The true northerner., 1901-01-18
Especial correspondence

washington, ID. u, JAN IL.
The American people have been favored
(?) with vast amount OF argument, seem
ingly directed against the shipping bull now
pending in congress, but really aimed at the
effort that is now being strenuously
made to revive and build up our shipping
in the foreign trade No mlssatement has
been too wild, no untruth too ridiculous,
no innuendo too base, no assertion of venal-
ity too absurd, to fail of use in the hands OF
these malignant opponents of American In
terests. When the shipping bill first came
before congress, the suggestion was made
that swift ocean steamships were what were
most needed, mail carriers, vessels avail
able as auxiliary crulsers-ocean gray
hounds, in short; and it was alleged that
the slow cargo carriers could take care OF
themselves, that they needed no assistance,
they were profitable under present eondi-
tions, and similar arguments.
When it was pointed out that there was
reason for government aid for slow ships,
carrying only cargoes, because they were
at a disadvantage in cost of construction, II
American-built, and at a further disadvan-
tage in cost of operation, if run by American
officers and seamen and fremen, and this
truth became known, then the enemy
turned right-about-face and declared that
the ships that are needed to build up the
American merchant marine are the cargo
carriers, the vessels that take away our
farm products, and not the swift passen-
ger steamships. The enemies OF the shipping
bill have blown hot and blown cold, all IN
the same breath, and the pity is that the
American people are so utterly uniformed
regarding the real facts concerning Amer
ican shipping-concerning any shpplng-
that they have been easily duped into be-
lieving the most extravagant things that
mind could concoct in order to fight and de-
feat the passage of the shipping bill.
As matter of fact the shipping bill is
carefully drawn, on the most scientific
lines, drawn so as to barely enable Amer
ican-built and American-manned ships to
compete with foreign ships on terms OF
equality, and this is true of fast ships and
Of slow ships, of steamships and of sailing
ships-of any kind of American ships en-
gaging in the foreign carrying trade OF the
United Sthates. The disadvantages they
labor under, bacause of higher cost in con-
struction, and because Of higher cost of OPP
Grafton and because of the subsidies and
bounties given by foreign governments to
their merchant ships, have been carefully
reduced to dollars and cents, and the
amount of compensation provided in the
bill just Offsets these disadvantages. With
out discussing the details of payments
this truth may be relied upon, no matter
what stories the enemy circulates in oppo-
sition.
And now, who are these enemies? Surely
they must be those whose interests viii
suffer, or whose theories will be dis
proved, if a bill is passed sufficiently effect
i've TO encourage the construction of Amer
ican-but ships These interests and these
theorists are the foreign shipowners, their
agents in this country, and the free trad
.ers. Foreign ships now monopolize the car
rying of 81 per cent of our imports and ex-
ports, and they take away from this coun-
try fully Sl50O00,OOO in gold or its equiv
.alent each year just for their freight
charges. If American ships are built and
put on the ocean, they will compete with
these foreign ships, they will reduce the
cost of carrying our farm products and our
manufactures abroad, they will force
freight rate war upon the ocean that will be
fierce and prolonged and during which there
will be ever expanding opportunities tor
our people to increase their exports and Sc
cure and hold new foreign markets for their
surplus products Naturally these foreign
shipping interests will fight the shipping bill
to the death, and they are known to be do
ing il in every way in their power.
The other enemies, equally as active, and
ssutDorted by those first mentioned, are the
free traders. American ships upon the sea
have been unprotected in operation for 40
years. and their tonnage has decreased by
two-thirds, while our commerce has IN
creased fourfold. Only by protecting our
Ships, as our land industries have been pro-
tected against foreign competition, can they
make head against foreign ships The free
traders fear another triumph of the Amer
ican protective policy. Taking advantage
of this element of opposition, the foreign
shipping interests are supplying the Reform
club of New York with money in unlimited
quantities TO circulate its free-trade Liter
ature in opposition to the shipping bill. And
this tells the whole story of the sources of
opposition to the shipping bill.
UJThe American people are not so partc-
ular whether this or that particular bill is
passed to build up American shipping, as
they are that some effective measure be
put upon our statutes, at once, that will ac-
complish this very desirable result. The
people feei that it is the duty of con-
gress to enact such a measure without fur
ther delay.
Undoubtedly there is a majority Of
the senate in favor Of the bill, says the New
York Times, in an editorial urging demo
cratic senators to resort to every possible
device to prevent a vote being taken on
the bill. When the enemy is compelled to
thwart the majority will, they are subvert-
ing the government to their own ends-to
the desires of the minority.
DThe great bulk Of the people cannot
be expected to know whether the details
of this or that bill are best adapted to put
American ships upon the seas in sufficient
number to do American carrying. They
leave that for congress to determine But
they do desire, and that unanimously and
emphatically, that congress shall no longer
delay doing its full duty in tins respect.
The people are booking for results.
ZOficial figures show that Great Brit
ain spends each year $3,500,0O0 more on her
subsidies to British steamships than she
gets for sea postage on British mails. The
United States, on the other hand, gets
$l,5O0,O00 more for sea postage on its mails
each year than it spends in subsidies to
both American and foreign steamships.