The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-30
ASSAILS The HANNA BILL
Representative Thayer Attacks the
Bounty Measure in the Hcuse.
Declares Tint the Subsidy scheme
Has Been Framed for the Benefit
of Few Ship Owners, and Not i'll
the Interest of the american Mer-
chant Ha-inc-utiIity Of the Plan.

Representative Thayer of Massa-
chusetts, during consideration of the Ag-
ricultural Appropriation bill in the House
yesterday made a vigorous attack upon
the Hanna Ship Subsidy bill. The speech
was received with close attention By the
Democratic members, and by several Re-
publicans, notably Messrs. HIT Brosius.
Hill of Connecticut and Southland. Mr..
Thayer in part said:
Mr. Chairman, l am opposed to pa
ternal Government, nor am / in favor of
converting the Office of Secretary of the
Treasury into great distributing centre
OF the Governments revenues purely for
the Secretary of the Treasury must as
sumo the role of the national almoner.
then there should be some discretion used
as to who shall be the recipient of his
charity. The poor and the deserving we
have with US always and if a plethoric
Treasury can best be emptied by gratui-
tous contributions. let us feed the widows
and the fatherless and the needy poor
rather than the fattened trusts and COM
bines, domestic. foreign or amalgamated.
The people in this country are beseeching
Congress for redress against the great
evils which follow the amassing of capital
in the hands of the favored few. They call
us to witness the fact that four billions Of
property and water have been capitalized
in two years in a single State during this
Administration, that competition in trade
has been destroyed and monopoly estab-
lished in most of the great enterprises in
this country. and the wheels of the great
trust Juggernaut are crushing out indi-
vidual thrift and enterprise in its unre-
strained and unchallenged course.
Prices of products and the necessities
of life advance or decline at the sweet
will OF the trust producer, regardless of
cost or necessity. and with purpose Gin
gle to the ultimate benefit of the combine.
The chief cause of all this has been al
tributed by some of the great thinkers Of
the times to the policy Of high protecting
tariff laws which have heen in vogue for
the last four years. do not wholly and
unreservedly accept this explanation of
the problem and hold high tariff RESPONSE
bic for all the denominations Of the trusts
and combines, for their creation and
maintenance, but whether the high tariff
is or is not responsible for the great curse
which has befallen US, still l believe hig1
tariff is as an angel of light in compar-
iSOH Win illlo HltptsGu 6uto-1s AAAa-
The Foreign-BuiIt ships.
you will observe that by the provi-
sions OF this bill foreign built ships can
be admitted to the American registry and
receive so per cent of the bounty provid-
ed for home made ships, provided the for
eign built ships are registered in a given
time-I believe five years-and their own
ers build here ships of an equal amount
of tonnage, and the bounty shall be ex-
tended to all foreign-registered ships for
ten years, provided they are registered
prior to a certain date. Here, you see
the invitation is extended and the door
way opened for the foreigners to walk
in and partake of our bounty.
Senator Frye is of the opinion that moi
more than 300 000 tons of foreign built
steamships Will apply for registry under
this bill. Now, it happens that there are
in New York four corporations and firms
who already own or control about fifty
foreign built ships of about 100000 ton
mage. They are as follows: The Inter
ma .ional Navigation Steamship Company
Is ships, tonnage, 102, 900; Atlantic Trans
port Company, 16 ships, tonnage, ia 900:
T. Hogan & Sons, u ships, Tonnage 1000;
f. e. Bliss, ships, tonnage. 9l.0GO
These you see are already in condition to
register under the provisions Of this bill
and receive the bounty. But this is not
all The International Navigation Steam
ship Company is about completing in Eng
lish yards $4,000 tons Of hlgh-class steam
ships, and these, too, Will be in condition
to avail themselves of our generous dOna-
tions.
Now. assuming. as Senator Frye sug-
gests, that these are the only owners OF
foreign built ships who Will register
under the provisions Of this bill, what s
to prevent these parties from selling out
after registry TO some Of the great
steamship companies OF Germany, B l.
gium and Britain?
These American corporations and in
diyiduals are not doing business On senu-
ment, but solely to make money, and II
they could make more by going oaJ than
by staying in, they would sell out to the
foreign steamship companies whenever
they could make the most, and there is nc
provision of this bill which could prevent
it being done.
Beneficiarics of the Bill.
"This may be explained upon the theory
| of merely coincidence; but coincidence
or not, it has set people to thinking anc
tongues to wagging. and the claim is free
ly made that the beneft laries of this bill
| are already selected. This may be an.
other coincidence, but it is very unfortu
nate that the promoters and authors o
| this bill are so nearly allied TO thesC
| companies. 1t does not look well anC
| does not sound we'll, and has already Leei
| the subject of much unfavorahle com
ment.
| Mr.. Chairman, from whence cometl
! this bill? This bill was considered, dis
cussed drawn, and presented in all it
main features just as we find il today, L
the Committee on Commerce on the par
of the Senate by a select committee. On
of its main purposes, so says its advo
Gates, is to reduce the rates on exports.
large part of which, at least in weight
are the products Of agriculture. l havr
| said, and I say again, that l do not be
! lieye a barrel of -four will be carried from
! our ports to any foreign port one cen
| cheaper if this bill becomes law than i
| will be II it does not. And let me sa.
| further that | do not believe it ever en-
| tered the minds of the promoters OF thi
! scheme to tighten the burdens Of tn,
| farmers of this country a feathers weight
| This bill is purely d steamship company
| bill drawn solely in their interests. Thii
| will the more readily appear If we con
| slider who the promoters were and in wha
| they are engaged. Who were this com
mittee of twenty-five that the Committee
on Commerce took into its confidence t,
aid it in considering and drafting thi
, bill?
They were Charles H. Cramp, ship
builder in Philadelphia; c. p Hur tlngton
| shipbuilder at Newport News: Samue
| S. Sewell, at the head of the largest ship
| building and ship sailing company il
! Maine: Edwin W. Hyde, in the mex
largest shipbuilding company in Maine
c. A. Griscom, President OF the American
Line of Steamships; Joseph b. Grace, rep
resenting a steamship line between New
| Ynrl, and ChiIe: 81. p. Booth. Presideni o