Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-05-31

1900. AhNy SNOhiy
divided for and against II. This is
shown by the two minority reports
that have been filed by the Demo-
cratic members Of the House Mer-
chant Marine and Fisheries Commit
tee. The first report fled was signed
by Messrs. William Astor Chanler, Of
New York; John II. Small. Of North
Carolina. and Joseph e. Ransdell, Of
Louisiana. Their report advocates
government aid and opposes free ships.
Their suggested amendments to the
bill are not Of a character to seriously
minimize its effectiveness.
The other four Democratic members
of the House Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee who signed the
other report. are Messrs. John F. Fitz-
gerald, of Massachusetts,; Marion De-
Vries, Of California; Thomas Speight,
Of Mississippi, and VIM. d. DAILY, of
New Jersey Their report opposes
subsidies and in effect advocates free
ships. Their report, said to have been
written by an attorney Of the foreign
steamship lines. is largely an attack
upon the only American steamship
line engaged in the transatlantic
trade.
The odium attaching to the Demo-
Gratis who are fighting the battle of
the foreign shipping lobby in Con-
gress. and who advocate the purchase
OF ships built abroad, instead Of their
construction in the United States, pre-
sents them in q very sorry figure.
They will be infinitely more busy in
defending their own attitude on this
question than they can be In assail-
ing that of the Republicans and a
associates. The Democratic leaders
had made desperate efforts to prevent
a public disclosure Of their differences,
but the courage Of nearly one-half of
the minority made further conceal
ment Of their condition impossible.
The Democratic members OF the COM
mittee who advocate government aid
by independently fling their report in
advance OF the submission Of the other
minority report, forced the signers OF
the latter to lamely limp last into the
public eye. Their hopeless division
shows how utterly impossible 1t will
be for them to make a successful cam
paign issue of the shipping question.
II Democrats attack a government
aided shipping. Democrats who have
the best of the argument may be
quoted In answer. Republican ANU
milton with which to refute Demo
cratic attacks of this character need
not be used-it Is furnished by the
more honest and courageous Of the
Democrats themselves.
This is a situation which seems al
most providential for the united Re-
publicans. They seem to be assured
of the votes of large contingent
possibly one-half-of the Democrats in
the House in favor OF the Ship Sub
sidy Bill, II it is brought up for pass
age now. Such an opportunity has not
been presented in a generation, and
| may never again occur so favorable.
The same situation exists in the
Senate. The Democrats there are I'M
able to prepare, much less to pre-.
sent. a minority report in opposition
to the Ship Subsidy Bill. 1t is well
and publicly known that a number OF
Democrats will speak and vote for the
bill. What the Democratic leaders de-
sire to avoid. at all hazards. is the
effect 1t will have upon their party
followers that viii surely result from
the discussion in the Senate of the
Ship Subsidy Bill at this session. to
disclose substantial contingent OF
their own party associates in advo-
cacy and voting for that bill.
II Republicans can be coerced, in
undated or cajoled into postponing
the consideration of the Ship Subsidy
Bill at the present session, the Demo
Gratis may be able to conceal their own
weakness in divided opposition to the
Ship Subsidy Bill in the Senate. A
little incident has clearly demon
strated this. and shown the despera-
ton OF the Democratic leaders.
The Chairman Of the Democratic
National Committee. in his rage at
the filing of the Chanler-SmaIl-Ra Rams
dell report, sent for these gentlemen
and began to angrily upbraid them as
traitors to their party. so the report
goes. and he told them that by their
ill-timed exhibition of independence
and honesty they had sacrificed a
splendid issue upon which the Demo-
Gratis could have attacked the Repub-
licans in the coming campaign. The
Democratic Chairman. so IL is said,
was rendered almost speechless when
he was very emphatically told by
Messrs. Chanler. Small and Ransdell
that he had no authority to denounce
their action, that the Democratic
party had not declared itself on this
subject in its last national platform,
and that in any event they were de-
cidedly opposed to the dragging OF the
shipping question into partisan poll
tics. They told him that the shipping
question was business proposition. a
commercial question. and Of great and
pressing national Importance: that
they SO considered 1t. and that they
were quite ready to defend their posi-
ton at any time.
In these very favorable circum-
stances for the Republicans to defer
action on the Ship Subsidy Bill until
the Democratic National Convention
can be whipped into adopting an ex-
preston in its next national platform
opposing government aid for the up
building of American shipping. will
make it Infinitely more difficult than
ever for courageous and patriotic