The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1900-12-27
HANNA'S KNOCK OUT.


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Senator Hanna's ship subsidy bill re-
ceived knock, out blow yesterday from
which it is to be hoped it will never re-
cover. His Identification of himself with
ii was fortunate for the interests of the
country. Mr.. Hanna is not exactly the
man to inspire that trusting aud rever-
entail feeling in the breasts of the Amer
lean people. He is too closely assoola-
ted with the idea of greedy commercial
ism to convince any one that he is ami
mated bya lofty and inspiring altruism.
His speech in the senate recrntly in fa-
vor of the ship subsidy bill was so weak
and illogical as to be called by the New
York Times pitiful plea. And such
indeed it was. Mr.. Hanna wanted to
impose tax of so, ,OOO, 900 a year on the
American people for thirty years in Or
der to build up q private enterprise.
He stated that in forty years our com
merce had increased four-fold, but our
share in the carrying trade was less
than what it was in 1860. Mr.. Hanna
would solve the problem as Mr.. Hanna
would solve all other problems of this
kind, namely by plunging his hands
into the peoples pockets and taking
therefrom whatever should be needed.
He says we can not do the carrying as
cheaply as foreign countries can do it
for us. In other words we couldn't
make it pay. Therefore he proposed
that Americans should be taxed to make
up the difference, In short they were
to recoup losing business under the
name of aiding American enterprise.
The American people have never voted
to tax themselves in this way, and they
don't care particularly whether the
American carrying trade hourishes or
not. II concerns them neither way.
1t would not give them wider markets
for their produce, unless this develop
ment should be normal and natural, and
in excess of the bulk of trade today.
We would prefer of course to see the
profits of the carrying trade go to our
people, but there is no reason why we
should be taxed to bring about that re-
suit. The only persons to be benefit
ed would be the stockholders in the
navigation companies, and the Ameri-
can people have no more interests in
them than they have in the stockhold-
ers of the railroads, the newspapers, or
the banks of the country. We might
just as we'll offer subsidy to the bank
ers, the newspaper men and the rail
road magnates as to the ship owners.
Mr.. Hanna endeavored to bolster up
his cause by false statement and false
logic. The commissioner of naviga-
ton for instance had made the report
that the steamers of the American In
ternational Navigation Company would
draw 1904, 900 each annually from our
treasury. Mr.. Hanna Indignantly de-
MED this and when challenged upon
the subject said they would draw only
$500, ,000l This of course was to all in
tents and purposes falsehood. Ii one
should depouuce man as thief and
accuse him of stealing 1904, ,0OO, it
would not relieve him of the odium of
grand larceny or facilitate his evasion
the penitentiary to answer that he was
not thief, because he had stolen only
$4,000 Mr.. Hanna's false logic was
exemplifed in his citation of the splen-
did increase in the traffic on the lakes
If he could have shown that the lake
carrying trade had been built up by
subsidies or other legislative aid, he
might have made forcible point; but
this trade has been built up without
any aid of this kind. The very citation
he made was therefore an argument
against him.
Mr.. Hannas speech was fortunate.
1t exposed the weakness and the inde-
feasibility of the ship subsidy steal;
and it seems likewise to have disgusted
such tried and trusted republican lead
ers as Senator Allison and others.
These leaders do not take kindly to the
slave drivers whip, and they have evil
IDENTIFY determined that the gentleman
from Ohio shall not impose his odious
boss ship on the senate as he has on
the president. He was therefore given
quite plainly to understand yesterday
that his subsidy bill should not the
right of way now, and that it could
not pass in its present Objectionable
form. 1t does not require any especial
acumen to see that such bill is wrong
in principle and corrupt in morals. We
are not solicitous about the fortunes of
the Republican party, but we are con-
cerned about the welfare of the country.
We are not SO partisan that we would
be willing to see the people of the Uni
ted States pay 1870, ,OOOfOOO for Repub-
lican blunder. The country is now in
very prosperous condition, but even
the most impregnable and exhaustless
treasury could not stand many such
raids as this. Ii Mr.. Hanna should
be given free rein in ralding the treas.
, ury, it is ineyitable that he should bring