The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1901-11-07
The Ship-Subsidy Bill.

The general subsidy proposal has
Amounted in effect to this that in
stead of employing the worlds ocean
tonnage at the most favorable pos
sible rates to do our freighting for
us, we should tax ourselves in order
to pay American ship-owners the
higher prices that they would de-
mand before being willing to go ex-
tensively into the business. Our
foreign trade has been growing by
leaps and by bounds-more rapidly,
indeed, than any country's foreign
trade has ever grown before-during
this very period in which the advo-
Gates of subsidy has been lamenting
over our disadvantages in the matter
of foreign commerce as due to the
lack of American-owned merchant
ships. The best way to promote
American foreign commerce is to
make some tariff relaxations, to in
crease the navy steadily, and to build
the trans-Isthmian canal as quickly
as possible. Then if American trade
seems to depend upon the establish
ment of steamship lines, 1t may be
found feasible to grant small subsi-
sides, prescribed for very brief
Period of years, to encourage the es-
tablishments of frequent and efficient
steamship service between specified
South American and North American
ports. We have reached the time
when the growth of American trade,
the vast increase in the volumn OF
American capital, and the revolution
in the methods of doing business are
completely changing all the condi-
tions. American industrial and COM
mercial life has changed so much in
the few years since Senator Frye be-
gan to advocate his steamship subsidy
measure that arguments which might
have had much weight at that time
are relatively obsolete now. Within
another five years an American trust
may have decided to buy up the prin-
cipal steamship lines of the world and
operate them under the American
flag. In other words, any possible
advantage that could be expected
under a modest little steamship sub
sidy measure could not begin to COM
pare, as change-producing motive
force in the economic world, with
the stupendous change-producing
force that are already at work. This
being the case-and American in
dustry and commerce being at present
the largest beneficiaries of the new
economic methods and forces-why
not be patient for a year or two and
see what further growth the Amer
lean merchant marine may have with
out gifts from the national Treasury?
The wiser course is to lessen trade
shackles, enormously improve our
consular system, and give the Ameri-
can merchant every kind of reason
able and intelligent aid in develop
ing new markets. The Standard Oil
SOmpdHy Ids uO tiOuUiC Ah ohiPPih6
its products wherever 1t can develop
market. The American Fruit Com
pany has provided a great feet for
its growing West Indian trade. The
transcontinental railway interests,
like those under the direction of Mr..
J. j. Hill, are capable of providing
ocean tonnage for our expanding
Oriental trade. The country would
not be much surprised to find the
American Sugar Refining Company
running a West Indian line of it's
own, or some great American COM
bination, endeavoring to supply the
demand of the United States for
coffee, buying Brazilian plantations
and providing ito own direct steam
ship service. From 'sThe Progress of
The World, q In the American Review
Of Reviews for November.