The National tribune., 1900-12-13
CONGRESS-.
A Synopsis OF the Proceedings
of Both Branches.

! ganlZatlOn Dill ana the OIeOHidTSdIlne blil
passed the House. and that the Commit
| tee on Ways and Means is ready with a
measure for the reduction of war taxes
| by $4,000 600: that the Senate took up
! the Shin Subsidy hill and considered in
| Executive session the HayPauncefote
treaty relating 10 the Nicaragua Canal.
In the Senate on Tuesday, Dec. i, the
second day Of the session, the Ship Sub
| sidy bill WIS taken up by a vote of -
| to 20. II was given preference over the
| Spooncr bill for the government of the
| Philippines Senator Frye moved its con-
| sideratiOn. and Senator Jones, the Demo
cratic leader, demanded the roll-chll.
Senator Frye then outlined the subject.
| He said this great maritime Nation was
| placed in Il position Illuminating beyond
| expression by the present condition of our
merchant marine. With bOundless sea
coast. unparalleled and unapproachable
natural resources, ship-buildcTs the equal
of any in the world, the greatest exports
| in the world, and every other argument in
our favor, the United States had permit
| ted its commercial rivals to seize the path
ways of commerce and hold them practi-
cally to the exclusion of this country.
| Last year of all the enormous exports
and imports of the United States, only 3
per cent was carried in American bot
toms. Last year, mr.. Frye said, the
| United States paid to foreign Nations
principally Great Britain and Germany
| $500 900 a day for doing carrying trade
work for this country. He could not see
| how any Senator or other observer could
| be blind to this condition. He pointed
| out that during the war with Spain the
| United States was forced to search the
seas over for auxiliary cruisers and trans
ports, the only reason for such condi-
ton being that we had sacrificed our car
rying ships. The world, Mr.. Frye de-
clared, had entered upon fierce com
mercial war. most of the great Nations
looking for commercial advantage i'll the
East.
Mr. Frye discussed the origin of the
pending bill and referred to the committee
of - prominent Americans who had draft
ed the original subsidy bill. The pend
ing measure, he explained, had been
amended materially and radically by the
Committee on Commerce.
None of the original committee Of %
had favored free ships, and Mr.. Frye said
he could see no reason why any man
should favor them. In this connection he
referred to the shipyards of the United
States and expressed the opinion that
great maritime Nation like this might as
well be without n Constitution as 10 be
without shipyards.
Mr. Frye showed how much greater
was the cost of building and operating
ships under the American flag. If these
expenses were not greater, he said, there
would be no excuse for the pending bill
and its foundation would fall. He pre-
scented, therefore, an array of figures to
prove that it cost not only more to con-
struct American ships, but more to OPP
crate them after they were built. His
figures indicated that ships of Great Brit
ain had an advantage of from S4.50 to 50
per gross ton over American ships in the
nf rfff. md
Mr.. Frye then took up that provision
of the bill which provides the amount OF
subsidy to be paid vessels, and explained
how the payment was regulated. He
showed that by the terms of the measure
a 10-knot vessel out for 10 days would
draw $4,000 year beyond the cost of
her coal and handling and that the amount
of the subsidy would in percentage dimin-
ish with the increase of the speed of the
ship.
Il understand said Mr.. Clay, "that
the 10-knot and 12-knot ships which carry
the agricultural products of the country
do not receive more than one-third the
subsidy of the fast passenger vessels
which carry no agricultural products"
And / was showing" responded Mr..
Frye, that the low-speed vessels were
the ones which received the actual bene-
fits from the subsidy and not the fast
passenger ships"
Senator Vest gave notice that he would
offer an amendment providing for the re-
peal of such existing laws las either pro-
hibit or restrict citizens of the United
States from purchasing ships built III
other countries to be used in the foreign
carrying trade of the United States or
which impose taxes, burdens or restric-
tons on such ships when owned by Amer
lean citizens, which are not imposed on
ships built in the United States" In adj
dition to the repeating provision the
amendment makes it lawful .'for all citi-
zens of the United States to buy ships
built in whole or in part in any foreign
country and have them registered as ships
of the United States" When so regis
tered these foreign-buiIt ships are under
the terms of the amendment TO be en-
| titled to all the rights and subjected to
the same regulations as those governing
ships built in the United States and
owned by citizens of this country.
In the House the session was brief.
Several minor bills were passed on Il call
of committees.
In the Senate on "Wednesday considera
ton of the Ship Subsidy bill was re-
sumed. Mr.. Frye stated that remarkable
statements had been made concerning the
amount of the subsidy to be paid, the fig
| ures having been put at S30,00O,OOO and
SJU,OUDDUU, Tud even as hign as SIDU,-
100000 year. But said he, there is
no method whatever in the madness of the
critics Of the bill.
The limit of 100000 in the subsidy
would not be reached for at least FIVE
years, as within that period there would
not be enough vessels to draw the full
amount of the subsidy. When the limit
of 100000 is reached the bill provides
that the Secretary of the Treasury shall
reduce the amount of the subsidy paid
for sailing and speed premiums, the re-
duction to be pro rata among the ships
subsidized Thus all vessels enjoying the
subsidy would he on precisely the same
plane and would receive perfectly impair
| tiai treatment.
Under the provisions of the pending
BILL" said he, owners of foreign-buiIt
| ships cannot draw cent of bounty I'M
til they construct in the shipyards of this
country an amount of tonnage equal to
that which they have brought from
abroad.
He believed n provision for the admis-
sion of foreign-built ships under proper
restrictions was wise, because it would
insure to the United States respectable
fleet of merchant vessels within reason
able time.
Mr.. Frye replied that he always had
contended against the doctrine of free
ships, but when n previous subsidy bill
upon which he had worked proved to be
a dead failure in Congress he had agreed
TO n proposition to admit to American
| registry the New York and Paris of tho