Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1889 — AMERICAN SHIPPING. [ARTICLE]

AMERICAN SHIPPING.

National Legislation Responsible For the Ruin of the Great Interest. Boston Herald: At the close of the war, if the conditions had been suitable, there was nothing to prevent the American ship merchants from regaining in a very short time the ground they had lost. This was what their predecessors did after the close of the war of 1812, and there is every reason for believing that American enterprises and genius would have attempted to regain, and would have succeeded in regaining, American commercial supremacy upon the ocean, but for the unfortunate circumstance that congressional leg" islation, which had been one of the fruits of the war, made such attempts unattractive and success by means of them altogether improbable .

That the last five years of the decade between 860 and 1870 did not witness a revival of the American merchant marine, corresponding to the decline that took place during the first five years of the decade, was in no way due to the poverty, inability er unwillingness of American ship builders and ship owners. This is proved by the experience of those who made the attempt to re-establish their busmess upon its old footing. A number of merchant ships| were built shortly after tie war at various points upon the New England coast; but when these were sent out upon the high seas, it was found that they could no longer compete with English merchant vessels as in the days before the war. Prior to 1860 we could build better and cheaper ships than any that were constructed in Great Britain; and, in order to obtain the best type of vessels the English ship merchant was compelled to purchase hi craft in the American market. But after 1865 these conditions were reversed. Our ships not only cost more than English vessels, but by the substitution of iron for wood, the English were able to build a better ship and one which had greater lasting qualities. The cost of maintenance, including the wages k and keep of the crew, may have been somewhat higher for the American than for the English ship, but the disparity was more than offset by the greater intelligence of the American officers, and the greater amount of work obtained from the American crew. The ship merchants who

took up their old line of business, under the assumption that the war and war legislation had made no particular change in th ir conditions, found to their sorrow, that they had embarked in a losing undertaking. If at that time they had been permitted t» purchase iron vessels of foreign construction, they could easily have held their own, and in all probability, could have made notable advances;

out as this privilege was not at corded them, as they could not afford to build iron ships in the United States, and as wooden hulls began by degrees to become obsolete, there was nothing for them to do but to sell the ships that they owned for whatever they would bring and quit the unsatisfactory task of competition. There were thirty or more firms, of shipowners in the city of Boston alone who made the effort after close of the war to regain their lost ground, and made it under entirely favorable conditions; but in not a single instance was the attempt attended with success, and several of those who persisted in the struggle were forced into bankruptcy. But in one case, as in the other, the failure to succeed was due to the existence of national laws which made it impossible for American ship merchants to build ships in this country at a low cost, and which prevented them from purchasing low cost ships of foreign construction. Some of our fODgressmen, notably, Col. Cand-

ler, are well aware of the circumstances s»e have |referred to; but whether they will consider it expedient to admit them, and thus allow an inevitable conclusion to be drawn, is an entirely different matter.

Just purchased 700 pairs slippers and children’s fine shoes at 50 per cent, discount and 1300 pairs of boots and shoes at per cent discount. These dis* counts were taken < ff the regular wholesale prices, and means some rare bargains in the best brands ever offered in J asper county.

CHICAGO BARGAIN STORE.