ally the entire length of both the North and
South American continents.

The other method of communication is by steamships. We are lamentably
deficient in that. A great many fine, swift, commodious lines of
steamships run between the South American ports and Europe and very few
and comparatively poor ships run between those ports and the ports of
the United States. No American line runs south of the Caribbean Sea. Our
mails are slow and uncertain. It is a matter of hardship for a passenger
to go directly between the great South American ports and the great
North American ports, while the mails run swiftly and certainly to and
from Europe, and it is a pleasure for a passenger to go between one of
those ports and the European ports. The Postmaster-General reports that
the best way for him to get the despatches from my Department to our
ministers in South America with certainty and swiftness is to send them
to Europe and have them sent from there to South America. That condition
of things ought not to continue if we can prevent it.

One great reason why it exists is, that American shipping is driven off
the seas by two great obstacles interposed in its way by legislation.
One is the legislation of foreign countries which has subsidized foreign
shipping; the other is the legislation of our own country which by the
protective tariff has raised the standard of living of all Americans--a
most beneficent result--has raised the standard of living of all
Americans so that American ships paying and feeding their officers and
men according to the American standard cannot compete on even terms with
foreign ships, the cost of whose officers and men is under the foreign
standard.

If our Government will equalize these artificial disadvantages under
which our vessels labor and will do for them enough to make up to them
the disadvantage caused by raising the standard of living of the men
they employ and to make up to them the disadvantage, coming from the
fact that their foreign competitors are subsidized by foreign
governments for the purpose of promoting foreign trade against American
trade, we will have an American merchant marine and American ships to
carry passengers and freight and mails between South and North American
ports. A bill to provide that is pending in Congress now. It has passed
the Senate. It is in the Committee of the House. I hope that all of you
who agree with me in believing that our Government ought to be fair