The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-05
Circulation Statement.
The Hanna Subsidy Bill.

prompt him, made speech in advocacy
OF the Hanna bill
The eloquent spokesman for the chief
of his party, and for the other trans
portation magBates associated with that
Industrious individual. did not attempt to
wrench the mental process Of his hearers
with any fresh ideas on the subject Of
subsidies Practically the same speech
can be found in any one of the two
dozen bound volumes Of the Congressional
Record. All of its points are familiar,
and most OF its statements of CONNER
cisl facts appear to be true; but its ar
guments are not, therefore. necessarily
convincing. We all remember and de-
plore the destruction Of our once mag
nifleent merchant marine, through the
deliberate perhdy of Great Brit
ain displayed toward the United
States during the American civil
war. We deeply regret such facts
as that, last year, between Europe ard
the United States the exports and i'm
ports carried under the American flag
were only two and one-haIf per cent, and
between the United States and the world
one per cent" II is sad, as Senator Frye
AYERS, that in the recent brief war with
Spain the United States was compelled
to search the seas over to ind Golfers
AID transports for the conduct of the
war" Il is also doleful, though not per
tinent to our present purpose, to reflect
that. in the purchase of these Golfers
and transports when found, the Govern
ment was compelled 10 pay for them
from forty to sixty per cent more than
the vendors received in most such trans
actions and that it was felt necessary.
as IN the case Of the Merrimac. to sink
some Of them in order to destroy evidence
which might result in scandal 10 the
administration
There is no doubt whatever that cur
merchant marine is in a bad way, and
that means should be devised, If possible,
10 rehabilitate it. The serious question
is whether or not subsidy of nine mil
lion dollars year for ten years. TO be
paid almost exclusively to small group
of transportation companies. which. in
any case would build or operate the YES
sells destined TO draw the bounty, is the
best method Of reaching the desired end.
We can cheerfuiiy excuse Mr. Hanna. Mr.
Rockefeller, and other transportation
magnates for holding that it is. That
portion Of The mercantile navy interest
which they and their eoparceners n this
scheme represent, viii undoubtedly be
created benefited. The difficulty is. how
ever, that nobody else viii be, or, TO any
valuable extent, is intended to be-
IN our opinion it is an axiom that no
just ground for placing an additional and
heavy burden upon the people can exist
while there Is a ready and eficacio1s way
to accomplish the same object without
cost It would be only necessary to le-
move the prohibition against granting
American registry to fereign-built yes
sells. to set the Stars and Stripes floating
again il every sea. port, and harbor OF
the round world The cid objection, that
this would prove detrimental TO our ship
building interests no longer applies
Years ago, when England could raise coal
and produce iron and steel cheaper than
we could, there was color of reason in
the argument for protection which has
never accomplished anything except our
continued absence rom the high seas
But now that favOFile argument of the
subsidy sharks is ext oded. We can now
compete successfully with the United
Kingdom or the States of Europe in
steamship construction. We have cheap
eT coal. cheaper ircE. cheaper steel. tim
Der. lumber, and so on, than any of them
It is possible that oar shipbuilders ~
have to pay higher wages than their
transatlantic rivals; but that apparent
wages are reduced TO labor units and
considered in their relations to aggregate
results Then, II cannot be gafnsaid
that, measuring the effective power Of
the labor unit, the American shipbuiIder
actually pays less fer labor than IS paid
in any other country.
We're the prohibition taken from for
eign-built vessels, American firms and
corporations interested in transportation
would be apt to supply such immediate
needs as they might feel by purchasing
foreign bottoms. Free registry has never
nurt the British shipbuilders, and would
aot hurt ours. The new vessels would be
built here, because they can be built
cheaper here than elsewhere-a PROPOSE
ton which the Mess 5. Cramp. no doubt,
VIII deny; but they can be, all the same
But. whether that De true ~ not, we fail
to see how the old spIendor CT our rner-
chant navy is to be restored by dividing
ninety million dollars OF public money
among dozen transportation megnates,
who have made all Of their preparations
in advance TO grab the last dollar of it.
Free registry would benefit the many: the
Hanna Subsidy bill viii vastly enrich the
feN, to The detriment of all others and the
couatry at large