Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-01-19
Especial Correspondence.l

The American people have been favored
~ with vast amount of argument, SEEM
ingly directed against the shipping bill now
pending in congress, but really aimed at the
effort that is now being so strenuously
made to revive and build up our shipping
in the foreign trade. No missatement has
been too wild, no untruth too ridiculous,
no innuendo too base, no assertion of venal.
ity too absurd to fail of use in the hands Of
these malignant opponents Of American in
terests When the shipping bill first came
before congress, the suggestion wEs made
that swift ocean steamships were what were
most needed, mail carriers, vessels avail
able as auxiliary cruisers-ocean gray
hounds, in short; and itwa alleged that
the slow cargo carriers could take care of
themselves, that they needed no assistance,
they were profitable under present condi-
tons, and similar arguments.
When it was pointed out that there was
reason for government aid for slow ships,
carrying only cargoes, because they were
at a disadvantage in cost Of construction, if
American built, and at further disadvan-
tage in cost OF operation, if run by American
officers and seamen and firenen, and this
truth became known, then the enemy
turned right-about-face and declared that
the ships that are needed to build up the
American merchant marine are the cargo
carriers, the vessels that take away our
farm products, and not the swift passen-
ger steamships. The enemies of the shipping
bill have blown hot and blown cold, all in
the same breath, and the pity is that the
American people are so utterly uninformed
regarding the real facts concerning Amer
lean shipping-concernin any shipping
that they have been easily duped into be-
lieving the most eXtravagant things that
mind could concoct in order to fight and de-
feat the passage of the shipping bill.
AS a matter of fact the shipping bill is
carefully drawn, on the most scientific
lines, drawn SO as to barely enable Amer
lean built and American-manned ships to
compete with foreign ships on terms of
equality, and this is true of fast ships and
of slow ships of steamships and of sailing
ships-of any kind of American ships en-
gaging in the foreign carrying trade Of the
United Sthates The disadvantages they
labor under, bacause of higher cost in con-
struction, and because Of higher cost of op-
Grafton and because of the subsidies and
bounties given by foreign governments to
their merchant ships, have been carefully
reduced to dollars and cents, and the
amount of compensation provided in the
bill just offsets these disadvantages. With
out discussing the details of payments
this truth may be relied upon, no matter
what stories the enemy circulates in oppo.
sition.
And now, who are these enemies? Surely
they must be those whose interests w ID
suffer, or whose theories WI lie Is
proved, if a bill is passed sufficiently effect
i've to encourage the construction of Amer
can-built ships. These interests aud thlse
theorists are the foreign shipow;Lc.., th.ir
agents in this country, and the free trad
ers. Foreign ships now monopolize the cai-
rying of 81 per cent, of our imports and eX
ports, and they take away from this coun-
try fully $l50,O00,000 in gold or its equiv
alent each year just for their freight
charges. If American ships are built and
put on the ocean, they will compete with |
these foreign ships, they will reduce the |
cost of carrying our farm products and our |
abroad, they will force a |
freight rate war upon the ocean that viii be |
ierce and prolonged and during which there |
will be ever expanding opportunities for |
our people to increase their exports and Sc
,ure and hold new foreign markets for their
surplus products Naturally these foreign |
hipping interests will fight the shipping bill |
o the death, and they are known to be do
ng it in every way in their power.
The other enemies, equally as active, and
Imported by those first mentioned, are the
rec traders. American ships upon the sea
nave been unprotected in operation for 40
years, and their tonnage has decreased by
wothrds, while our commerce has in
reased fourfold. Only by protecting our
hips, as our land industries have been pro-
ected against foreign competition, can they
make head against foreign ships. The free
raiders fear another triumph of the Amer
can protective policy. Taking advantage
# this element of opposition, the foreign
hipping interests are supplying the Reform
!ub of New York with money in unlimited
Quantities to circulate its free-trade Liter
ture in opposition to the shipping bill And
his tells the whole story of the sources Of
opposition to the shipping bill.