Year: 1872

| S SIss'he and such important resuls are likely to


oe secured But small az is the amount, my


Soteon and experience lead me to fear the


,,ro af .hil hostility which nearly every meas


uiS VI ehis KIND meets in this House, and has


influenced me in proposing the substitute which.
aishousn ess comprehensive than the bill of


the committee, VIII probably commend itself
by lts economy. ~ costs nothing. / regret
! that in considering measures affecting fbis
| great national interest the question has been
| not what is best, but rather what is ebeanest
to be done. l am anxious 10 see sometime


done, and this bill is step forward, and ii


passed will accomplish something.


1t takes nothing from the Treasury and sim
ply puts the ship-builder and ship-owner of the
United States ON the same footing as the for
eign ship builder and owner is put, not only by


his own but by our Government


Great Britain, and / think nearly all the
maritime nations of Europe, allow free mate
rial and free stores for shipping. We impose
a duty on material, and thus discriminate
against our own ship-builders and ship-owners.
AS an illustration, an American ship of a
thousand tons pays duty of say twelve dollars
per ton, or 81, 900 ON the imported material
which is used in her construction, and when


built pays the duties on all stores and outfits
for the voyage. A ship of the same class built
OF the same material in Great Britain pays no
duty upon that material and takes her outfit
and stores all free of duty.


This vessel thus built and fitted comes into
an American port paying no duty on her ar
rival, and enters unrestricted into competition
with the American-built vessel Both NAV
engage side by side in the same trade running
between an American and foreign port and
be worn out in that business, the American
vessel having paid duty upon the material
from which she was built, because it was work
ed up by American mechanics ON American
soil, the English vessel paying no duty, because
she was built of the same material but by En-
giish workmen on English soil 1t is precisely
the same as if we should impose a duty upon
the material from which xva hrilf aobf


cry, and at the same time admit the machinery
already manufactured free of duty. 1t will
be readily seen that this policy operates as "a
positive discrimination against American me-
chanics and premium to their foreign rivals


1t is free trade run mad. 1t is impossible
for the American ship-builder TO compete with
the foreigner with this discrimination against
him as 1t would be for any manufacturer to pay
duty on his raw material, while at the same
time the articles manufactured from such ma
terial were admitted free of duty. The policy
OF allowing drawback ON materials used in
the construction of ships built for the foreign
trade IS precisely analogous to that which gives
drawback on any article which is exported
ana used out of the country Under our pres
ent law any article manufactured exclusively
or foreign material and exported receives a
drawback to the amount of duty paid, and if a


vessel could be build in sections exclusively of
foreign material, and exported out of the coun-
try for sale, the builder would be entitled to "a
drawback of the amount of the duty paid upon


the material used. A marine engine built of


imported material and exported, to be placed


IN a vessel In foreign country, would be entit-


led to drawback of the duty paid upon the ma


terial, but if all the labor is performed in this
country, and the vessel all built, ready for sea-


is sent to foreign country and sold no draw


back whatever is allowed upon the material of
which such vessel is constructed; so that we
| discriminate against American labor in that
| We allow greater advantage for the uncom-
| pieted article than to the article when finish
| ed when finished. Machinery may be


brought from foreign country to be repair
| ed and re-exported free of duty. Railroad iron


may be brought from foreign country free of
| duty to be rerolled and exported.


The shipping interest, the only depressed in
| crest in the country is the only one upon which


our laws are made to bear oppressively. A ship
| engaged in the for ign trade should be placed
upon the same footing as any manufactured
! article exported for foreign consumption, be-
cause she is used out of the country; so of the
stores to be used on the voyage. Leaving en-
tirely out of the account the great national inn
portance of this interest, its value as one of the
industries of the country, its intimate connec-
tion with our naval defense, simple justice to
our own citizens, to class of American me-
chanics whose works have contributed so much
of our national prosperity and renown, de-
mands this much at least at the hands of an
American Congress.


One of the most important provisions of the
bill under consideration, and TO which desire


10 call tne particular alte1tlOn OF tine Mouse, Is
that which creates the board of commissioners
of commerce, who duties are analogous to those


of the Board of Trade of Great Britain and if
| judiciously exercised must be productive of inn
portant results. 1t places the commerce and


the merchant shipping of the country under the
direct and responsible supervision of depart
ment of the Government, and gives to those
great national interests an organization and a
responsible head. This board, having charge
| of the whole subject and considering it in all
| its relations, and its connection with the reve
| nue., the postal service, the military and naval


defenses of the country will be able to digest
| and present for our consideration from time to
| act understandingly upon measures relating to
| those interests. As an illustration of the ad-
| vantages of such board, as well as to contrast
| the great interest taken by Great Britain in


her mercantile marine with the utter indiffer-
ence and neglect with which we treat onrs
committee on the decline of commerce, by Hon.
| Freeman III. Morse, our consnl at London, in
| response to question put by the committee:


"Her ocean commerce is held to be one Of the great


branches Of national industry and of wealth.


and ranks with manufactures and agriculture 1t is
| the pride Of commercial people, and the whole ma


ti0n is united in watching 1t and trying to gain


for every advantage that sagacty wealth, talent,


and mechanical skill, science, and ample protection
/ on every sea can command.


The Board of Trade is a department of the gov
| ernment, and is always in charge of able and ex-
perienced men, who have been long in its employ,
and has the commercial marine under its especial


Again. the consular corps of this country are
| generally trained men; they selected for their
| supposed fitness for the places they wanted to


fill, and how best to extend British trade and COM


merce is made Of their chief studies. No nation


is watehful over evrything that affects its trade
| and commerce as the English nation and the whole


nation is reaping the benefit of this and vig-


lance constantly exercised in every available man
| ner."


| ITO ha al 10