The Glenwood post. (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) 1897-current, 1921-08-20
Uncle Ted's Bed Time Stories
Current Events For the Children
and Grown-ups, Toe
THE STORY OF AMERICAN SHIPS

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Uncle Ted had been busy on the
back porch all morning, whistling an
old sea chantey, whiting and tinker
ing for dear life, and Ruth and Jack
rounded the corner of the house to dis
cover the product of his labors taking
form. 1t was beautiful model of a
three-masted schooner. With the step
ping of the masts, the fastening Of the
rigging and the bending of the sails
the model was completed, and both
children calculated: ooh, Uncle Ted,
what a pretty little boat! What are
you going to do with itf'
1--WE will take it over to the duck
pond and see if it will sail,' replied
Uncle Ted, "and after we have tried
it out l will tell you story about the
American shipping industry" An
hour later, Uncle Ted having proved
his ability as shipwright, the three
mariners gathered under a shady elm,
and Uncle led began:
"Before the Civil war the flag of
the United States adorned every port
in the world. We had the markings of
splendid maritime race in the Eng
lish Of New England, Pennsylvania,
Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas,
the Dutch of New York, the Swedes
of Delaware, and their descendants
who had migrated to the Pacific coast
the worlds best seafaring stock.
Shipbuilding is the most ancient of
American industries, as old as Jemes.
town and older than Plymouth. The
first vessel was launched at the mouth
of the Kennebec in 1907, the first
decker was built on the Hudson by
Adrian Block in 1914. The father of
American maritime policy was Gov.
ernor John Winthrop of Massachusetts.
The growth of our shipbuilding indus
try was so rapid that it soon excited
the jealousy of the mother country
England, 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.
Sin 1888, after we had gained our
independence, British hostility to our
shipping was illustrated by letter
from Benjamin Franklin relative to
the effect of the Barbary pirates prey
ing on our commerce, in which he
quoted London merchants as saying if
there were no Algiers it would be
worth England's while to build one!'
The first act of the first congress of
the United States, passed July 4, 1889,
was protective tariff law-to protect
our new industries 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
putt and owned by American citizens.
In 1894 this clause was changed so
that an addition of 10 per 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 it
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 re.
duced it in 1915 to "a per cent of our
total foreign trade.
owe made peace with Great Britain
in 1915. Soon after, Great Britain in.
duccd us to sign commercial treaty
which was our first great mistake Sc
far as our shipping industry was con.
cerned, for we thereby bound ourselves
to impose no discriminating duty on
ships or products in the trade between
this country and the United Kingdom
Immediately thereafter Great Britain
excluded American ships from her West