Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-12-13
TWELVE PAGES.
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 10. 1900.
THE SUBSIDY BILL AND ITS
LESSON.

The debate in the Senate is making
air-hoes in the Ship Subsidy bill. The
press OF the country has relentIessly
exposed the gross favoritism it would
work in practical operation and the
thorough viciousness of the principle
that underlies ii. Hardly n representa-
tive newspaper of the country but OPP
poses it. Even the influential financial
and trade journals that represent, in
n measure, the solid business classes,
condemn 1t. Nevertheless. the chances
nre all that 1t will be forced through
ut the present session OF Congress-
There are perhaps not 10000 people of
all our 100000 who want the Ship
Subsidy bill passed, or who will reap
cent of reward from 1t, directly or
indirectly If 1t Is passed
The inference from these facts is per-
fectly obvious. The Republican lead
ers in Congress care nothing for pub
tic opinion as such. Congress and the
Senate. as at present constituted, are
not to give the country genuine repre-
sentative government. Public opinion as
controlling factor in legislation, is n
thing Of the past. Ten years ago no
Congressional majority would have
dared to pass the Ship Subsidy bill,
any more than 1t would have dared
to become responsible for the Porto
Rican tariff act.
There are some things of course that
the present Congress would not dare
to do. Perhaps it would not dare to
vote 100000 directly to the ship
builders OF the country, though the
Subsidy bill practically amounts
to that. To this extent only respect
is still shown public opinion-thc gop-
eminent must be piausibly plmdercd. But
1t is always possible to plumber the
government in n plausible way, and
SO L. reality with n thoroughly venal
majority in Congress public opinion
has no terrors it Is as impotent as the
idle wind.
If public opinion is not the controll-
ing factor in Congress what is? Money;
nothing else. This does not necessarily
mean that majority in Congress is
bought or can be bought with crisp
bank bills. 1t does mean that the few
men, who represent millions of dollars,
have more weight with Congress than
the millions of men who have compare
lively few dollars. The few men can
get anything they want, within limits,
that will permit the majorty to either
defend the jobs with show of reason
or avoid the full measure OF respon-
sibility. The way in which a thing is
done. and not the nature of the thing.
is the chief consideration in national
legislation at this time.
1t was pointed out over and over
again. in the late campaign that, back
ed as the Republican party is by the
fiscal interests of the country, its vic
tory would mean the practical ellmina-
ton Of the public will as an influence
in the government. That is precisely
what has happened: otherwise the Ship
Subsidy bill could not command ma
jority in either house. This bill is
merely flower on the stalk of pro
lection to infant industries" 1t is
merely a ranker piece of that class
legislation to which the Republican
party has always been devoted. Still
ranlter class-legislation Will follow it.
We shall go from the flower of the
fruit just as naturally and as easily
rs we have gone from the stalk to the
flower.
There is not an important measure
before Congress that is not class legis-
1ation in one form or another The
Army bills is class-leglslation in
double sense. II creates an important