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laid very broad and deep the foundation of an American merchant marine. The Govern- 

 ment was not afraid in those days, although only three million in strength, to say to the rest 

 of the world: "We believe that the American shipping upon the seas should be preferred." 

 They did not hesitate to pass laws directly carrying out the power to regulate commerce, to 

 drive trade into American ships, and make shipbuilding and shipowning profitable. 



Their first law was such as to give a differential rate both in duty and tonnage taxes in 

 favor of the goods carried in American ships. This extended in several lines and built up the 

 commerce of the United States in all parts of the world, even all the way out to China and 

 back. They confined by tonnage taxes the coasting trade of the United States to ships built 

 in America. They passed also, while looking out for the shipbuilder and shipowner, laws 

 enlightened as any we have to-day guaranteeing to the sailors of the United States better 

 conditions and better food than sailors got on any other ships in the world. What was the 

 result? In a very few years our merchant marine grew, and in a short time we were carry- 

 ing not only all of our own commodities upon the ocean, but a goodly share of those of the 

 other people of the world, and these laws, as long as they remained on the statute books, kept 

 our merchant marine in that flourishing condition. 



In 1815 and 1828, I think dvte to the machinations — I won't say plots — of foreign states- 

 men, this situation was changed. Anyhow, possibly due to more cunning statesmanship on 

 the part of the foreigner, we got away from these safeguards that had been established 

 hy our earlier statesmen, and from that time on the American merchant marine passed away. 

 We know, of course, that we passed from wooden ships to steel ships, and that we passed 

 from ships propelled by sails to ships propelled by steam, but the contributing cause was 

 cutting loose from the old constitutional regulation of commerce in connection with which 

 two such opposing minds as Jefferson and Hamilton joined hand in hand. 



The Civil War practically completed the destruction of the American merchant marine 

 afloat. Many ships passed under foreign flags, and our Government was so shortsighted that 

 it refused to allowed them toi come back. We preferred the foreign insurance agent as 

 against our own, and passed laws directly benefiting the foreigner when he sought business 

 in our own country. We have pointed out, time and time again, for years and )rears, that the 

 United States should insure its own ships, and one of the greatest benefits that has come 

 out of the war is the fact that the United States says it can not only insure its own ships, 

 but that it is a profitable operation for the Government, as insurance could be underwritten 

 at profitable rates. 



Our shipping is now growing. We have a good start towards a merchant marine. What 

 kept the flickering flame of American shipbuilding alive since the war has been the coast- 

 ing trade. We did build ships to go across the Atlantic Ocean, under the initiative of 

 Clement A. Griscom and Charles H. Cramp, ships whose names became household words, 

 and which were superior to the Lucania and Campania, but these vessels have passed away, 

 and yet the St. Louis and St. Paul are making regular trips, and probably making more 

 trips than any other ships we have known to cross the Atlantic. 



