Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-01-25

ties for turning out vessels. contracts
for mercantile craft alone on the At
lantic and Pacific coasts amount to
$3O,OOO,OO0, and it is now almost q
certainty that more new tonnage will
60 into the water under the American
flag in 1901 than in any previous year
In the history of the country.
THE fact that America Is building
ships for foreign governments, which
have had the world for q market In
which to buy their ships, shows plain.
" that there Is an advantage in our
favor on the first cost of the ship. The
fact that building and sailing American
ships In competition with the fleets of
the world has enabled few Americans
to pile up colossal fortunes shows that
we can operate the ships as cheaply
as the foreigners can operate their
craft.
"Of the grainships en- route to Port
land at the present time rs fly the
German flag, while Great Britain, for
the first time in the history Of the port,
has dropped back to second place, with
put ~ ships. Over two-thirds of these
German ships were built and owned by
the British until q short time ago. AS
matter of fact half Of them have
passed from the British to the German
Tag within the past three years. No
subsidy was asked or needed when
Germany decided to increase her
merchant marine, but she said to her
subjects, Go forth into the markets of ]
the world and Punches eaHhisi,eess In smoke.
a, Washington, Jan. 21.-More than so
! 600 pension claims in the Office of Nil
. b. Stevens & Co. were destroyed in tn
fire at night. Many of the papers wer
to be used as evidence in attempting I
: secure favorable action. by the pensio
a office on claims, and cannot De repIacel
j In addition to the pension claims theu
me present momen,, m,rds eaf-1.'os /
pie Of the United States are urging |
congress to remove q large portion |
Of the burden Of taxation imposed by |
the war with Spain, is q most In
opportune one for the Introduction
of bill whose object is to draw from
the treasury some 100000 per year
for period Of 20 years, even though
the ostensible aim Of the measure is the
building of our merchant marine. Not
only, however, is the ship subsidy bill
inopportune; its object is entirely I'M
just. The proposed bill is, indeed, in
line with the proposition to establish
a parcels post; in the one case as in
the other the money Of the people is
to be used for the benefit Of a few,
the few in this case being q limited
number of owners Of ships. Still worse,
not only would our citizens be required
to pay large sum for the benefit of
American shipbuilders, but it appears
that this bill. If enacted into law, would
furnish bounties to many foreign built
vessels, since it provides that foreign
built ships, Of which 81 per cent or
more is owned in America, are to be
allowed to participate In half sub
sidy If their owners agree to build
ships Of an equal tonnage in American
yards.
The Merchants association of New
York has strenuously opposed the pas
sage Of the measure and adopted res
olution to the effect that the bill now
pending before congress is counter to
public sentiment and in conflict with
the public good in admitting foreign
tonnage to American registry and one.
half subsidy.