Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-02-22
Friday, February %, 1901.
SHIP SUBSIDY BILL.

ne Dill creates no favOrs, il fosters
no interests, but II lays down universal
rules by which the capital and enter
prise of the people can demand thei,
share of this subsidy. 1t is restricted TO
no class of vessels, but is given upon .
scale adjusted, after most careful con
sideration, to every kind and every ton
mage oil steamship, ~ the sailing ships
and to the fostering and encouragement
of our fisheries. which are the nurseries
Of our seamcn."
This is the gist Of Senator Depew' s
argument in favor of Mr.. Hanna's
ship subsidy bill. The features
of the bill are not sufficiently
known to us to exploit it to our
; readers, but when the distinguished
New York Senator declares that il
would create no favors we know
enough of the matter to disbelieye
his statements. 1t is to be regretted
that the United States merchant
marine is so small. Also that many
vessels which are built here operate
under the flag of England or some
other foreign country. We suppose
two reasons are to great extent the
cause of this. England offers more
ports of entry and broader CONNER
cial advantages. When a trade is
damaged, or personal rights and
property trampled upon, England
has always been quick to demand
reparation of the offending nation.
For these two reasons, if there were
no others, the merchant service is
advanced by floating the English
flag. 1t would seem that the
United States could in SOME wav
Offset these advantages without
paying a bounty to vessels built
and trading under our Gag. The
ship subsidy bill is intended as
nothing more~nor less than a gouge
OF American tax payers. Better
Tar pay small bounty upon every
bushel of wheat or corn raised than
to donate the tax money of farmers
and others to wealthy ship builders.
1t is class Legislation of the rankest
type, and we do not understand how
Mr.. Depew could have had the nerve
to make the statement that it created
no favorites. Every maritime inter-
est might be equally favored, but
they would constitute favored class
within themselves.
The argument has been advanced
that the passage of the bill would
create demand for seamen, and
thus benefit labor. The truth is
that no willing, competent able.
bodied seaman need now 90 with
out good berth. Even if il
advanced labor on this line it
would advantage but small por-
ton of our population as compared
with the many who would have to
foot the bills. There would be hordes
of European salts flocking to this
country to take advantage Of the rise
in seamen's wages, and are we to sup
port such rabble?
A most serious question confronts
our people to-day. Millions of one
time productive acres are lying idle
because of the dearth of labor, while
the owners can hardly pay the taxes
upon them. The colored as we'll as
the white laborer is fast going to the
cities and to the seacoast. Farms
that were once worth their thousands
and produced wealth which created
a world commerce are now praeti-
cally worthless, and all because it is
impossible to procure hands to till
them.
Better, as we have said, encourage
agriculture; and when this is done
internal wealth will increase and
American commerce flourish upon
the high seas.