Evening journal., 1921-08-09
lie Ted's Bedtime Stories
The Story of American Ships

Uncle Ted had been busy on the
back porch all morning, whistling
an old sea chantey. whiting and
tinkering for dear life. and Ruth
and Jack rounded the corner of the
house to discover the product Of his
(. labors taking form. 1t was a beau
tiful model of three-rnasted
schooner. With the stepping Of the
nasts, the fastening of the rigging
and the bending OF the sails the
model was completed. and both
children CALCULATED: "Oh, Uncle
Tod. what a pretty little boat.
What are you going to do with it p
1--WE will take IL over to the duck
pond and see II it will SAIL replied
Uncle Ted, "and after we have tried
it out I will tell you a story about
the American shipping industry An
hour later, Uncle Ted having proved
his ability as a shipwright. the three
mariners gathered under a shady
elm. and Uncle Ted began.
Before the Civil War the flag Of
the United States adorned every port
In the world. We had the makings
OF a splendid maritime race in the
Ensiish Of New England. Pennsyl-
ia. Maryland. Virginia and the Caro-
nnas, the Dutch of New York. the
Swedes of Delaware and their des-
cendants who had migrated to the
Pacific Coast-the worlds best sea-
faring stock. Shipbuilding is the
most ancient Of American industries
as old as jamestown and older than
Plymouth. The first vessel wax
launched at the mouth OF the Ken
nebec in 1907, the first decker was
built on the Hudson by Adrian Block
in 1914. The father OF American
maritime policy was Governor John
winthrop. Of Massachusetts,. The
growth OF our shipbuilding industry
was so rapid that 1t soon excited tho
jealousy OF the mother country. Eng
land. which began to pass laws TO
handicap IT, As for the part our
ships played in the Revolutionary
War. you may read the record OF
John Paul Jones during that period
IN 17Ss. after we had gained our
Independence. British hostility &c
our shipping was illustrated by n
letter from BENJAMIN Franklin rel
ative to the effect OF the Barbary
pirates preying on our commerce, ir
which ne quoted London merchants
as saying. II there were no Algicrs
II would be worth England's while
to build onei' The first act OF the
first Congress Of the United States.
passed July 4. 1883. was a protective
tariff iaw-to protect our new IN
dustries from the fierce competition
OF European combinations. That
law allowed a reduction OF ten per
cent Of the tariff duties upon i'm
ports brought to this country IN
ships built and owned by American
citizens In 1884 this clause was
changed so that an addition OF 10
Der cent. was made to the duty rate
on goods brought over In foreign
ships This law worked wonders in
aiding our merchant marine. and
Notwithstanding all that England
could do to impair e. by 1907 we
were carrying 90 per cent Of our
entire foreign trade in our own
ships. The seizures OF Napoleon
after that year. and the War Of 1912
which paralyzed our carrying-trade
had reduced It in 1915 TO "a PEI
cent. OF our total foreign trade.
we made peace with Great Brit
ain in 1915. Soon after. Grea
Britain induced us to sign a com
mercial treaty which was our frs
great mistake so far as our shippin
industry was concerned, for W
thereby bound ourselves to impos,
no discriminating duty on ships oi
products in the trade between thii
country and the United Kingdom
Immediately thereafter. Great Brit
ain excluded American ships from
her West India possessions. which
placed in idleness 10000 tons OF
American shipping; while the repeal
Of the discriminating duty rates en-
abled British shippers 10 regain
their ascendency in our ports. Since
that time we have negotiated 80 or
40 treaties with foreign powers