
all that 1t lost by the civil war, there
is no merchant marine, there are not
enough shipyards, drydocks and ex-
perienced builders to make an Ameri-
can marine. This is seized upon as
an excuse for disregarding the advice
L
sells from abroad.
Though not available at days no.
tice, America can produce all that it
needed to build up new merchant
marine. If the wisdom of having such
Q marine is at last apparent, then why
spend the millions that getting it will
entail, in foreign countries? 1t may
take little longer to build it at home
but the money for it will stay right
here in America, be paid out to
American workmen, producing pros
perity for thousands here instead of
for thousands of Europeans. The fact
that we cannot build merchant
marine in a day in our home ship
yards should be merely looked upon
as our penalty for shortsightedness
and not as an excuse for sending out
millions to Europe to provide work
for the shipbuilders there
Jefferson was not alone by any
foreign built ships. Captain Bates
author of the two greatest works on
American shipping, said, in speaking
OF a scheme to purchase abroad ships
for an American merchant marine:
What Is free ship proposition
to the people of the United
States? 1t is abandonment of the
sea, and nothing else. There is
folly in every feature of it. To
quit building ships ourselves and
buy from the British flag is to go
under that flag on our ocean do
main. It is to repudiate our own
banner every time a ship is
launched for use in our trade.
Having to go to Canada or Great
Britain to see the launch of an
American ship-what delusion in
the thought"