The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-15
LETTER ON THE SITUATION.
From Hon. T. C. Crenshaw, Chair
man of the Railroad Commission
of GPOrgfa.


sured me for the views expressed in a
recent letter to Senator McLaurin of
South Carolina. 1 gave my rea-
sons for opposing any at
tempt to disfranchise the ne
gro voters of the South, and express
ed myself in favor of expansion as the
true Democratic doctrine, as well as the
best American policy.
l will now take up the subject of our
merchant marine trade with the Orient,
the currency and Mr.. Bryan as a Dem
ocratic leader
The question of subsidy is not new
one. 1t has been invoked alike by Dem
ocrats and Republicans. In the last 100
years, and especially from 1910 to 1860,
the Democratic party was a party of
progress as well as power. Under the
inspiration of it's great leaders, plans
were laid out for the development of
our country. Expansion and subsidy
were the best of all these ideas, which
were then advocated by the Democ-
racy. Every foot of territory, except
the bleak region of Alaska and the vol
canic hills of the Hawaiian group of
the Sandwich Islands, was acquired I'M
der Democratic administrations.
Almost every railroad line in the
early days of the country was subsid-
died, either directly or indirectly. The
state of Alabama gave subsidy of 81
per ton on every ship constructed in her
yards, and Louisiana gave a like sub
sidy of IS per ton. The great
railroad lines connecting the Atlantic
and the Pacific were built by
subsidies. In this way we have Sc
cured unrivalled railroad facilities, and
how H.
trade. In agricultural lines, we now
supply Europe with foodstuffs; and in
manufactured products, we have suffi-
Gent for twice the needs of our own
people. We have become the rivals of
Europe for the commerce of the world
No section of the country is so much
interested in the Orient as the South.
In space not much larger than the
United States live about 600, 000, 900 peo-
pie, and one of the greatest problems
which confront them is to find some
material out of which to make cloth
ing. The markets of China have been
opened up, and those people are be-
ginning to learn the advantages of
cheap cotton cloth, instead of silk
The mills of the South are supplying
the coarse. cheap fabrics needed in
those far-off lands. There is no doubt
that to-day the United States on one
side, and Europe on the other are in
the beginning of a foreign commercial
rivalry for the trade of the Orient.
There is no use to discuss the ques-
ton of expansion; we have already ex-
banded, however men may differ as
TO the wisdom of the policy. The mo-
ment that the Paris treaty was rati-
fled, expansion became a fixed fact.
Every Southern man who is posted on
the situation favors the construction
OF the Isthmian canal. Now. as a bust
ness proposition, why should we go to
the expense of developing and civiliz-
ing 10000 people living in the Phil
ippine Islands? Why should we send
our armies and missionaries to develop
China and open those markets, and
spend $500, 1000, 900 in the construction of
canal? II we are to sit still and
permit the European nations to reap
the financial benefits that flow from
this lavish outlay of money, and de-
sire on our part a share of the Orien-
TAI trade, the only way for us
to get the full benefit of expansion
and the canal. is to develop an Ameri-
can merchant marine. The power to
nix freight rates implies the power to
NIX the price of our goods. Does any
one suppose that the ships of Ger
many, England and France will give
the same advantages to American
merchants and manufacturers as to
their own? The question arises, how
are we to build up a merchant marine
The aggregate of the subsidies grant
ed by European governments, either
directly or indirectly, amounts to
| about $4,000. 900; they have the advant-
age of cheaper freights, which lessons
cost in many other ways. In order to
compete with this we must fight the
devil with fire." All that is to be done
in the way of subsidy, as l under
stand it, is to apply the principal
which has proven so successful in the
development of our interstate trade to
the development of export trade.
There is not a town that has devel-
oped and grown into a city that has
not at some period of it's history either
made application for a subsidy in some
| shape or form, or has given it to some
public utility or industrial enterprise.
The objection has been made by
many that too much of the money to
be paid under the proposed bill goes to
the fast ships, and too little to the
| freight-carrying vessels. AS a matter
| of common sense, ii seems to me that
this objection is easily answered. The
ship subsidy bill is for the building
and development of our American
merchant marine-that means a fleet
of vessels capable of competing with a
| foreign fleet of vessels, and a fleet OF
| this kind is necessarily composed OF
| both fast and slow vessels. 1t is man.
| ifestly impossible to develop an Ameri-
| can merchant marine composed OF
nothing but slow vessels. 1t seems
that the fast vessels require an
outlay of money to run them, out OF
proportion to the differences in speed
| the expense increasing in arthmetical
| progress, and in the distribution OF
subsidy. The only subsidy that has
ever been granted to a steamship line
was that given the Collins line OF
| steamers by the Democratic admins
tration of James X. Polk. 1t is inter-
| esting to note the effect of this sub
sidy Instead of granting it under the
general welfare clause, or without
strings tied to it, they did 1t in the
form of carrying the mail just as they
now grant subsidies to both steam
ships and railroad lines. AT first, even
this small amount given to the Col
Inns line looked as If IL would rapidly
develop our shipping interest; but UNI
der the law as it existed at that time
steamers We're required to sail on a
certain day at given hour from Lily
erpool, Germany and Norway. AS soon
as the Collins steamers would enter a
port, foreign ships would lay alongside
| of her, knowing that she had to leave
at a certain time. and would offer to
take freights at any price, and then SC
soon as the Collins steamer left, they
would put the price up. of course. il
was only a matter of time when this