The Saint Paul globe., 1900-02-07
to tramp ships who do the great bulk Of
ocean carrying, and who are the regula-
tors of carrying charges on sea-
NOT HANNA-PAYNE RJTJ

to tramp ships who do the great bulk of
ocean carrying. and who are the regula-
tors Of carrying charges on sea-
NOT HANNA-PAYNE BILL.
we, are opposed to the Hanna-Payne
bill, because it will give at once to those
pig ocean liners the bulk Of the $9,O0O,OOO
contemplated in the bill. because of the
speed and capacity clause without any
guarantee that one ton of extra export
trade would be added to that. we have
was to be a bait that would be absorbed
by that per cent Of our commerce for
the trade already ours on the Atlantic.
wv, we aesire - re to encourage small ships as
want to give monopoly ofssuch building
to large building plants, but to increase
the smaller building plants and permit
the competition thus established to regu-
late the iron and steel trust in their sui
cidal policy Of increasing the cost to
build those vessels to point that drives
them out of the country to be built Gas
It has done In case that l know and
thus Kill the goose that lays the golden
egg:
legislation shall be enacted at once in
the interest Of agriculture which has not
had one line Of legislation that seeks to
advance its interests except where 1t was
done by advancing some other interest.
We have determined in this case that
We will make the interest of agriculture
the primary one, and II no opposition is
given to US. to achieve this object we
are content to permit other interests that
have received long and generous and
thorough tariffs and bounties to share
with US any advance they can secure by
advancing the interests of agriculture. L
have advanced these ideas before the
National Alliance and Industrial union
and the national council, two years since,
In Washington, D. c..
The National Farmers Alliance and
Industrial union has had this matter be-
fore their national and state conventions
for the past two years, and have been
unanimous in advocating the extension
of our markets in the Orient. and also
subsidizing our American ships to aid in
extending our foreign markets In the Pa
cific ocean.
TURN TO THE ORIENT.
To sell .wb ffour to Europe. at
selpes opean sa unaslss marfets with with
iron and cotton goods is to
fly in the tune, to carry Goals
and the cot. Il mill man should turn
their heads to Asia. Africa and South
America, where they should measure sue
cess not by the amount Of goods they
sell. but the share they get away from
or in proportion to European sales. AS
long as we sell to Europe, Europe will
carry the goods, unless we subsidize at
an enormous expense as proposed by
| the Hanna-Payne bill. But once shift
our vision from admiration to hustling
| and very moderate subsidy, based upon
actual freight carried, will serve to put
the bulk of our ocean freights under the
| flag Of the republic, and the traffic itself
will yield larger returns. Subsidize our
ships according to the tons Of goods car
ried out and we shall soon have mer-
chant marine that will carry the broom
American railways now do in the way Of
internal commerce. Freights carried
| that Is the true test of the value Of the
vessel to Its flag.
cir ho Op ha q
| an agent abroad. If he has, Is he alive.
is he doing businessf Those are the
questions that the subsidy bill should ask
of every vessel master. II he comes in
| with cargo of tropical fruits or fbers,
| or rubber, will he hustle for a cargo of
| steel and iron or cotton goods out? A
cargo Of wheat? That Is too easy. He
| can get it without asking: But bridge
| work. water pipe, steel rails, farm ma
! chinery-perhaps he may have to lie in
port ten days or week waiting to get
| enough together to make a cargo. Will
he wait, and will he hustle among the
factors and agencies to secure such
| load. or will he sneak off and try for
| load of wheat Or flour for Glasgow in
wegian vessels that swarm in every har-
Dor? These are practical questions, tests
of any ship subsidy bill that seeks to
make the ship responsible to the flag.
| Wheat and -four cargoes to Europe are
but a species of prodigality and should
not be subsidized any more. than small
| shipments of machinery to Africa by way
of English subsidized lines from Liverpool
or London. Subsidize the freight carrier,
the barge If necessary, at the same time
that the needs of the navy are cared for,
and let the
RICH TRAVELLER PAY
for his own trappings and luxury, and
the expensive trade of Europe pay. its
own losses. Who can tell to what height
the American iron and steel man may
por rrIr wv
reached the sources of supply? He Is
the most courageous of all Americans,
and knows how to finance. how to or
ganize. how to handle men, how to pro-
duce craftsmanship; but he is yet to
learn that his best market Is not in Eu
rope, and that he must Join hands with
interiors Of Asia, South America and At
rica for his most profitable markets.
For our national government to take
some substantial steps In the direction of
restoration of our merchant marine, will
be regarded by all intelligent farmers
of vital force and Importance. The enact
ment of some measure which will help
US out Of our present hazardous situation
represents one Of the gravest. as well as
one of the most urgent needs Of the
country at this time.
The relative proportion of our foreign
carrying commerce done today, and that
done in the early days of our national
existence and during the periods follow
ing, while our merchant marine was be-
al aid. is exactly reversed. Today we do
less than 10 per cent of our foreign carry
ing commerce. and foreigners do go per
cent or over 1t for us. From 1883 to 1926
we did over 80 per cent of that carrying
for ourselves, and foreigners did less than
10 per cent of 1t for US. Down to 1860
we maintained an approach to the same
proportion; but for nigh forty years our
shipping interests have been neglected,
and the inevitable result presents Itself
to view.
We have not been without warnings of
that result. Thomas Jefferson, while Sec
retary of state under President Wash
ington. referring to this subject, spoke
some pregnant words. It would not be
here to set forth those words with any
thing approaching completeness.
Those who, many Of them unconscious
ly, are doing the work of foreign ship
owners, are fond Of telling us that our
shipping was driven off the sea by the
cruisers of the Confederacy. Have the
cruisers of the Confederacy, too, exclud-
cd us from the sea in the intervening
thirty-four or five years? The War Of
1872 was fought against the greatest nav
al power In the world then and now. Did
1t result eta in .d driving our M Shipping Il com.
commerce fnjuriously- in the slightest
measure for any period after It's termina-
ton? Not at all. AS before, so after
merce by judicious national legislation.
This we continued to do until the close
of our Civil war. Since that time we
have left our shipbuilders and merchants
in foreign trade to shift for themselves,
and the result we see in the fact that the
American flag, except when now seen
on one of our war vessels, is a stranger
in every port Of the commercial world.
FOR CONGRESS TO ACT.
The responsibility must rest on con-
gress, IL relief Is not afforded during It's
present session Those who offer Oppo-
sition to any reasonable provision address,
ed to the restoration of our merchant
marine will take a grave responsibility