Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-07-13
ARTICLE 1.

Nations, like individuals, are sell
dom the masters Of their own des-
TIMES. Whether America wills it or
no, the time has come when we must
perforce occupy the first place on the
stage Of world commerce. place
never occupied in history by any ma
ton not strong in seapower.
The first act passed by the Ameri-
can Congress was designed to aid
American shipping by making the
tariffs lower on goods when shipped
in American bottoms than when ship
ped under foreign flag.
From the time of the union of our
original thirteen coastal states until
the Civil War, one of the leading in
dustries in America was shipping.
Through cur superior ability in the
construction of ships and the prox-
unity of our raw materials for
wooden ships (Which were the only
ships Of those days., Americas sea
annals of that period constitute
proud page in the history of the re-
public
Treaties Forbid Discrimination.
By 1928, through treaties, the pol
| icy of discrimination, preferential
| taHffs and similar legislation came
to an end. Today the United States
| has something over one hundred
| commercial treaties fOrbidding such
| practices.
There were several major factors
| that contributed to our Willingness
| to neglect our merchant marine
| after the close of the Civil War.
Among these was the development
| Of our rich central and far west.
| Not only was the adventuresome
| youth lured west of the AIleghenies
| but capital found better opportunity
| for profit in the development of our
| rich inland empire. With the find
| ing of gold in California the lure of
adventure and profit attracted CUR
| young men from the eastern sea-
board belt to the great undeyeloped
territory lying to the westward. The
| movement then inaugurated Ga move
| ment Of vast Importance to ourselves
| and indeed the whole world) marked
| the beginning of the rapid decline of
| the American Merchant Marine.
At about the same time the iron
ship was perfected. In those days
America was not in a position to
| build iron ships in competition with
Great Britain whose coal and iron
| ore lay practically at seaboard where
| the ships were constructed. We had
not then as yet developed our great
| iron industry nor our steel industry
which followed later.
In addition to these very compel
ling reasons, America required all
the borrowed capital she could get,
particularly for the development of
| her railroads. These roads were
built as result of the encourage
ment given by Government subsidies
of land grants and they formed the
arteries through which the wealth of
the central and western portions of
our country poured.
Subsidy Like Tariff Protection.
In order to insure the development
of our infant industries, America
adopted a system of high tariffs for
the product of factory, mine and
| farm alike. Thus, American ships
had to be built by the highest paid
labor in the world and operated by
crews receiving high wages.
None would have American stand
ards of living lower than they are;
but the insurmountable handicap
caused thereby to American shipping
built and operated by protected labor
is obvious.
At the start of the World War in
| 1914, Americas passenger fleet in
| the North Atlantic had dwindled to
the shameful total of six vessels.
The aid given them in the way of
postal subsidy by our Government
was undoubtedly the chief reason
four Of them were able to continue
| IN service at that date Our whole
| feet Of sea-gOing steel and iron ships
| at that time tOtaIed only one million
gross tons as compared with eighteen
million tons for Great Britain excIu-
sive Of her colonies.
Fortunately for us, Great Britain
and her Allies, in the conduct of the
war before our entry and afterwards.
needed all the surplus products we
| could supply and demanded ever in
| creased production from us. 1t will
| be recalled that a vastly different
situation prevailed during the Boer
| War and the farmer and wool grower
| Of America will remember what han
| pened to them during that period
| when British ships were not avail
| able to carry our SURPRISES and we
had no merchant marine Of our own.
Immediately upon our entrance
into the war in 1917, there arose
cry for Ships, more ships and again
more shfpz." as the foremost con-
tribution America could give. AS
result the Government built the
largest feet the world has ever
known, consisting of more than
seventeen hundred ships Of more
than eleven million lightweight tons
capacity. No factor aided more in
bringing the war to a quick conelu-
sion than the Kaiser's recognition
that America was verify arranging
TO span the Atlantic with bridge Of