Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-01-23
Democrats Who Will Support the
Measure to Build Up Amer
lean Shipping.
GROWING SENTIMENT IN THE SOUTH
Improvement of Rivers and HarboEv
and the Construction of Larger
Ships Viewed with Approval by
Producers and Business Men,
Especial Correspondence

When the opponents Of the shipping bill
came to be finally counted, during the clos
ing days of the debate on the army bill in
the senate, the fact was uncovered that
few influential republicans were among
them. These men had certain notions that
the bill was inequtable in it's provisions, and
they had been in the habit of meeting and
comparing notes and assuring each other
that their suspicious were well grounded.
Finally, however, these objections were
brought to light, and, when that was accom-
plished, and the friends of the bill were
given chance to discuss these objections,
their apparent force melted away like snow
under summer sun. The result has been
that a few amendments have been agreed to
in the bill that cover every possible point
of doubt on the republican side, and they
are now all united in the senate in favor
of The bill as it stands.
When vote is reached on the shipping
bill there will be disagreeable revelation
to the democrats of few of their own
members who will support It, Not less than
half a dozen democrats have, one way and
another, indicated that they may be relied
upon to support and to vote for the bill, and
they explain, too, that this is, largely, in
obedience to urgent requests from their con-
stituents. Nowhere IN this country is this
more in evidence than in the south, where,
hitherto, opposition has been so general to
all forms of government aid, at least on the
part of the statesmen representing southern
constituencies, as to have caused feeling
of despair at times among their more pro-
gressive and up-to-date colleagues from the
north and west.
The Improvement of rivers and harbors in
the. south, followed by the construction of
much larger ships for the carriage of south
ern export products, and the consequent re-
duction in freight rates and increase III di-
rect returns to the producers, have been OBJ
ject lessons of immense value to the south
ern business men, and the fact is slowly
dawning upon those whom they send to
congress to represent them. No longer is
there opposition in the south to the i'm
provement of rivers and harbors; indeed,
there is more money likely to go into the
Improvement of the great seaports of the
south, and especially of the gulf, and its
tributary streams, than into the north. The
direct benefits from this have been felt in
every hamlet, village and city in the south,
whether located upon a nayigable stream
or not.
So, toe, it is beginning to be felt through
out the south that the construction of the
Nicaragua canal will be an undertaking of
the most far-reaching benefit to the south,
and the people of that section are begn-
ming to appreciate the wisdom of Senator
Morgan's valiant fight for that great water
way. The spending of $l50000,000, or even
P2OO, 900, for the construction of the Nj
caragua canal, it is beginning to be believed
throughout the south, will have benefit
each year, upon the increased markets
abroad for their surplus products that will
repay them, and the nation, too, each year
for the total sum of the expenditure.
And, with these thoughts crowding one
another upon the southern mind, it is quite
easy and logical for southerners to appreci-
ate the value of ships of our own, doing our
own foreign carrying, and keeping the whole
of the $4,000, 900 at home that is now spent
every yea for ocean freights that are paid to
foreign ship oVners, and by them taken from
the country, to the loss of our national
wealth, to the deprivation of our own peo-
pie of employment, and to the strengthen
ing of the auxiliary naval resources of our
foreign rivals. In these circumstances the
expenditure of s9,OOO,0OO year to save
from $175, 900, 900 to $3.50 600 900 year is not
a proposition ether to brighten the average
American citizen or call forth his protest.
In fact, the demand for just this kind of a
thing is becoming quite unanimous among
the business men of the country, south,
waSt north anI ooc+