Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-07-17
The subsiay all,s.

The Senate passed the Frye subsidy
bills on Saturday, and, as they have the
support of Speaker Reed, OF course they
will so through the House without delay,
since that branch of the national legisla-
ture has ceased to be 90 deiiberative
body" and the only question to be con-
sidered in toreoasting its action is to
know how the Speaker stands. The
professed purpose Of these bills is
to promote the growth of Ameri-
can commerce; manifest absurdi y
when considered in connection with
pending tariff legislation. The real
object is to distribute a few millions
OF dollars annuAlly among those who get
the mail contracts and among the small
number of ship owners who may be
tempted to try the experiment of doing
q foreign trade ia the face of the OBJ
stscles which we have designsdly placed
in the way of snch trade. The Baltimore
San thus summarizes these bills and the
pith Of Senator Vests argument in 5asur-
days debate;
The first OF the two bills gives to every
vessel OF over 900 tons gross register
constructed aud owned Ia the United
States which shall be engaged in
cents per ton for the first 500 miles or frac.
ton thereof sailed outward, with the same
amount for the first 500 miles
sailed inward; 10 cents additional
for the second 500 miles or fraction
thereof, outward aud Inward. and 90 cents
for each 1000 miles thereafter. The pay
ment ut the rate Of 80 cents per ton for
each 1000 miles is to continue for 10 years
at that rate, and thereafter for nine years
at rats decreasing three cents per ton
each year. Vessels receiving this
bounty must be loaded to at least
one-fourth OF their capacity, and
their entire cargo must, II obtained In this
country, be discharged ataome foreign port
and II obtained abroad, must be discharged
at an American port. Our ooasting trad !,
In other words, is not to be benefited by
the law. 1t Is further provided that no
vessel shall be entitled TO bounty unless
all It's officers and certain proportion OF its
Grew are citizens OF the United States. The
second bill directs the Postmaster general
to give bountles to American ships engaged
In carrying the malls, provided that
such ships shall be- found to have
been constructed In such manner
rs to be available for conversion
into cruisers In time of war. These
mail-carrying steamships are divided into
four glasses on the basis OF size and speed.
Those of 5000 tons and 20 knots speed are
to carry the malls, together with passengers
and freight, between this country and Great
Brit ain, and are to receive for that service
So per ton per mile Tor each outward voY-
ags.phose OF the second GLASS having gross
registered tonnage OF 5000 tons and speed
of l6 knots, are to get 50 mile. Those OF
tine third aud fourth classes are to receive
respectively, $3.50 and 81 mile. IL was
not shown In the debate that preceded
the passage OF these measures that any
benefit would accrue to the American tax
payer from the proposed payments from
the Federal treasury. senator Vest, on the
contrary, proved that subsidies, as a means
OF creating foreign commerce., have always
failed, The United States tried subsidies
years ago, bur the vessels that received the
governments bounty were distanced by I'M
subsidized lines. the Pacific Mail subsidy
failed utterly to develop commerce, Its
chief results being bribery OF congressman
and cloud of scandal over the national
capitsl. Between i8iS and 1873 as much as
s2l 900 900 was paid insubsidles to promote
shfpbuildtng and ship owning, but all the
American steamships afoat Ia the latter
year were not worth over ~ 000, 600. he
true remedy for our decil ing foreign com
merce, Mr.. Vest showed, was TO lower the
tariff wall. He quoted MFR. Crgmp and the
late John Roach TO prove that with free iron
and other bu!lilag materials we could
compete With England ia the construction
aud sailing Of ships. W th lower duties on
imports our foreign commerce would, of
course, DO greatly stimulated, and there
| would be a largely increased demand for
American shipping.