Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1916-07-25

To the Editor OF The Sun Sir:
The ostensible purpose Of the
Administration shipping bill is to
help restore American shipping to
foreign carrying; its real purpose is
to deliver over to foreign ship owners
and foreign shipbuilders the control
Of our coastwise carrying. the cream
Of our domestic maritime business.
Everybody knows. and no one better
than the Administration. that to ap-
propriate s500OO.OOO with which to
do a work that would require from
$780, 100000 to $1,000. 900, 600 is to at
tempt the impossible, and yet It is
doubtful If the last named sum would
suffice to replace with American
ships the foreign now engaged in our
foreign carrying.
For more than half a century pos
session of our coastwise carrying has
been the objective Of our maritime
rivals. They have the active and zeal
ous-I might say the fanatical-aid Of
American free traders. With the ad-
ministration dominated by free trad
eTs. with Congress in the possession
81 free traders. what more natural
than that time Of all times should
be selected for the delivery Of our
coastwise carrying to foreign mari
time interests? With such a purpose
in the minds Of our foreign maritime
rivals ever since 1854, and with the
opportunity now presented Of putting
it into effect. why should they moi
seize and make the most Of it?
Ever since the Spanish
war there has been a redoublng Of
free trade activity in the line o.
turning American coastwise carrying
over to aliens. With the extension
OF our coastwise navigation laws sue
cessively to Alaska, Hawaii ans
Porto Rico, and the opening Of the
Panama Canal ever increasing fleetl
OF ocean-going American built steam
ships have been necessary, because
none but American built vessels MAJ
engage in our domestic carrying, un
der law that has been among ou
statutes uninterruptedly since 1917.
So long as our domestic carrying
was conducted in vessels Of a typ
that was unsuited TO ocean goine
especially foreign going. business
foreign opposition to the growth o
our domestic marine was not pro
nounced. But as soon as it wa
apparent that the accommodation G
the most rapidly growing portion q
our domestic carrying, that betwee
, our insular possessions, Alaska an
= through the Panama Canal in n
q coast TO coast trade, necessitated Il
r construction and operation OF shiI
capable Of engaging in any trade
q all of the seven seas, then the mena,
T. of American maritime revival BEGAN
too acute for further postponemei
Z Of the defeat OF that effort Circun
stances seemed TO lend themselves
the defeat OF that effort. Presider
| Wilson discovered, and publicly d.
clared, that our coastwise carryin
was a monopoly" II has been S
declared by free traders IN and on
of Congress for two or three year.
ever since opposition developed Z
the repeal Of the law that relieve
vessels in our coast 70 coast trad
from the payment of Panama Cana
tolls.
II a demand for American bull
ocean-going steamships continue
long enough, even II such a detnan
is confined to American ships for us
only in our coast-wise CARRYING.
must be apparent that I'm time IN
supply would be Of so extensive
character as to bring about method
! Of construction. economies and EN-
cheney In American shipyards tina
, would enable American builders [
compete successfully with foreie
shipbuilders. In such an event
would not be long before the triden
, OF Neptune. said 10 be the "sceptre {
I the world" would be lodged in 1mel
! lean hands. No free trader on cart
J wants that 70 happen, least OF all on
, foreign maritime rivals
! The way 20 kill OFF such a menac,
, for good and all. is to kill of Amer
lean shipbuilding That destroye,
] the danger is past Now, therefor,
==.-..-..........-..u-u---