The Hawaiian gazette., 1872-06-12
The Australian subsidy in Congress.


The efforts to secure q subsidy in Con
gress for the Webb line of Steamers ha
been defeated by decisive vote in tn
Senate of % to 81. The argument
brought up against assisting the line wer,
strong, and appear to have had damag
ing effect in both Houses of Congress
The main points in the debate will BE-
learned from the following extracts, taker
from the Washington correspondence OF
the San Francisco Bulletin. This action
of Congress settles the subsidy question
for the present, and will operate against
the successful establishment of this line.
Even should Mr. Webb desire to with,
draw from the route, no doubt some other
line will eventually be established, rely
ing on the Colonial subsidies already
pledgd to the present line:
while the postal appropriation bill
was still under consideration by the Sem
ate, as in Committee of the Whole, Mr..
Cole moved to amend it by adding to the
House appropriation OF So, 900 for steam
ship mail service between San Francisco
and the Sandwich Islands, a paragraph
appropriating $685. 900 per year, for ten
years, to extend said service from the
Sandwich Islands to New Zealand and
Australia, thirteen round trips to be made
annually, being, in connection with the
House paragraph, the Australian subsidy
bill, which has been heretofore discussed
by the Senate and returned to the calen-
dar as unfinished business.
The amendment was debated at great
length, under the five minute rule, by
Senators Cole, Casserly, Nye, Corbett,
Ramsey, Morton and Kelly in favor of the
proposition, and Messrs. Sherman, Buck
ingham, Chandler, Flanagan and others
against it, and was finally laid on the Ia
BILE by the close vote Of p to 90. To-day
the bill having been reported to the Senate,
the amendment was renewed by Mr.. Cas-
serly, and again discussed, until finally,
on motion Of Morrill,, of Vermont, it was
rejected by the more decisive vote of 81
TO 81, and may be considered dead for this
session.
The arguments against the proposed
subsidy were to the effect that the Uni
ted States has not and cannot have a
large and profitable trade with Australia
for the reason that Australia produces
nothing of Importance that we cannot
produce in this country, and that a com
merce with her would be merely an inter-
change of the same staple productions
Of wool, gold, etc. 1t was therefore agreed
that the proposed steamship line would
be a mere convenience to the British Gov
and that all the benefits derived
from its establishment would ensue to Eng
land and not to the United States, as
we do not ordinarily consume the produc-
tons of Australia, and she sends her pro-
auctions to the cheap markets of Europe
to buy what she does not produce, making
The interchange necessarily more cheaply
by means of sailing vessels shan can ever
be possible across our continent by rail
and thence 1000 miles by steamships.
The recent demand for Australian wool
was alleged to be due to the extraordina-
" condition of affairs growing out of the
ate European wars, etc, and surprise was
that the Pacific Coast Senators
should endeavor, against the natural cur
'ent of trade and of business, to draw
money out Of the public Treasury to bring
nto our own market the very products of
he Pacific coast, for the purpose of com
,eting with them.
The arguments in favor of the subsidy,
which were advanced and ably supported
" the friends of the measure, from Cali
ornia, Oregon, Nevada and elsewhere, are
amiliar to your readers and need not
,e recapitulated now. 1t may truthfully
'e said, however, that no sophism or
rror of fact in the arguments and state
nents of their opponents was allowed to
Ass without correction, and as stout
truggle was made for the measure as
GEMS to have been within the range of
in view of all the existing