Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1899-06-08

Among recent items Of commercial
news there Is one anent which COM
ment is Of interesting note. II Is dated
at Cincinnati, Ohio, and is as follows;
"Senator Hanna 10 the largest owner
OF stock IN the New American Ship
Building Company, representing the
consolidated ship yards of the Great
Lakes"
"Now it will be remembered that
there was introduced In congress at its
last session bill which, according to
Its delusive title, proposes ITO promote
commerce and increase tho foreign
trade Of the United States" but the
real object of which, as the bill itself
shows, is to authorize the gift Of the
national treasury of millions Of dollars
annually to the owners of American
vessels engaged in foreign trade.
Senator Hanna, who, according to
the above, is at the head of this late
combine In the ship-building business,
was the author Of this bill and the
senator who introduced 1t in the SEN
ate. The bill is generally known as
the Hanna-Payne subsidy bill, Mr.
Payne, of the House, having introduc-
cd II in that body. The bill was favor
ably reported by the senate committee
on commerce, to which 1t had been re-
ferred, and would have urged its final
passage at the late session of congress
but that Mr.. Hanna and its other sup
porters felt surer of the next senate
they did of the last one.
In order that the purpose Of the bill
may be better understood, we quote a
paragraph Of its first section. 1t is as
follows:
"The secretary of the treasury is
hereby authorized and directed to
contract with the owner or owners of
any vessel of the United States regis
tered for foreign trade for the payment
to said owner or owners for period
of twenty years and subject to the
provisions of this act out of any mon
ey in the treasury not otherwise APP
propriated the sums following, name
ly:
The bill then proceeds to stipulate
the amount to be paid to owners OF
vessels Of different classes, with the
general provision that as much as
nine million dollars year may be
paid out of the treasury to such own
ers.
Now it seems to us that Mr.. Hanna
must feel very sure of himself and OF
the power of which the wealth of his
Doodle hackers have given him to thus
openly come into congress and demand
for himself and his colleagues In the
ship owning business, clear gift OF
nine millions of dollars year OF the
peoples money. But so he has, and
he is quoted as saying that the speak
er of the next house of representatives
must be a man favorable to this ship
subsidy bill, Perhaps no more con-
vincing proof can be had of the com
plete domination of wealth over ma
tional legislation than the action OF
trusts magnates in coming before con-
gress at its every session and coolly
asking and almost always getting clear
gifts of the peoples money, which, to
save their over-sensitive feelings, they
are pleased to term protection for this
and protection for that
In the case of the ship subsidy above
referred to, the beneGciaries are actu.
nlly trying to make it appear that II
will benefit agriculture, when as q
matter of fact the effect will be just
the reverse. To prove this it is only
necessary to state that the effect Of
the bill will be to increase ocean
freights which means corresponding
decrease In home prices Of agricultural