Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-05-25

that time the 1nSurrectlOn was III prog
ress, and my common sense told me
there was but one Of two things to do.
Either put enough men in the field to
crush the rebellion, or quit and come
home. I believed in the former plan
and so voted.
Fellow citizens, there is a great deal
Of claptrap talked even in the United
States senate. About one-half of those
mournful speeches on the great danger
of "Imperialism" and "Militarism"
were for home consumption and the
most of them were made after a COM
Portable beefsteak and a bottle or
"Mumm's Extra Dry" I see that since
the rebellion is over, the president says
that he will take the minimum amount,
Surely, fellow citizens, I could AFFORD
to trust a man on a question of that
kind whom the people of the United
States had elected to the presidency.
Why not exercise a little common
sense-it is simple application of the
rule of three. If an army of 10000 men
is required for population of 35,OOO,-
900 people, is an army of $1,000 men too
much for a nation of 76,000,000? Con-
gress has for four years been spending
money along the caoSts and buying eX-
pensive guns, and absolutely many of
them are lying out and rusting for
want of men.
The Subsidy Bill.
Now, fellow citizens, this brings me
to the much discussed subsidy bill. In
the first place, it is astonishing to me
what a misconception there is as to
this matter. There has never been a
vote on the subsidy bill, and yet, even
my good friend, General Butler whom
I love like father, speaks of "McLau-
rims vote on the subsidy bill" There
never was a vote on the subsidy bill,
and it was we'll understood at the time
that I made my speech that there
would not be a vote at that session. II
desired to deceive the people and play
an unworthy part, I might just as well
have kept silent and not had that is
sue in this campaign; but I felt that
the people should be educated on this
important measure. My vote was of
no practical value under any circum-
stances, because, if it could have
been brought to vote, there was a
majority of 1S to 20 in favor of the bill.
I did not intend just at that time to
make set speech on the bill. I arose
in my seat to present the resolution
of the Cotton Spinners' association, and
before I knew it I had drifted into a
speech on the general principles of the
bill. What is known as the Hanna
Payne bill has already been changed
so much that the authors of the bill
would not know it if they met in the
road. There was at the time great
many amendments pending, and no
BODY ever knows what bill Of that
sort will be until it passes the
conference committee between the
two houses. This bill never went so far
1N% a1@ 1nrofn mr.
ence. So far as I am concerned I do not
profess to be a master of the subject
When you enter the realm of ocean
freights, with the relative cost of
high knot and low knot speed, tonnage
and wages, it takes an expert to under
stand it. Senator Frye is a very
able man, and I do not believe
there is a more honest one in the
American congress. He has devo-
ted 25 years to the study of these ques-
tions, and yet have no doubt that you
could find some members Of the South
Carolina legislature who never saw a
bigger ship than canoe on mill
pond, who know more than Senator
Frye. or anybody else, on the subject
of shipping and ocean freights.
Only "SteaI" When Not Coming
Their Way.
One of the great objections to the
subsidy is they call it "steal." Well
fellow citizens. that is a very poor ar
gument; opponents Of the river and
harbor, postoffice, or any other bill can
make the same charge. / was little
amused to see the head lines Of The
News and Courier, 1.-THE Ship Subsidy
Steal" when in the same week the
mayor of. Charleston and the editor OF
that paper were in Washington want
ing $9,000,000 spent on a naval station,
and a subsidy of quarter Of million
for the exposition. It seems that a
subsidy is only "steal" when it is not
coming their way. By such foolish de-
nunciations Of the subsidy principle it
has been difficult to get fair consider
alton. Talk about lobbies. There new
er was a more powerful lobby in Wash
ington than that opposed to the sub
sidy formed by the great trans-contf-
mental railroads and the foreign steam
ship owners. I may say something la
ter on this subject which will embar-
rass some people, but will refrain at
this time. There is nothing in the
principle of the bill itself which in
wolves stealing, defrauding the govern
ment or sectional advantages. There
may have been some abuses in grant
ing subsidies when it was in the ex-
perimental stages, but there Is no rea-
son now why there should be abuses.
In the administration of any law there
is a chance of abuse. and yet the law
may be a good one, the abuses being
merely incident to it's execution. This
is what the friends Of prohibition and
the dispensary each claim. Subsidies
are no new theory in the South. Con-
ventions were held during the 20 years
preceding the war to encourage the
building up of the commerce and in
dustries of the South. Hayne, Cal
houn and McDuffie were leading spirits
in these enterprises. The establish
ment Of railroad and steamship lines
by government aid was advocated.
South Carolina subsidized railroads be-
fore the war. Two million dollars were
given to construct the Blue Ridge road,
which has never been completed. l
think I can say that nearly every line
of road constructed in this state before
the war was subsidized, either directly
or indirectly. The legislature Of Louis
lana granted a subsidy Of $5 per ton
for every vessel of more than 100 tons
built in the state. Alabama gave 81 a
ton, and exempted from taxation all
goods imported into the state from for
eign countries. The National govern
ment connected the Atlantic and the
Pacific by subsidizing railroads and by
this policy we have unequaled railroad
facilities, and have developed our in
terstate traffic to such an extent that
we are now forced to seek an outlet
for our surplus products. All that is
proposed, is to follow in developing our
foreign trade the same principles that
have succeeded in our internal develop
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 subsidizing railroads, and
the Federal government steamship
lines?
What Does Bryan Think of His Pol
iticaI Partner of 1896