Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-05-29

1 N'>>SSSSNSN III out lltcIUdl ueYolOD-
ment. Is there anything new or
strange in this? 1t Is good common
business sense. What difference in
principle is there between the State
government substituting railroads,
and the Federal government steam.
ship lines?
WHAT DOES BRYAN THINK OF
HIS POLITICAL PARTNER
OF 1896?
| have In my hand an article advo.
eating subsidies by Mr.. Sewall, who
was on the Bryan ticket In 1896. |
would like to know what Mr.. Bryan
thinks of the Democracy Of hl.; re-
cent political partner. since he has
attacked mine" Twenty years ago,
when wc wished to develop manu-.
featuring in South Carolina did we
not subsidize every cotton mill by
exempting 1t from taxation? What
progressive town or county has not
subsidized railroads OF other enter.
priscs essential to It's development,
| never saw an individual, who ever
amounted to anything. who was
| AFRAID to spend money on himself.
and so II is with towns, counties,
States and governments.
| VOTING SUBSIDIES TO RAIL
ROADS AND NEWSPAPERS.
Why should the Southern people.
in the face Of these facts, repud ate
| the spirit -. sixty yeas ago? What
| GROSS Inconsistency for Senator's ana
| Representatives to denounco the sub
sidy principle and endeavor to arouse
the prejudices Of the people, when
nearly every one Of them from the
South each year votes subsidy to
| the Southern Railroad for carrying
the fast mail to New Orleans
Why. fcllow-citlzens, they voted
| FOR Postofice Appropriation Bill at
the last session, with a subsidy of
/ thirty-fivc million dollars for carry
ing the mails. 1t Is really q subsidy
to the magazines ana newspapers Of
! the country, for the receipts arc that
, much less than tho expenditures for
that class Of mail. a subsidy of nine
| millions per year is much more dsfcn-
siblc. i'll my judgment, in the develop
mcnt cr our foreign trade We spend
millions Of dollars building naval YES
sells, useful only in times OF war.
/ why not build vessels useful both In
wnr ANA peace? Every vessel ac-
ccpting the subsidy Is part cf the
navy in time Of war The question
is not as to tho principle OF tho sub
siAy bill, that is Il pnrt of or cs-
tnh'ishcd policy. both State and Ma
tiOnal. but it is whether this particu-
lar subsidy is for the general wei.
/ fare. is it cNpcdicnt, is it wise, and
J shall! devote a few moments to this
aspect OF tho case. There was
time when, by government aid and
encouragement, we had merchant
marinc, and carried ninety per cent.
! Of our product; abroad Last ycar
only nine per cent. was carried III
American bottoms. Why is this?
EUROPE VS.. UNITED STATES.
1t is because in this contest OF ltu
rope against the United States, for
ciGn shipowncrs get subsidy from
their governments CT twenty mil
! lion dollars, besides the ADVANTAGE
of lower wages. and have thus driven
the American flag from the high seas.
We pay this subsidy to the foreign
ships in increased freight rates over
and over again. We are drained Of
two hundred millions year which
we pay foreign vessels IN frcights.
40 other country could stand such
a drain. After ALL then. we arc pay
ing Il subsidy. and hence 1t Is Qucs.
tiOn Of Whethor we will SulSidiZC
American or foreign vessels. 1t is
useless for me TO discuss before this
intelligent audience the Importance
Of our foreign trade. If Europe and
the United States arc to be cOmppti-
tors in tho markets OF the world. can
VIC afford to put ourselves entirely in
their hands? The power to fix
freight rates gives them the power
to fix tho price Of our cotton, wheat
and manufactured products,
Suppose there should be a general
European war. and the merchant
nj - INp ola MI
way was pressed in for transport
service What would be the effect
on cotton and cotton goods? tell
vou. that you would see cotton hauled
into tie streets Of Grcenvillc and not
sold at three cents. hut simply hauled
back home. There would he no
buyers, because there would be no
ships to carry cotton or cotton goods
abroad. business Of all kinds would
langush, and there would be failures
on every hand Conditions have
changed. before tho war We were
buyers abroad. now we arc sellers
We arc asking foreigners not to OK
change products, but to conc here to
buy. Nothing would suffer in case CT
q EuroDcan war like cotton. They
would have to come hn:c to buy
wheat corn. bacon. mules and horses.
as EnBIalil uiu III lHt lbO"r Nat, Dhi
they could do without cotton fer
rcnr Or SO. Al the ships would lc
needed for war uses. Foods;ufs high
and no sale for cotton, what could
| hurt the Soujh worse? What. then,
: is moro dependent on American ships
than the cotton croD?
Docs any man of common sense
suppose in this great contest for tho
,':radc of the Orient. that the ships Of
Germany and England arc SoifiE to
give us the same advantages that
| they do their own merchants? As MIR.