This subject touches not only our pockets,
but our national pride. Practically all the
freights for transporting to Europe the
enormous annual supplies of provisions
furnished by this country nnd for the large
return of manufactured products have for
, many years been paid to foreign ship owu-
I ers. The merchandise balance of trade,
• which the treasury books show, is largely
reduced by the minual tribute which wo
I pay for freight and passage moneys. Tho
( great ships—the fastest ufion the sea—
I which nre now in pence profiting by our
trade, nre. in a secondary sense, war ships
: of their respective governments. '1 he undis
puted fact is that the great steamship lines
' of Eurone were built up nnd arc now in
' part sustained, by direct or indirect, gov
| eminent aid, tho latter taking the form
I of liberal pay for carrying tne mails, or of
i nn minual bond given In consideration of
agreements to construct the ships so ns
I to adapt them for carrying mi armament
I and to turn them over to the government
|on demand upon specified terms. It was
I v»-ry American citizen that If the
United States would have such lines, a
similar policy must be entered upen. The
Fi ty-flrst congress enacted such a law. and
un ler its beneficent influence 1G American
steamships, of an aggregate tonnage of
57.40 tons, and costing $7.4<*>.000. have
been built or contracted to be built in
American shipyards. In addition to this.
