The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-05-18

the above. 10 1T the head Of this late
combine in the ship-bniiding bust
ness, Was the author Of this bill and
the Senator who introduced it in the
The bill is generally known
az the Hanna-Payne subsidy bill,
Mr.. Payne, Of the House, havirg in
troduced it in that body. The bill
was favorably reported by the Sen
a.e Committee on Commerce, to
which it had been referred, and
would have urged its final passage 1t
the late session Of Congress but that
Mr.. Hanna and its other supporters
felt surer Of the next Senate than
they did Of the last one.
In order that the purpose of the
bill may be better understood, We
quote paragraph of its first section.
1t is As follows:
1.-THE Secretary of the Treasury is
hereby authorized and directed to
contract with The owner or owners
Of any vessel Of the United States
registered 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 money in the Treasury not
otherwise appropriated, the sums
following, namely:
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 millions dollars . year may be
paid out of the Treasury to such
owners.
Now it seems to Us that Mr.. Han
M must feel very sure of himself
and Of the power which the wealth
OF his Doodle hackers has given him
to thus openly come into Congress
and demand for himself and his col
leagues in the ship owning business,
. clear gift of nine millions OF dol
lars year of the peoples money
But so he has, and he is quoted a.
saying that the Speaker of the mex,
House of Representatives, must be 8
man favorable to this ship subsidy
bill. Perhaps no more CONVINCING
proof can be had of the complete
domination of wealth over nationa
Legislation than the action of trust,
magnates in coming before Congress
at its every session and cody asking
and almost always getting clear gift
of the peoples money. which, t.
save their over-sensitive feelings
they are pleased to term protection
, for this and protection for that.
q In the case of the ship subsid,
above referred to, the benefeiarie
are actually t, ying to make it appea
o that 1t will be.ef1t agriculture, whe
p rs a matter of fact the effect will b
. just the reverse. To prove this it
y only necessary to state that the effec
of the bill will be to increase ocea
O freights which means a correspond
n ing decrease in home prices of ayr
4 cultural products exported whic
4 must of course pay the increase
!. freight rate. Besides, nothing els
is needed to prove. the fallacy of the
O professed desire to protect agricu
j, ture than their treatment of the hi
+ a year ago providing for the pa,
). ment of an export bounty upon a
"a agricultural products shipped fro1
o this country. The effect of this hi
!. if it had become a law would hav
+. been to raise the price of agricultu
4 al products, but when it was put u
49, on its final passage in the Senate
h received the votes of only six Sen,
r. tors. 1t was considered extravaga1
"a to vote an export bounty for the bel
= eft of the agricultural classes; b1
p voting a bounty out of the nations
"a Treasury for men of Mr.. Hanna's il
!. is of course q different matter ar
"a quite proper.