New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-07-01
LITERARY CRITICISM
AND BOOK NEWS
Mr.. Meloneys Eloquent Plea for an American
Merchant Marine-A Political History
of the Third Republic
OUR FUTURE on THE WATER

OUR FUTURE on THE WATER
THE HERITAGE OF TYRE r.. wr'ian Brown
Ne'oncy lfmo. I'd $50 The Macmillan COM
pauy.
This is a little book with mighty
voice. whose appeal 70 popular mag
nation and common sense should be
needed the country over II is brief,
TO the point. incisive in its eloQuence.
Il rises 20 fine flights in praise of our
past clories on the deep; It condenses
within a single paragraph the bitter
ness Of what we have come 20, owing
IN some measure 20 circumstances
which we could not control-the intro
duction, most of all. Of iron and steam
in the days when we were unprepared
for tho change but most Of all 20 in
difference, the promise OF greater
profit in internal development. and the
ineptitude Of legislation eliminating IN
the La Toilette bill.
Here IS an example OF Mr.. Meloney's
power Of concentrated expression:
We revoluticnizcd the science Of
shipbuilding, created steam navl-
CATION and screw propulsion, and
NC have no merchant marine. We
invented the ironclad and we rank
fourth among the navics of the
world. Our genius bore the heav-
ier-than-air machine and Turkey
can teach us how 20 fly. Yankee
brains cortrived the machine gun
and the American army stands un-
equipped TO hold three-mile 'front.'.
But Il is with the creation Of new
American merchant marine alone that
the author IS concerned here. Our IN
preparedness elsewhere he draws upon
only 20 hammer home his lesson. Inc
heritage Of Tyre tho ocean carrying
trade of the world-has passed through
the ages from her 20 Carthage. 10 Italy,
10 Spain and Portugal, 10 Holland and
England We held 10 for whlle IN
the glorious DAYS Of the clipper ships,
which showed their heels TO every
thing else ahoat. Now our opportunity
has come 20 regain what We nave lost
What are we doing?
This is one of those books that
clamor for quotation:
To-day. although rich 10 wanton-
ness. our starred flag is curiosity
beyond the precincts OF our CONT
INU.a4 FIOI-N anu ANS ANA 4aNANttt =
We sneak 20 other nations across the
oceans by permission Of their several
lines of communication, not our own.
BY sea cur commerce is paralyZed, a
spurned beggar Of ships; by land, a
fatter.d and embargoed traiiicker
The United States is vassal on the
seas. where only six and fifty years
ago she was an cnthroned and peer
less monarch. Turn where
one win. and IL is 70 behold the evil
dcnco Of this vassalage. Leave any
one Of our glutted soaports, with
piers and warehouses and freight
terminals hurdened beyond capacity
by an immOvaDle commerce, and fol-
low the railroad lines into the in
terror. across the continent; 90
North. 90 South. go East, 80 West,
and there is not a mile that has not
chapter 10 contribute 10 the tale.
All O. the conceivable products Of a
hundred millions Of people lie along
those steel arteries arrested by en-
barg0cs What moves is what the
warning nations choose 10 bug and
will receive from the railroads at
tidewatcr. All else must abide its
time or rot; for as Europe controls
the worlds dcep-water tonnage, so
our market is limited 10 her will. It
matters EOL NNtL lLtAt AAf NAtlfA
markets in which we could sell and
intrencA ourselves 10 the advantage
OF future trade and development. We
haven't the ships 10 reach them.
What have we done? What are we
doing? What are we gong 10 do? No
matter If the picture is drawn IN broad
est lines - overdrawn, perhaps - the
question obtrudes itself and demands
10 ont - p y,
bill, which was promptly and wisely
killed. and the La Toilette seamen's
bill which Is killing what merchant
marine remained 10 us! This has been
our'anSwer thus far
One more quotation from this little
book, Mr.. Meloney's tribute TO Amer
teas master mariners Of yore:
The commanders and officers OF
our merchant service we're without
peers. This ia not bOmbast, but
history. Where q foreigner spread
running foot Of dirty hemp or
faxen canvas, a Yankee spread "a
square yard OF snowy cotton duck.
Where a Brtisher mounted moth
ing higher than topgallant sails on
stumpy, loglikc masts, an American
stabbed at the stars with lances
pennoned Of skysails and moon
sails. Nhere the blltSAer cleWeu
up and furled, we hung on or
loosed still another kite" and
sheeted it homo 20 "Billy Taylor"
Where each day at sunset they all
snuggled down 10 hardly more than
rag, we drove on. The night TO
us was as the day to them. Power
full navies protected them. Speed
was our own sole armament against
attack.
A rousing little history Of our past