The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-05-26
The Early Adjournment Of Congress
Prevents It : Its Passage Pre-
dicted at the Next Session.
SENATOR FRYE INTERVIEWED.
Foreigners Worked Up Over the DAN
gers to Them That Lurk in the
Measure-A Clear Exposition.
In,rInl nInnnlch 10 the IntollIgoneer


doubtful the passage of the shipping
bill at the present session. He looks,
he says, for the early passage of the bill
at the next session without doubt.
"Foreigners, I dnd," continued sena-
tor Frye, seem quite wrought up over
the danger to foreign shipping that
turks in the bill. Apparently they
dread the competition Of a large feet OF
new American ships. In very recent
issue Of the Financial Times, of Lon
don. find confirmation OF one Of the
strong arguments Of the friends Of this
measure"
Asked to state more specifically to
what he alluded in the article in the
London Financial Times, the senator
found the paper and read from Its open
ing paragraph as follows:
"The title of the article is 'Transat-
lanhc Shipping and the War 1t begins
this way:
African War Had Serious Effect.
".rhe war in South Africa has had a
more serious effect upon the transatlan-
tic than upon any other class of ocean
tonnage, for the simple reason that the
majority Of the vessels employed for
the purposes Of transport have been
taken from this route; the North Allan
tic steamers as rule being large, pow
erful and reasonably swift craft, admir-
ably adapted for this species Of gov
ernment service
Mote" said the senator "the next
two sentences with attention:
"'The natural effect of their with
drawal has been to cripple the opportu-
mites afforded Of sending freight to and
from America, and to raise the freights.
1t has also brought to the mind of
Americans the dependence of their
country on Europe, and especially upon
England, for the development of their
export trade. and incidentally 1t has
strengthened the ship subsidy bill which
is now before Congress,
Our Dependence on Foreign Tonnage.
Few Of our people realize that three
quarters of ali of our exports go to Eu-
rope, and that two-thlrds Of our entirs
foreign trade is in Europe. Our depen-
dence on foreign tonnage, especially
British tonnage, emphasizes the weak
ness and danger of our foreign trade. 50
long as its chief commercial! and mari
time rival is Its largest carrier. I will
quote a few more OF the statements
made by the London Financial Times as
being timely and true:
1.-The question whether merchandise
shall or shall not be sent abroad from
the United States is determined to quite
a considerable extent by the price asked
for sending 1t abroad, md when this is
exceptionally high 1t must In many
cases trench so far upon possible profits
as to make such shipments unattrac-
tive
Imprudence Of Being Dependent.
",By having this sbarrlerraised around
our frontier our trade must suffer to
some extent, and the advocates OF boun-
ties TO American shipping have not been
slow to make as much US they possibly
can of the situation. Senator Frye. in
q. report which he has made on the ship
subsidy bill, says that the present con-
dItlon of affairs indicates the impru-
dence of being dependent upon England
for transport facilities, since when Eng
land becomes involved In foreign war
America suffers through lack Of its ac-
Customed transport facilities Of trade.
Obviously the broader and more general
the ownership Of merchant tonnage be-
comes the bntter 1t wIllibe for all conn
merciaI nations apart from English
shlpowners), since they will have, SO to
speak, two or more strings to their
bow
Do Not Approve Our Plan.
"of course" continued Senator Frye,
"the Financial Times cannot approve
our plan Of aiding American ships in
with the subsidized and
bountied foreign ships engaged in our
foreign carrying. 1t would rather have
us try to build up our marine by buying
our ships in Great Britain, and letting
them shift for themselves without gov
ernment aid after that.
what / regard as of most Importance
In connection with the quotation is the
essential truth that a rise In fFelghts
the withdrawal of any
portion OF the tonnage
upon which we are dependent for our
foreign carrying, situation much en-
phaslzPd at the present moment, There
Is another side to this truth that is de-
serving OF our thought, and Il Is that
the addition Of large amount Of new
tonnage is sure to corespondIngly re-
duce freIghts.
Reduction in Frsights Assured.
Tho shipping bill In providing for
large increase In tonnage thus automat-
lcally provides for reduction in ocean
frcishts much more-fully thrcc times
az much, az ! see it--than tho govern
ment viii nay nut In aiding In the eStab-
lishment Of our shipping In the foreign
trade. This reduction In frotgnts viii
stimulate our people TO export larger