Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-06-15
ANA II N q j g u Res,
spROPORTiON or OUR IMPORTS
AND EXPORTS
gr0m and Ts Europe Carried q AAsfa-
ga shlps-F orsisa Attack csatsssd
- Only Anassieaa Line = That
d Trade. igS Ss ss5 IL "a JIM n II

ASNSW 4VIAsE88 4UTxN0E WGk0U0E@ VI Sn0
New York Commerce Commission.
answers m attack on the ship Subsidy
Bill. which has been favorably reported
70 each branch Of Congress, Mr.. Smith
openly charges that the foreign ship
ping interests aided by the free traders
and other enemies OF American ship
ping. are striving with might ana
main to destroy the one American line
now engaging In our trade With Eu-
In his letter. Mr.. Smith says In part:
Mr.. Peabody assertion that the
cream Of the subsidy is designed TO fall
to those yossels Of the International
Steamship Company IL not only err
,roneous, but seems purposely designed
to prejudice the public against that
line the only line. by the way, en-
gagged in our trade with Europe under
the American nag. This line has been
singled out for the most virulent. ma
lignant and frequent attacks ever since
the shipping bill has been before the
public. It has been asserted. but with
out word of truth. that 1t is con-
trolled by the Standard Oil and the
Pennsylvania Railroad companies.
That line has been pictured as part
of q monopolistic trust, whereas 1t is
battling. single handed and 4 alone,
against the most powerful steamship
lines in the world. These other lines
all under foreign flags-are backed
up with unlimited wealth and the sup
port of their several governments to.
whatever extent may be necessary to
enable them to successfully compete
for the transatlantic trade.
THE American line in question Is
struggling at considerable pecuniary
loss to succeed and to still further In
crease its tonnage under the Stars and
Stripes In the face of this concentrated
and united opposition. In doing so It
has been subjected to the unbridled
abuse of every free trader. every free
trade newspaper, every enemy of
American shipping, and every defender
Of foreign shipping, In the United
States.
"N the stockholders Of this line are
ready to invest still further In Ameri-
can ships. In the hope Of ultimately
earning profit. and are ready to sub
ject themselves to the fiercest and
most concentrated competition Of the
most wealthy and powerful ships in all
the world under foreign hags. the
American people will applaud and
commend them. y$ 74 5.sss NJ sS s5
The deadly purpose Of this posi-
Suon II manifest. when W: study the
statistics 81 the United States for the
last fiscal year. OF the total foreign
trade OF the United States, 67.07 per
cent IL with Europe-more than two
thirds Of our total foreign trade y with
Europe. OF our imports from Europe.
vailed at $3.50. ss4,534. only SIS $780, 42.
or s4.35 per cent. was carried in Ameri-
can vessels. OF this. the ships of the
American line carried imports valued
at 314.s13,O33. OF our exports 70 Eu-s
rope, valued at 1886. 602.0ss. but 327.-
$50. 076, or l.s0 per cent, was carried in
American vessels. the ships Of the
American line carrying exports to Eu-
rope valued at SOFT, 749. MI
1.-THE value Of the imports and ex-
ports carried in the ships Of this line
was $39, s90. 1872, out Of a total Of $780,
612.206 carried In all Of the American
ships engaging In our entire foreign
trade. The ships Of this American line
carried within a fraction of Is per cent
OF all of the imports and exports Of
the United States that were carried in
American ships. II, therefore, the
four steamships Of the American line
which rendered such exceptional and
invaluable auxiliary naval service to
our government during the war with
Spain-can be driven out of our trade
with Europe. the proportion of our
carrying under the American flag in
our trade with Europe will drop from
the present 2.15 per cent Of the total
to but OF 1.-TWO tenths Of one) per cent.
That is to say, the foreign ships now
monopolize 57.S5 per cent of our carry
ing with Europe. and are striving
with all the power and influence at
their command to increase their pro-
portion of our carrying to 1913, leaving
for the stray American vessel that will
dare to venture into that trade. the
carrying OF or Of our imports and ex-
ports! BY driving these ships out of
our foreign trade. the proportion of
the entire foreign trade of the United
States carried in American vessels,
would be reduced from SO to just z
per cent, leaving for foreign ships the
carrying OF 80 per cent Of our imports
and. exports, and the estimated $780,
600, 900 In freight earnings that are
taken from the United States each
year. s
'No wonder" concluded Mr.. Smith
in discussing this portion of his re-
ply. '.the foreign steamship lines, and
ali other friends of foreign shipping.
and every enemy Of American ship
ping, concentrates his opposition on
the American line-the single heroic
carrier of the American nag In our
transatlantic trade.
Fewer Porto Rican Taxes.
Under the American administration
Of Porto Rico the old Spanish taxes
s n q = 49,