The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-23
WHAT A SHIP SUBSIDY BILL
SHOULD BE.

form is far from being ideal. To give
to each of the elegant passenger steam
ers subsidies amounting to 900 or $780,
OOt a year under the pretext of stimuli
lating American commerce is an absurd |
ity
Those steamers do not carry freight to |
any extent. AS a military expedient |
it may be desirable to subsidize such
ships, because they would he useful as
auxiliary cruisers in case of war; but
then why not base the subsidy for such
ships on the real merits of the case in
stead of trying TO pilot it through under
false pretenses? And, besides, as the
bill now stands, the subsidy for such
a ship in ten or twelve years would equal
the entire cost of the vessel. If that
is not footing the United States treasury,
it is certainly the next thing to it.
On the other hand, the proposition for
the government to pay part of the
freight on our exports is an excellent
idea if wisely applied. 1t amounts to
paying a bounty on exports that are
sent on American ships. In that sense
it is not ship subsidy at all. Every
body that had the money to bay a ship
or an interest in a ship would have a
chance to share in the benefits Of the
measure. If it made shipping profitable
under the American flag, it would induce
that much more capital to go into It and
the competition would result in reducing
freight rates to the benefit of the Amer
lean farmer, mine owner and manufac-
turer, besides the general benefit of
building up an immense American in
dustry.
Moreover, the next twenty-five years
will witness an enormous increase in TIE
commerce of the still undeveloped parts Of
the world, such as South America, Asia,
Australia and Africa. England, Germany
and Russia realize this fact and they
are working tooth and toe-naiI to get con-
troll.
The undeveloped natural resources of
South America are perhaps superior to
those of any other continent. Coole
labor is being imported extensively and
new plantations are being opened up.
The commerce of South America, great
as it is today, will increase to enormous
proportions within the next quarter cen
fury The same is true of Africa, and the
commercial opportunities that will follow
the opening up of China with its l00-
O00,0O0 people are too great for words.
Are the United States going to sec ure
their share Of this boundless commerce?
Are we going to secure our share of these
golden opportunities that mean power,
splendor wealth and prosperity for the ma
ton that has the sagacity and the enter
prise to appreciate and appropriate them?
The rst-thing we need, is regular mer-
chant steamship lines to those countries,
especially South America and Asia.
Without such lines we cannot hope to ex-
tend and hold our trade there. 1t is such
lines that will have to be mainly instru-
mental in developing cur trade and Great
ing a demand for our goods in these
markets; but until that result has been
! attained and the demand established,
! they can do but a limited business and
| will have to operate at more or less of
loss.
This is a we'll established principle
Germany, with her keen business in
/ stinct, realizing the immense commercial
! future of Africa, decided to establish
line running all the way around the
African continent. Last May the Ger
! man reichstag passed a law subsldzing
! this line to the amount of 1,35OOqO
marks annually.
The bulk of our trade is with Eu-
rope, and outside of that we hare but
! very small share of the commerce Of.
che world. There are no new markets
to be secured in Europe: there are on
! the other continents, and enormous ones
at that. The steamship lines that
should be established to open up and
develop them could do but a limited
business at TIE start hence they might
well receive some special compensation,
some higher rate of freight bounty, -
! enable them without loss to tide over
! the barren years until the demand for
our goods in those markets has be-
come fully established. These are the.
lines on whose efforts the future COM
mercial greatness of this country real
! ly depends: they are under the special
handicap Of having to develop the mar
kets before they can hope to prcflably
Go business.
The bill, as it stands, is disappointing
If the people felt that it was just. hon.
est, and expedent. framed with no
other motive than to promote Ameri-
can shipping and American COM
merce, Offering equal benefits to all
and where most needed, public opinion
would be strongly in it's favor. At
present it is too much under suspicion
of being intended to gorge a few Ia
vored corporations at the expense of the
nation.
THE AMENDED HAY-PAUNCEFOTE
TREATY.
1t is not wholly unlikely that the Eng
lish government will accept the Hay
| fxy in re cd