Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1901-01-24
SHIP SUBSIDY LOBBY,
ITS CHARACTER AND ITS METHODS
EXPOSED.


Navigation Company, Pennsylvania
Railroad and Standard OIL Compn-
nv Interested In the Deal.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14.-The Hanna
Frye-Payne ship subsidy bill has been
and still is the most persstently and
continuously lobbied bill that has been
before congress in many years. Indeed
it is doubtful whether such lobby as
that back of this bill has been known
of in Washington since the scandals
unfolded by the Pacific Mail steal
shocked the country.
1t is not in any sense a secret that
the pending ship subsidy Dill was
drawn by its chief beneilciaries. Under
the kindness of Senators Frye and
Hanna their benefCent services were
called into requsition for the announc-
ed purpose of framing u shipping bill
which was to build up the American
merchant marine. They were called
into the senatorial councils because Of
their interest in shipping and shipbuild-
ing, and it is not natural to suppose
that in taking care of the subject in
general they were going to neglect
their own pockets. They helped to
draw the bill, they made it, as the
farmers would say, "hog tight and
mule high" in protection to themselves,
and they have been on hand at WASH
ington early and often, if not always,
engaged in a consistent, persistent and
continuous effort to bring to legislative
fruitiOn the results Of their advisory
labOrs.
Selections from this committee who
drafted the bill taken in connection
with their we'll known presence in
Washington during most of the legisla-
tive days in which the bill has been
under consideration leave no doubt of
their purposes and Of their entire ear
nestness to use all means within reach
to see these purposes accomplished.
| Prominent among them are: General
Clement 4. Griscom, president OF the
international Navigation company ana
chairman of this COMMITTEES; eX-Sena-
tor George Il. Edmunds of Vermont,
the most capable and the highest priced
LOBBYIST in the United States, who is
likewise leading counsel of the inter-
national Navigation company; CharleS
| II. Cramp, the great Philadelphia snip
builder; G. L. Huntington, whose pow
er with congress is fit subject for ro-
nance and whose interests since ms
death are capably represented; William
=. Clyde, president, and Thomas Clyde,
secretary, Of the Clyde line; Aaron van
derblt, secretary of the American
! Shipping league; II. L. Booth, preSl-
dent of the New York and Cuba Mail
Steamship company; Samuel 5. ScWall
and Edwin w. Hyde, representing the
shipbuldng interests of Bath, Me-;
Alexander X. Smith, former editor or
Senboard and later secretary of the
New York commerce commission, ana
Theodore G. Search, president OF the
| National Association of Manufacturers.
"All, all honorable men," of course,
but none of them so far rs the records
show, ever accused of neglecting his
own interests.
In opening the senate hearings Sena-
tor Frye, chairman of the senate COM
merce committee, naively said: Il was
aware that to succeed in cnaCting any
bill into law there must be an agree
ment of sentiment among the friends
of such n measure; that it would be
hopeless to go into congress with these
people entirely divided as to what the
remedy should be. | then concluded
that | would take the responsibility
myself of naming cOmmittee-nCcCs-
sarily of men who owned ships or
built them or ran them or were IA
miliar with the conditions of the mcr-
chant marine and its necessities lie
then named the committee, from which
the names above taken are selected.
After cnlightcning the uninitiated con-
corning these gentlemen, Senator Frye
added, 81 will say right here that the
committee has been interchangeable in
this business and has had innumeraDie
meetings in New York, Philadelphia
and Washington" The humOr of this
statement will be appreciated in pro-
portion to the knowledge which the
reader hereof has of the situation.
When the time came to exploit the
bill before the congressional committees
of both house and senate, these gentle
men and others came to Washington
and took charge of things, They filled
the committee rooms and controlled
the hearings. Ex-senator Edmunds,
who seemed to be considered smarter
than anybody else, acted as grand
sachem. The committee sat at his feet
and learned" When some doubling
Thomas OF the committee asked q
question. the chairman of the commit
e-GroSvenor ON the house side and
Frye on the senate side-eithCr made
him feel like 80 cents by the crushing
pr0fundity of his reply or turned him
over to Edmunds, generally the lat
ter. After the advocates of the bill
had used up all the time of all the
hearings telling what a great thing il
was. they were told by the respective