The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1915-12-10
PlsllBINA PEMBINA coUNIY NSRTH DAKc
AaaeRctiIANT ! i ! I !IslARlNE b.

The President il his message dssirssI
q greater navy and . greater merchapt3
marine. He could not we'll desire cis6a
without the other. Az we'll wish torlS
right Or left arm without wishing sol
both 81, sss4s|
q ~ . msaas Of protection one compls;
ments the other. We can have no re4i3
navy wilhoat real sailors and ws ran]
have but "a, interior merchant services
without : navy 70 care Tor and pfotsss|
il. u n 4. n
a real saiIor must 90 TO the sailotsl
university. whore Neptune is the proxy.
sIn that school he is tanght .to otssl.]
hand and steer which includes the 5ea II
orgy and initiative necessary % tissE
any emergency Of which sea liIs is VI
oessasily full. s
While il ID true that the present ..pe u
of-wat" are practically machtne-s y
with . hundred different sorts of stsasn;
gas and electrical engines, and Hhit6|
gnnc are loaded aimed and fired hYnSs
chinery, yet .the man behiad the ga1I's'
stillshas meaning. I3s5s
As long as the oceaa is sea, % yonR
will real mariners be needed ts saill
|ships. The merchant servics b the
only school for the making OF real san /
oss. A merchant ship carries u fsM
hands % possible to saae expense. N
naval vessels has many more men thsn.
are necessary to sail the ship. III mer-
chant vessel every man is needed md
must perform his equal share Of labor
That is one great difference between
the two schools. # ss9
We are proposing to spend millions on
Edreadnaughts. and submarines. Why
not spend few Of these millions On
building snd buying merchant vessels
from which to draw men when we want
them in the navy? We talk much ofsa
citizen militia from which to recruit tho
the army, why not create q merchant
marine that will not ouly save mslllons
of dollars to this country in frelghts
but will at the the same time train sail
ors for thd navy. ''..
AT the close OF the civil war in this
country, the German flag ives waving
over the sterns of thousand Ameri-
can-built- clipper-sh,ps, that had been
sold because Of the presence Of few
southern privateers on the ocean.
just then, came the era of steel ships
in place Of wooden vessels. America
had led the world in bnilding wooden
ships but could compete with European
builders in steel. Today the American
merchant marine in foreign strads is in
significant when. compared with many
kauite small countries.
When the question came before Re-
publican congress whether to allow vea.
sells built in Europe to be purchased BY
Americans q howl went up from the New
England shipbuilders aud their work.
men.
When 1t was proposed to subsidize
American owned ships in tho same man
ner ,as.is done by most Enlopean nations
there was great howl from all the
western congressman, who declared Il 4
scheme to enrich the shipbnilders and
owners in east at their expense.
Between the two we have no ships.
just now there are some hundreds Of
German built and owned shipsintaraedin
the United States ports. But Il We
wanted to buy them Great Britain says
We muet not, though both the Englishs
and GaEmans bought our ships during
the civil war at very reasonable prices.
Last wlnter, the Congress iu obe,i,elUe
to the voice OF the sailors trade union
passed . very drastic law proviaing that
a.large part Of the crew Of every Ameri.
can vessel must be Americans or at
least speak English. The sailor was tol
be provided With comfortable quarters,
have good food and big wages. So now
Jack has ell the comforts Of sea, going
home except that he has no sea home,
because most American ships have
changed to foreign registry. saying thst
they cannot compete with the foreign
ships with such restrictions.
For moro than century. England has
manned her East Indian and other trop..
ical steamers with Lsscars and othsr
cheap Oriental help. She isn't now and
will not in the future prohibit such help.
r1~- ~>~ ~as.....n