The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-01-24
v ASHINGTON LETTER.
SENATORS MISTAKENLY OPPOSE
SHIPPING BILL.


busters in the senate have been ex-
pending their energies upon the army
reorganization bill, in the thought that
they were making the passage Of the
shipping bill impossible, they were
placing at the disposal OF the friends
of the latter measure ample time for
them to institute inquiries to ascertain
the precise situation In the upper
branch of congress regarding it, with
the result that q considerable opposi-
ton was uncovered among the suppos-
ed friends of the bill. So soon as this
opposition was discovered and the ba-
sis of it was laid bare steps were at
once taken to reconcile the differences,
with the result that as soon as the fill
busters got through with the army
reorganization bill the friends of the
shipping bill had completed their en-
tire line of battle and had their forces
deployed for the most effective work.
SIS
What might have been expected has
udDD6uCu.
pie are uniformed regarding the pre-
else terms of the shipping BILL and
were they informed regarding it's terms
they would be unable to say whether
il was an equitable measure or not.
The enemies OF the bill have taken full
advantage of this situation, and they
have flooded the country with the most
0e,@o@ ton 04c 0On
ing it, with the effect that a great many
people, unable themselves to slft the
wheat from the chaff, have been car
ried away with the plausibility OF the
Misrepresentation of the enemy ana
have allowed grave doubts to arise in
their minds as to the propriety of per-
hitting the measure in the form rec
commended for passage by the senate
commerce committee to become law.
80
Take a senator with the experience or
Senator Mcmillan of Michigan, for in
stance. One might suppose that he had
been too long in public life to be mis-
led with false statements regarding
any great public measure, and yet he IS
reported to have led small cOterle or
powerful senators who were secretly
filled with doubts concerning the ship
ping bills provisions. When the truth
was uncovered, it was ascertained that
their most consuming fear was that the
amount of compensation for the steam
ships of the largest and swiftest type
was far too great. And yet the records
Of congress show that as far back as III
1890, over ten years ago, Senator Nc
MILAN is recorded as having voted to
pay to fast steamships under the terms
Of the postal subsidy act an amount of
compensation the equal of the highest
sum provided in the pending bill.
a%*
At that time, however, there was no
great American line in existence, and
those who might have feared the pos
sible effects of the creation of such
line were unable to concentrate their
opposition to the measure upon what
would be received by any existing line;
and so, as has been said, Senator Nc
MILAN and others voted for the bill
without any misgivings. Later on, to
be sure, the bill in question was cut
down in the house to an amount but
two-thirds of the original provisions,
and so amended it passed, with the re-
suit that where a number of transat-
lantic lines Of swift American steam
ships was confidently anticipated I'M
der the original provisions Of the bill
fv14o
~"&
And the line in question, periodically
endeavoring to carry the American
flac in the transatlantic trade in com.
petition with the most heavily subsi-
dize1 steamships of Great Britain,
Germany and France, has found the
fight a losing one, so much so that the
annual losses have gone into the hun
dreds of thousands Of dollars. In order
to enable this line to operate its ships
without loss and to increase their num-
Der the pending shipping bill restores
the amount originally fixed in the
postal subsidy bill as it passed the
senate with Senator McMillan's sup
port and vote, and now he concludes
that the compensation provided is too
high!
This conclusion arrived at by Sena-
tor Mcmillan is not the result of any
personal knowledge on his part Of the
actual cost of operating ships of this
type in the transatlantic trade, but is
largely due to the false statements
and the unjustfable criticisms that
have been, concentrated upon that fea-
ture of the bill which provided compen-
sation for swift steamships.
This is but one of the paradOXes dis
closed from a careful review of the ac-
tual feeling among Republican sena-
tors with respect to the shipping bill.
Fortunately, however, the extent OF
this feeling has been fully uncovered,
with the result that explanations have
been made on both sides that have
vastly cleared up matters and given
each side a better view Of the others
position Senator Mcmillan and the