The Red Cloud chief., 1922-07-20
ARTICLE I.

uOAl tAO lAootOio Va thVii " 'SS
TIMES. Whether America Wills 1t 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. i
The first act passed by the Ameri-
can Congress "a designed to aid
American shipping by making the
tariffs lower on goods when shipped
In American bottoms than when ship
ped under foreign Dag.
From the time oil the union of our
original thirteen coastal states until
the Civil War, one OF the leading in,
dustries in America was shipping.
Through our superior ability in the
construction of ships and the prox-
unity of our raw materials for
wooden ships (Which we're the only
ships of those days., Americas sea
annals of hat period constitute a
proud page in the history Of the re-
public.
Treaties Forbid Discrimination.
BY 1928. through treaties, the poll
/ " VI BiNiCbChtiah
tariffs 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 Alleghenies
but capital found better opportunity
for profit in the development OF our
rich inland empire. With the and
Ing Of gold in California the lure OF
adventure and profit attracted our
young men from the eastern sea-
board belt to the great undeveloped
territory lying to the westward. The
movement then inaugurated "a move
ment OF vast Importance to ourselves
and indeed the whole worldly marked
the beginning OF the rapid decline OF
the American Merchant Marine.
At about the same time the iron
shin perfected. In those days
America was not In a position to
build iron ships in competition with
Great Britain whose coal .andA iron
ore lay practically at seaboard where
the ships were constructed. Wejhad
mo- 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 a 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 u 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 shippins
built and operated by protected labo,
Is obvious.
At the start Of the World War ID
1914. Americas passenger dest ia
the North Atlantic had dwindied &c
the shameful total Of six vessels
The aid given them In the way o.
postal subsidy by our G%overnmen,
was undoubtedly the chief reason
four OF them were able to continu,
In service at that date. Our whole
heet OF sea-going steel and iron ship,
at that time totaled only one millior
gross tons as compared with eighteen
million tons for Great Britain exclu
sive OF her colonies.
Fortunately for us, Great Britai,
and her Allies, In the conduct OF tn,
war before our entry and afterwards
needed all the surplus products W,
could supply and demanded aver IN
creased production from us. It will
be recalled that 4 vastly iifferen
situation prevailed during the Doe
War and the farmer and wool grove
OF America will remember what har
pened to them during that perio
. when British ships were not avail
able to carry u SURPRISES and "
. had no merchant marine OF our owr
Immediately upon our entranc
into the war in 1917. there arose
cry for ships, more ships and agai
more ships" as the foremost COZ
tribution America could give. As
result the Government built tn
largest feet the world has eve
FkHo~hE consisting Of ymofa,stha
b seventeen IhuHdrsds shkRSr Of LWpy
than eleven MILTON deadweighf TOT
capacity. No factor aided more
r. bringing the war to q quick concll
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