The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1901-02-06
Especial Correspondence

Washington, d. c., Jan. IL
The American people have been favored
% with vast amount of argument, SEEM
ingly directed against the shipping bill now
pending in congress, but really aimed at the
effort that is now being SO strenuously
made to revive and build up our shipping
in the foreign trade. No missatement has
been too wild, no untruth too ridiculous,
no innuendo too base, no assertion of venal-
ity too absurd, to fail of use in the hands of
these malignant opponents of American in
terests. When the shipping bill first came
before congress, the suggestion was made
that swift ocean steamships were what were
most needed, mail carriers, vessels avail
able as auxiliary crusers-ocean gray
hounds, in short; and it was alleged that
the slow cargo carriers could take care of
themselves, that they needed no assistance,
they were profitable under present condi-
tions, and similar arguments.
When it was pointed out that there was
reason for government aid for slow ships,
carrying only cargoes because they were
at disadvantage in cost of construction, if
American built, and at further disadvan-
tageein cost Of operation, if run by American
officers and -seamen and iremen, and this
truth became known, then the enemy
turned right about-face and declared that
the ships that are needed to build up the
American merchant marine are the cargo
carriers, the vessels that take away our
farm products, and not the swift passen-
ger steamships. The enemies of the shipping
bill have blown hot and blown cold, all in
the same breath, and the pity Is that the
American people are so utterly uniformed
regarding the real facts concerning Amer
lean shipping concerning any shipping
that they have been easily duped into be-
lieving the most extravagant things that
mind could concoct in Order to fight and de-
feat the passage of the shipping bill.
AS matter of fact the shipping bill is
carefully drawn, on the most scientific
lines, drawn so as to barely enable Amer
ican-built and American manned ships to
compete with foreign ships on terms of
equality, and this is true of fast ships and
of slow ships, of steamships and of sailing
ships-of any kind of American ships en-
gaging in the foreign carrying trade of the
United Sthates. The Disadvantages they
labor under, because of higher cost in con-
struction, and because of higher cost of OPP
Grafton and because of the subsidies and
bounties given by foreign governments to
their merchant ships. have been carefully
reduced to dollars and cents, and the
amount of compensation provided in the
bill just offsets these Disadvantages. With
out discussing the details of payments
this truth may be relied upon, no matter
what stories the enemy circulates in oppo-
siton.
And now, who are these enemies? Surely
they must be those whose interests viii
suffer, or whose theories viii be dis
proved, if bill is passed sufficiently effect
i've to encourage the construction OF Amer
ican-built ships. These interests and these
theorists are the foreign shipowners, their
agents in this country, and the free trad
ers Foreign ships now monopolize the car
rying Of 81 per cent. Of our imports and ex-
ports, and they take away from this coun-
try fully $l5O,O00,0OO in gold or it's equiv
alent each year just for their freight
charges If American ships are built and
put on the ocean, they will compete with
these foreign ships, they will reduce the
cost of carrying our farm products and our
manufactures abroad, they will force
freight rate war upon the ocean that will be
fierce and prolonged and during which there
will be ever expanding opportunities for
our people to increase their exports and Sc
cure and hold new foreign markets for their
surplus products. Naturally these foreign
shipping interests will fight the shipping bill
to the death, and they are known to be do
ing it in every way in their power.
The other enemies, equally as active, and
supported by those first mentioned, are the
free traders. American ships upon the sea
have been unprotected in operation for AZ
years, and their tonnage has decreased by
two-thirds, while our commerce has in
creased fourfold. Only by protecting our
ships, as our land industries have been pro-
tected against foreign competition, can they
make head against foreign ships. The free
traders fear another triumph of the Amer
lean protective policy. Taking advantage
of this element of opposition, the foreign
shipping interests are supplying the Reform
club of New York with money in unlimited
quantities to circulate it's free-trade Liter
ature in opposition to the shipping bill. And
this tells the whole story Of the sources of
opposition to the shipping bill.
n WI