The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-11-13
sub.idIe. and occnn Trnmc.

Reports from London are to the eff
feet that American capitalists have Sc
cured heavy interests in d Hamburg
American line Of steamers. and that
various trans-Auautic steamship COM
panies are negotiating with a view to
mutual agreement not To lower fares
or freight rates In these items OF
news we have two conclusive argu-
ments against any scheme Of shipping
subsidies.
The purchase of foreign steamship
lines and the acquiring of large stock
interests in others. furnishes the
strongest evidence that American fin
anciers Will invest in ocean traffic as
rapidly as conditions viii justify. In
business forced and unnatural stimu-
Iants should always be avoided. Cen
orally they are followed by disastrous
reactions. and when the stimuIant is in
the form of a bounty. it is always rank
with injustice To other people. There
never was and never viii be a scheme
of subsidy the benefits of which We're
distributed with any approach to equal
ity. Inequality is the basic idea per
na-Frye subsidy was 70 benefit all
classes alike. il would have no spon-
sOrs, for nobody would have any spe-
cial object in pressing it.
The second point is more important
and suggestive II the Subsidy bill
should go through, the most Of the
benefits would iuure TO two or three
wealthy navigation companies. Per
haps single corporation would come
in for the lions share. But whether
there were one, OF two. or three. or
more. it is absolutely certain that We
should very quickly have "A steamship
trust, fOsteTed, strengthened, and en-
riched by largesses from the National
Treasury Unless the people as body
are to derive some little benefit from
the subsidy there is literally nothing
TO be said in its favor The sight Of
the American flag flying over a line Of
Atlantic steamers may be gratifying 10
our national sentiment, but if that is
all there is of it, we can hardly afford
60 indulge the sentiment at an expense
Of many millions OF dollars annually.
We may be very sure that those who are
pressing the subsidy are not actuated
by sentimental considerati tons. but are
grasping eagerly for the unright-cus
profits TO accrue.
The circumstance that the giant in
dustriaI trusts are bonUsed by the tariff
does not make them any more generous
in their treatment Of the public Rath-
er the reverse, for il enriches and
strengthens them to such an extent
that they actually become more AFRO
CANT and eXactiUg. Can there be any
doubt that their actions would be the
same on sen The men who are urg-
ing on the Shipping Subsidy bill. if not
the same Individuals. are of the same
ilk as those who are at the head Of the
trusts on land. They are closely con-
nected in a business way, and to some
extent there seems 10 be an individual
identity. It is far easier to form a trust
in ocean steamships than il IS in manu-
featuring, and We may be sure that the
passage Of a Subsidy bill would be fol-
lowed very promptly by an agreement
for the maintenance Of fares and
freight rates. In the absence Of any
such consideration the subsidy princi-
ole is all wrong, but it is well also to
keep in view the more obnoxious fea-
lures Of the scheme