The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-20
Aid for Increment shipping.

The encouraging and fostering of our
merchant marine by Federal legislation
Is not a simple matter. With each at
tempt to take a practical step forward
in that direction, the method Of advance
is seen more and more to deserve the
application OF that popular word. prob
lem" 1t is a problem to do what we
want to do and ought to do, with due
regard to all interests served and their
relation to one another and to the pro-
gress and prosperity Of the whole coun-
trv
A radical difference of opinion has de-
veloped. as is seen from our dispatches,
over the bill in the senate that is un-
der the charge OF Senator Frye and Is
improperly named the Payne Hanna bill.
This difference is a consequence Of the
clashing interest Of East and West, and
an attempt to treat both of them fair
ly. The people of the East are inter-
ested mostly in the Atlantic business
those Of the West in the Pacific. The
former look principally to the mainte-
nance and improvement Of the fast
steamship passenger service; the latter
to the increase Of freight bottoms and
carrying capacity for the Oriental
trade.
Neither can It be commended that
either OF these lacks connection with
the interests Of the nation as a whole.
The government must give compensa-
ton for the carriage Of mails, which Is
the form that the subsidies Of other ma
tons take. 1t must have at its COM
nand fleet of vessels that can be con-
verted at need into cruisers and aux
Hilary vessels OF war. And for these
purposes speed is prime requisite. But
after all, the great die and advantage
of merchant marine is in time of peace
and for the transport OF American pro-
ducts to foreign markets. Here econ.
omy requires that speed be sacrificed to
carrying capacity. and the tonnage unit
!! is supreme.
Inasmuch as we are bound by treaty
arrangements that interfere with the
payment of bounties on the sole ground
of the carriage of goods in American
bottoms the problem of how to stimulate
rlne is thus seen to be most compli-
Gated one.s It is with the features Of It
which we have enumerated that con-
gress viii have to deal, and 1t is fair to
say that no solution entirely satisfac-
tory to all sections has been reached.
That we ought to do something to pro-
mote the growth of our merchant ma
rine by similar means to those that have
promoted SO splendidly the growth of
our manufacturing industries Is adj
mitted by all who do not still cling to
the outworn theories Of free trade. Our
marine statistics show this one great
industry alone undeveloped and practi-
cally dying. 1t must be revived. We
must do the carrying trade as we do the
manufacturing of the world and feed 1t
with our provisions and breadstuffs.
Some aid must be rendered to over
come the effect of low wages In COM
petng countries. We have before us the
lesson of our tariff system as a sugges-
ton and to some extent as a. model.
The ablest minds of the country have
not yet been able to say how It should
be applied to the upbuilding of the ship
ping interest of the United States. When
a fair solution has been reached 1t will
have the hearty support of the people.
Evidently the Congressional Directory
has not arrived yet at the Office of the
Evening Times. Last night 1t COM
mended the course Of the Democratic
leaders who are coming to recognize the
fact that the Philippines belong to the
United States. In this connection 1t
quoted a resolution introduced by Sem
ator Ross; and that there might be no
room for Misunderstanding It advised
the anti-Republican leaders to quit
talking about imperialism and work
along the lines laid down by Bacon and
Ross" Bacon is a Democrat. but Ross
is a senator from Vermont and of course
Republican. 1t is well, before using
a mans acts to point a moral for the
benefit of the rest Of his party. to know
which party he belongs to.
Hawaii should be elevated at once to
the status of territory as provided in
Doubtless there are some difficulties in
the way, but they were all foreseen when
we annexed the Hawaiian islands. Con-
ditions there are totally different from