The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1901-01-10
THE SUBSIDY BILL
SENATOR FRYE EXPLAINS DENE-
FITS OF THE MEASURE.
shows Very Clearly Tint the Build
ing Up of American shipping Will
BE OF Direct Advantage to All the
People of the United States.
Washington Correspondents:

SupJectS, as IL Is 10 tnem,
more than to any other national ques-
tions, that he has devoted, more OF his
attention during his more than a quar-
ter OF a century In congress-. Being
chairman Of the committee on com
merce OF the senate. these questions
are constantly forcing themselves upon
his attention in the most practical OF
ways. and 1t is his decision that ia
often decisive for or against Il easur
affecting these subjects. Not alone is
he remarkably well versed in all of the
Details that appertain to our shipping
upon The ocean, in the foreign trade,
but he is quite as we'll posted concern
ing our vast coastwise and inland
During each SESSION OF con
gress, moreover, he is Obliged to famil-
iarize himself with the details of the
commerce Of ZACH river and harbor OF
the country. in order to intelligently
decide upon items in the river and
harbor improvement bill.
II is not too much. to say. in thes.
circumstances. that Senator Frye is q
yeritable human commercial and mar,
thine encyclopedia. 1t is this. of course.
gives great weight to his express
ions. and the greatest weight to his
opinions. 1t is seldom. IL ever, that he
is found lacking In any Of the myriad
details affecting the vast commercial
and maritime interests for which his
position requires that he shall take the
lead In legislating. And it is not re.
markab BILE, in these particular matters,
that his colleagues in the senate should
repose the most implicit confidence in
his judgment. and generally accept his
judgment as their own. When to this
may be added the remarkable fact that
he has never yet reported a bill favor
ably from his commerce committee to
the senate that has not been passed by
that body, some idea Of the extent of
his influence among his colleagues may
be obtained.
So, 1t was that. when Senator Frye
rose to speak in the senate, a day OF
two after the short session began, on
the shipping bill hat has been before
the country. because 1t has been be-
fore congress for the past three years,
his colleagues gave the closest atten7
ton to all that he said, The extent of
the details of the subject may be un-
derstood when il is known that the
senator consumed several hours on
twolsuccessive, days to say all. that he
wished to say concerning the recent
history leading up to the shipping bill,
and in making plain every detail of
the. measure. The memory OF no man
can go back to a time when Senator,
Frye delivered a more thorough; ana
lytical. exhaustive, detailed and con-
yincing speech onthe great subject of
IN merchant marine than In his last
great effort In the senate.
That the people Of the country are
still reading and digesting his speech
is shown ~conclusively in the demands
upon hin for copies of it. Certain SEN
ators and representatives have asked,
for several hundred copies. each, in
order to place them in the hands of
their influential constituents. and it is
hsafe to. say that the general know,
ledge the country over regarding our
maritime conditions and needs will be
infinitely more widespread and accu-
rate as a result OF the delivery of that
speech. than 1t has ever been before.
Feeling hat the readers of these let
tiers would like to have a wordIo two
from the senator on the subject Of his
shipping bill, I sought him out. ana
asked him what he could say, in a
condensed form, hat could be readily
grasped and understood by the busy.
millions. To this he replied as fol-
lows:
THE people will be for O. against
the bin, as their minds are satisfied
o two cardinal points, namely Ql
Will 1t cheaper the cost of carrying
exports, and () VIII IL be a BEN
eft to the whole nation. On the first
point. / am convinced. that from the
very start American ships will be COM
PEELED to carry our foreign commerce
more cheaply than foreign ships do
now, to wrest from them any of that
business. The benefit of this goes
right back to the producers, whose
products are worth more or less as the
cost OF transportation to the consumer
is. cheap or dear. We may be sure,
then. that the producers. and by this /
mean the FARMERS. the men employed
in the mills. in the mines and In the
factories, will all receive a direct per-
sonal benefit. But the advent Of
American ships will be sure to precip-
tate a war of freight rates with the
foreign ships that now do our carry
ing. and here is is that I feel, sure
there will be a reduction, for years, or
fully Is ger cent. In our present freight
rates-a reduction that will mean a
saving OF fully $50. 900, 0C0 year to the
American people IN this one item alone.
This makes the expenditure of 50, 000,-
600 as an aid to our ships as a mere
bagatere by comparison.
LAS to the second point: Our for
eign commerce., now worth two and.a
half billions of dollars a year, is a
nursery for seamen employed on for.
eign ships, the cost of which latter,
impoverish and weaken ourselves. II
paid for by the American people. Both
these ships and these men may be used