The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1901-12-06
The natural line Of development for a

The natural line OF development for a
| policy of reciprocity viii be in connection
with those of our productions which no
longer require all of the support once
| needed to establish them upon SCUM
! basis. and with those others whore either
/ because of natural or of economic causes
| We are beyond the reach of successful
! competition.
| 1 ask the attention Of the senate Il the
reciprocity treaties laid before it by my
| predecessor.
| Merchant Marine.
The condition of the American merchant
| marine is such as to call for immediate
| remedial action by the congress. 1t is dis
| creditable to us as a nation that our
| merchant marine should be utterly insig
| nificant in comparison with that of other
nations which We overtop in other forms
OF business. We should not longer submit
to conditions under which only trifiing
portion of our great commerce is carried
in our own ships. To remedy this state Of
things would not merely serve to build
up our shipping interests. but il would
also result in benefit to all who are inter
ested in the permanent establishment of Z
wider market for American products and
would provide an auxiliary force for the
navy. Ships work for their own countries
just as railroads work fer their terminal
points. Shipping lines. IL established to
the principal countries with which We
have dealings would be of political as
well as commercial benefit. From every
standpoint il is unwise for the United
States TO continue to rely upon the ships
OF competing nations for the distribution
of our goods. 1t should be made advan-
tageous to carry American goods in
American built ships
At present American shipping is under
certain great disadvantages when put in
competition with the shipping OF foreign
countries. Many of the fast foreign
steamships, at a speed of fourteen knots
or above. are subsidized. and all our
ships. sailing vessels and steamers alike,
cargo carriers of slow speed and mail
carriers Of high speed. have to meet the
fact that the original cost of building
American ships is greater than is the
case abroad. that the wages paid Ameri-
can officers and seamen are very much
higher than those paid the officers and
seamen OF foreign competing countries
and that the standard of living on our
ships is far superior to the standard OF
living on the ships of our commercial ri
walls.
Our government should take such action
as will remedy these inequalities The
American merchant marine should be re-
stored to the ocean.
Financial.
The act of March Il. 1900. intended I'M
eQuivocally to establish gold as the stand
ard money and TO maintain at q parity
Herewith all forms of money medium in
use with US. has been shown 10 be timely
and judicious. The price OF our govern
ment bonds in the worlds market when
compared with the price Of similar obli-
cations issued by other nations is fat
tering tribute to our public credit This
condition il is evidently desira BILE to main
tain.
In many respects the national banking
law furnishes sufficient liberty for the
proper exercise of the banking function.
but there seems to be need OF better safe
guards against the deranging influence of
commercial crises and financial panics.
Moreover. the currency Of the country
should be made responsive to the demands
Of our domestic trade and commerce.
The collections from duties on imports
and internal taxes continue to exceed the
ordinary expenditures OF the government,
thanks mainly to the reduced army ex-
penditures The utmost care should be
taken not TO reduce the revenues so that
there will be any possibility Of deficit.
but after providing against any such con-
tingency means should be adopted which |
will bring the revenues more nearly with |
in the limit Of our actual needs. In his re-
port to the congress the secretary of the |
I Z
length. and ask your attention TO the re- |
port and recommendations. |
i call special attention to the need OF |
strict economy in expenditures. The fact |
that our national needs forbid US TO be |
niggardly in providing whatever is actu- |
ally necessary to our we'll being should |
make US doubly careful to husband our |
national resources as each of US husbands |
his private resources by scrupulous avoid |
ance Of anything Like wasteful or reckless |
expenditure. Only by avoidance of spend /
ing money on what is needless or unjusti- |
fable can We legitimately keep our in |
come to the point required to meet our /
needs that are genuine.
The Interstate Commerce Law.
In 1887 a measure was enacted for the
regulation OF interstate railways. com |
monty known as the interstate commerce
act. The cardinal provisions of that act
were that railway rates should be just
and reasonable and that all shippers. 10 1
ealities and commodities should be &c
corded equal treatment. A commission |
was created and endowed with what were |
supposed to be the necessary powers TO
execute the provisions Of this act
That law was largely an experiment.
Experience has shown the wisdom of its
purposes but has also shown possibly
that some of its requirement.. are wrong.
certainly that the means devised for the
OF its provisions are defec-
tive. Those who complain OF the manage
ment of the railways allege that estab-
lished rates are not maintained, that re-
bates and similar devices are habitually |
resorted TO. that these preferences are
usually in favor of the large shipper that
they drive out OF business the smaller |
competitor. that while many rates are too
low many others are excessive and that
gross preferences are made affecting both
localities and commodities. Upon the 9TH
er hand. the railways assert that the law |