Mr. PIKE. Mr. Chairman, it seems to me hardly fair for the chairman of the ComWays&Means, at this stage of the session, to make the reply that he has made to me. Early in this session I introduced this proposition and sent it, in the usual we ', to the ComWays&Means. I have frequently urged it since, and I have from time to time received assurances from the chairman of the ComWays&Means that he agreed to my proposition. It does seem to me, therefore, a little unfair for him to say to me now that if I had introduced it earlier and urged it more persistently I might have accomplished my purpose. The only other objection made to the amendment is that the Treasury must be protected. The chairman of the Committee ol Ways&Means could not have read the proposition when he made that objection. It provides that the SecyTreasury may establish such rules and regulations as he may deem judicious and as stringent as he. pleases; and certainly with proper officers he may explore the history of every article that enters into the construction of these vessels, and he may ascertain precisely the amount of duty each has paid and consequently the amount which should be refunded. When I was interrupted by the hammer of the Chairman I was stating the great cost of our American vessels, and the reasons for it. It is apparent to the House that our ships cannot 'comete with foreign ships when the difference 0 cost is so great, unless a corre spondingadvantageisinsomewaygiventothem in the way of employment. But the House is aware that an American ship has no such advantages. She compeles with her great rival on a free trade basis. The StJohn ship comes into the port of NewYork and gets the same freight and is subject to the some insurance as the American ship. The only privilege the American ship has is that ‘of tie coastwise trade, and that is hardly appreciable. From this statement of the committee the House will readily see that the question is whether our ships shall be driven rem the ocean or not. The certainly cannot compete at such odds. In the great race for commercial supremacy our old enemy has latterly made alarming strides in advance. Before the war we had 5 and a half million tons afloat. But our ships were burned by British irates and our ship owners were obliged to se 1 them for protection, until now we have not 4 and a half million of American tonnage. What we have lost England has gained. Before the war we had gained so largely in the long and arduous struggle that we led. Now. we' are behindhand more than a million tons. At the present time more than 9 10thsof the importations of foreign merchandise into NewYork are made in foreign bottoms. This is a proposition to enable the ship builders of this country to do something to restore our supremacy. If this proposition be carried into effect, in ten years the tonnage of this country, instead of being behindhand, will be again in the ascendency. It does seem to me that there is no branch of industry that is more worthy of encourage ment at the hands of the Government than this. The proposition is simply that the government shall take its heavy hand off this branch of industry. We ask for no bonus. We ask nothing except partial relief from taxation that is absolutely destroying us for the benefit of wealthy manufacturers, already sufficiently protected. '. [Here the hammer fell.]