The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1914-03-27

no last week was William Runciman
His Grafton was of such excellence
that The Tribune takes pleasure ir
producing it herewith.
The orations were unusually Rooc
this year and show careful concise
thought and considerable skill in
presentation Both teachers and pu-
pills are to be congratulated on the
contest.
THE AMERICAN MERCHANT
MARINE.
The merchant marine has PLAYED an
important part in the history OF every
great nation. 1t was the merchant
ships of ancient Egypt that first cir
COMMUNICATED Africa. 1t was for these
same ships that a canal was dug
across the Isthmus of Suez by the
famous Rameses, centuries before the
present Suez Canal was even dream
ed OF. II was the merchant ships that
gave to ancient Tyre her fame; that
brought to her the wonders of the
seas which we're sent to build the
temple of Solomon. 1t was the ships
OF the Norsemen that mastered the
mysteries OF the deep and discovered
Iceland and Greenland Tradition
tells us that they even crossed the
painless ocean to the coast of North
America. 1t was the merchant yes
sells of England that opened up the
route to India. This country. our
land, was discovered by Christopher
Columbus, having under his conn
mand, not SPANS great navy but
three small trading vessels used in
carrying goods from one Spanish port
to another. The merchant marines
of the great nations have always been
foremost in discovery and explora-
ton; they have added more than their |
share to our knowledge Of the world. |
AS we glance backward over the
history of our country we see what |
an important part American merchant
vessels have had in its development.
What achievements, what honors,
what triumphs have been theirsl Be-
fore the old world had gotten over
its disappointment in not finding the
expected riches of gold and silver in
the. newly discovered land, the brave
and daring seamen of the English
Colonies, observing the safe and nat
ural harbors OF the rocky, barren
coast, and the magnificent forests OF
oak and pine extending away into the
interior, were cutting down these for
ests, building ships and engaging in
the commerce of the world. This in
dustry grew as If by magic. The old
world marveled and was amazed, un-
til she began. to realize the danger |
to her own industry, and England, the j
proud mistress of the sea, enacted J
the navigation laws and other acts /
restraining the shipping industry of /
the CnInntan 81 I. |
ships might not be driven from the /
seas. !
What a contrast between our mer- +
chant marines in the so years follow !
ing the war for independence and :
that of todayl "No heroes of the !
Had or of the crusades were holder /
than the merchant navigators of our T
young republic" Then the Yankee !
captain, commanding his own ship,
was found in every harbor of te {
1nown world, and American imports {
Ind exports were carried in American i,
'essels. Today it is possible to ira 4
'el around te world without seeing a a
merchant ship carrying the stars and
tripes. This change has taken place L
n a few years; within the lifetime of 4
single individual. A young man en- {
ering. his life work, his mind filled Q
With bright and rosy tinted dreams n
or the future, might have stood in d
me OF the many seaport towns of y
New England and seen the men at n
YORK in the shipyard cutting, shaping ri
nd lifting the timbers; in the rope Il
1alk, weaving and twisting the ropes; w
a the cloth mill, trimming and fin al
shing the sails; in the foundry, forg- 81
lg the anchors for ships, which were A
Don to sail away, engaged in the n,
ommerce of the world. He might n
ave seen our great ships with their "
argoes returning from every port. 'G
IS an old man he might have stood t
the same town and seen the shin *
ard, the rope walk, the cloth mill. A
ie foundry decayed, and in ruins, and
ne commerce of our mighty nation tn
arried in the ships OF other coun- ca
les. AT the present time less than O,
ne-thenth of our Seh-borne com ed
lerce is carried in our own ships. 81
Why is this thing? Why is it that sh
ie United States, which leads the OF
orld in industrial development, tn
lould be so far behind in this re- gr
'ect! Let us turn to the pages of wi
story tor our answer. Shortly be- wi
re the civil war, while the country les
as divided on the slavery question, or
lr legislators, in order to pacify the to
outh, committed a political crime: an
political crime by which our mer- an
lant marine was seriously injured:
jured because legislation, protec- Ca
IN and encouragement were with me-
avn, and neglect and discourage til
emit substituted. Then the civil war He
CURED, and merchant shipping Ha
arly ceased for four years. Neither to
is political crime, nor the civil war shi
ould have been fatal TO our mer- to,
ant marine. mo national legisla- me
m, however liberal or strenuous. mil
uld have caused American shipping car
spread and increase between the
ars 1865 and 1890" The best II fro
aid have done would have been TO bui
eek its too rapid decline and down ow
l. Other essential factors were An
t favorable. 1t was an era or rail- Am
I'd building, not ship building. The cea
nerican people had turned their it I
IS from the sea, and were facing des