Washington sentinel., 1901-02-02
New EnElMnd's Fisheries Boosted
az Public Expense.

lLAL VI AAAG AA@W ASA - Aea~@
and the facility with which they
obtain special privileges under the
laws Of the United States has also
been remarked These character
istics we're referred to by Senator
Vest in his speech on the Ship
Subsidy bill last week. Upon the
prairres of Missouri, he said, the
poor farmer, struggling to support
his family and educate his children,
killing a few hogs or a beet to fur
nish meat for his W nteT's use,
must pay the price for salt which
is asked by the great salt trust,
protected and created by the Ding
ley tariff law. The meat packer
Of the West, great or small, is at
the mercy today OF the great salt
trust. But the fisherman Of New |
England receives his salt free with |
which to cure his hsh by a special
enactment in the DinglsV law.
The farmer ot Missouri and ot
the other Western States who
wants to erect an humble cabin in
which to rear his offspring and
shelter them from the blasts and
SHOWS OF winter must pay and has
been paying an increase Of As per
cent during the last fourteen
months upon lumber to the great
lumber trust which is day by day
enriching the lumber barOns Of the
Northwest. They are at the mercy
Of this trust, and appeal IN vain to
the Republican party, now in the
majority, tor relief. Yet the people
Of New England receive their lum.
Der today free by a special enact
ment in the Dingley law. They
own enormous tracts Of lumber
land in Canada, and under the pro-
visions OF the Webster. Ashburton
treaty of IS4s they are per mItted,
alter putting up large mills,worked
by Canadian labor. to saw this
lumber, and then float it down the
St. Johns River into New England
without paving one cent tax TO the
Treasury oil the United States.
And now the fishing industry OF
New England is to receive fnrther
evidence OF Congressional solici-
tude. There is a clause in the
shipping bill which provides that
all documented vessels Of the
United States engaged in the deep
sea fishery for three months out OF
twelve, one-third oi the crew being
United States citizens, shall re-
ceiVe Ss per ton for the twelve
months, and that every American
citizen shipping upon such vessel
shall receive 81 extra pay per
month, out Of the Treasury Of the
United States, so long as be re-
mains upon a voyage.
This provision is defended on
the ground that it will furnish a
nursery Tor sailars on the nava
vessels Of the United States. The
vessels engaged IN the deep sea
q hsk.~G are SAILING ysssels M
steam vessels. Ihe rsailors upOr
our ships a4e.-not sailors at all
tt ey live beneath the decks. They
are stokers, 6remen. gunners, en-
, grneers, marines The old sallol
Of Gloucester, who fought the
naval battles OF 1912 and 1915. ha!
passed from the foreign commerce
Of the world. Take one OF the
greYhounds OF the American Line
or of the Cuna.d or White Stsi
Line for Europe, and il you see ;
sailor at all, a genuine sailor, dur
ing the whole voyage it is an acct
dent. These vessels only carry
enough sailors today to rig the
sails in the event OF an accident tC
the steam machinery. Steam !!
the great propellIng power. A.
the Commissioned OF Navigation
says in his report for 1900, sailing
vessels are becoming a thing o
the past and are fast disappearing
irom'the foreign trade ofthe world
What nursery is it, then. for the
navy OF the United States to take
fishermen from little smacks, un.
acquainted with steam machinery
and undertake to make them the
fighting sailors required on ouI
great war ships1 It is an absurdlty
on the face oi it. The purpose is
to encourage the fishing trade on
the banks of Newfoundland and
the coast Of New England, and ia
make the people Of the country
pay this additional bounty to
American citizens who are en-
gagged as seamen upon these YES
sells.
Truly, thrift is a commendable
virtue, especially the New England
brand. What puzzles us, however,
is how they came to be satisfied