The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-12-13

The ship Subsidy scheme should Not
he Permitted 10 O9esd
Again.

While In no position to positively
assert that the ship subsidy scheme
Will not be urged upon the next con-
gress we stand by the position taken
ever since the attempt at legalized
robbery was entered upon and insist
that its abandonment is the only hon
orable course open to its promoters.
Reliance cannot be placed upon their
dropping it because it's adoption
would infict q great wrong upon the
people, says the Detroit Free Press.
They apprehended the moral status
of their case as clearly when they in
itiated it as they do now. 1t was con-
eeiyed in selfishness and pushed with
the single idea Of beneiting certain
preferred interests that were exposed
during the long discussion of last
winter. The men behind the under
taking have known from the outset
that they were merely planning q
great financial coup that, if executed
SUCCESSFULLY, would muict the country
in the sum of at least $50, 10000 that
ii would receive literally nothing by
way of compensation and that the
sole benefciaries would be those
working the colossal confidence game.
Yet, while conscience has worked
no change of heart on the part of the
men who started out to enrich them
selves by the method which has
grown as familiar as it is obnoxious
10 the people, popular opinion has
checked. If il has not halted them. 1t
will be surprising il their shrewdness
has not detected the handwriting
upon the wall. The masses who pro-
vide the revenue Of the government
are in no mood to make an enforced
contribution at such dictation or for
any such purpose as it has been
sought to conceal under the cloak Of
building up our merchant marine,
keeping pace with our expanding
commerce, getting into the game"
with our foreign competitors and ris-
ing to the dignity of world power
These are winning slogans in the alb
stract and liable TO ignite inflamma-
BILE patriotism, but the promoters
are now in the position OF man who
has shown his hand when nothing but
bluff" could have made it a re-
gotiable possession. The country.
through the debates IN congress and
exhaustive discussion in the newspa-
pers, knows the true inwardness of
the subsidy scheme and realizes that
II is without a material feature de-
serving commentator or support.
In addition to being exposed as a
ring that is out for the money when
we now have a greater tonnage in for
eign trade than can find employment,
when private capital is giving the
shipyards all that they can do and
stands ready to meet every demand
that commerce makes, there is a
grave political cons Iteration. The
schemers are republicans and include
such party luminaries as Hanna. the
head and front of the party manage
ment; Senator'S Frye. Aldrich. Lodge
and many other republican leaders in
their respective sections of the coun-
try. They have been forced 10 under
stand that their subsidy plan is I'M
popular and that TO give il the force
of congressional sanction would i'm
peril the future Of the party
The president himself. although he
has been quoted as an original sup
porter OF the movement. sees how inn
polite IL would be TO urge the scheme
in his message and will probably pass
1t over. The rural congressman have
been hearing things at home and we
are inclined TO believe that the meas
ure will not figure in the records Of
the next session. Political policy. il
fmpresses us. blocks the grabbers.