The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-30
SOUTHERN STATESMEN NOT FOOLED

! SOUTHERN STATESMEN NOI PULLED
The Springfield. Mass. Republican, re-
ferring to the statement of Senator Hanna
in his recent article in the Manufacture
ers' Record of Baltimore that the South
promises soon to become the seat of
! Americas commercial empire" says that
1t is a little too transparency clever and
that lit will fool few southern States
men" There is no danger that southern
statesmen will be fooled by Senator Han
ma or any other senator But does 1t not
seem that the Republican is little to
anxious to have 1t appear that there is
not the remOtest proba bility that the
South win eventually be the seat of the
commercial empire of the coun ry?
The recovery of the South from the raw
ages of the civil war has been phenome-
nal and her progress is now so remark
able as to excite very general comment
Her agricultural resources are p actically
unlimited. She has coal and iron enough
to last a thousand years, even though
the demand upon them should be as great
as that upon the coal and iron resources
Of the whole country is at the present
ing interests is such as to make Ma=sa-
chusetts and every other eastern state
anxious. Truly Senator Hanna had pref
ty good reasons far saying that the South
promised to be the seat of the commercial
empire of the republic.
But Senator Hannas complimentary re-
marks about the South are not likely to
influence southern statesmen to support
his shIp-subsidy bin. They believe that
the surest and quickest way to build up
the merchant marine is to amend our nav
igation laws, SO that foreign-built ships
owned by Americans can fly the American
flag. With the laws so amended it would
at once appear that there was no founda-
ton for the plea of American shipbuilders
that ships cannot be built as cheaply In
this country as in foreign countries.
That ships c. n be bull. as cheaply in this
country as in any other is proven by the
statement of James J. Hill. president of
the Great Northern Railroad, who is hav-
ing two great steamships built to be oper-
ated between Pacific ports and ports Of
the Far East in connection with his rail-
road. He is having them built in an
American shipyard because, as he recently
said, he could get them for less money
here. There is no truth therefore in the
statement. so often made by the support
ers of the Hanna ship-subsidy bill, taat
it costs more to build ships in this coun-
try than in England or Germany,
Another argument that is advanced for
subsidies is that England and Germany
have built up their shipping by means of
them. AS a matter of fact England pays
no subsidies She pays literally for the
carrying of her mails to different parts of
the world The subsidies paid by Ger
many are confined to steamers utilized in
carrying mails. troops and army supplies
to distant colonies 1t is doubtful if gov
eminent aid has helped, to an appreciable
extent, in the upbuiding OF the shipping
of either nation.
II the ship-subsidy advocates have not
abandoned the argument that the propos-
ed bounty would be the means of provd-
ing swift steamers that would render in
valuable service as auxiliary cruisers In
the event of war. they ought to. AS a
matter of fact steamers engaged In the
merchant service would hunt for safe har-
bors in the event of an outbreak of war;
and would stay out of harms way until
he war was over. They would be practi-
cally useless in these days of swift ar
mored cruisers.
The only hope the ship-subsidy bill has
of becoming a law is in making it a party
measure and driving all of the Republi-
cans to its support II certainly has no
chance of passing lf reliance Is being
placed wholly upon its merits.