The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-30

ulatluler were loSt Slgnl OF IN the puF-
pose-the main purpose-to foist upon
Congress a bill which should inure to the
benefit of the craft in which every one of
them was interested and most of them di-
rectly engaged?
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or
figs of thistles2'
senator Frye's Argument.
1T is stated by Senator Frye that We
cannot man and run our boats as cheaply
as these foreigners can. by reason OF the
| difference in the prices of wages. Let the
same principle of bounty given to wage
earners be applied to the ships crew, and
the employers will be readily relieved of
the Inequalities against which they so
| strenuousy object We shall then see
what we have never seen before in this
country, viz. that the scapegoat for the
imposition of high protection and subsidies
is ceased 10 he pitied, and at last has be-
gun to be paid. Mr.. Chairman, | have
heard Tor twenty years of the great solici-
! tude OF the high protectionists for the
I wags-earners OF our country. An oppor-
tunity now presents itself to put in force
practical demonstration Of that desire.
Senator Frye's statement is startling
as 1t appears on paper, and would be an
| animating theme for Fourth of July ora
| tiUn, but 1t will not. in my opinion. be
| borne out by the cold stubborn facts of
| practical everyday experience. l doubt
| not but what We have been told the truth,
but fear that we have not been told the
whole truth. But if it is true that it costs
more to man a merchant marine ship car
| rying our flag, and the American people
feel that it is an all-important matter that
/ the wheat, the corn and the hogs should,
| so far as possible, be exported on bottoms
! flying the American flag, tben why not pro-
vide for this luxury by bestowing the
! bounty necessary directly where it is
claimed it eventually must go, viz, to the
crew which runs the ship?
Protection for the Crews.
These crews can be easily classified.
and it can be readily ascertained how
much should be paid in each class, so
that the remainder which the employers
must pay will be only equal to the aver
age paid for like service by foreign cOuH-
tries. For these twenty years have wit
messed the yearnings and SOlicitude OF the
high protectionists for the dear wage
Garner. There has not been high pro-
] lection bill presented to this House or
! elsewhere during all this time when its
advocates did not claim that it was found
ed chiefly the principle of protection
| to American labor against, as they as
/ serted. the pauper labor of England and
other European countries. So in the pres
/ ent bill its friends claim that the subsidy
proposed is sirupiy sufficient to defray the
extra expense to be paid in wages in
building and sailing an American mer-
! chant marine in competition with foreign
companies.
Again this bill proceeds upon the the
/ ory that if the present conditions Of bust
ness do not fayor our shipping industry 1T
| is the duty Gf the American taxpayer to
stimulate the business by giving a bounty
/ to limited number of persons or cor
/ porations to engage in the industry. If
| this policy is once entered upon. who will
/ draw the line where we shall stop? The
! farmers even of the great West cannot
| compete on even terms with the farmers
| of Russia. Shall we subsidize the farmers
of the country, provided they will float the
! flag over the wheat and corn fields IN the
| country?
I have made these suggestions and com
ments upon the theory that the National
! Government ought to act in some way as
4 a sort of protectorate and guardian OF
| this somewhat new enterprise. But for
myself, sir. / believe the Government
should do nothing of the kind, but wash
| its hands of the whole business. The
scheme, If carried out, will in the end
work no practical good to the intended
| benefciaries, and will not serve to sum
| ulatc to any appreciable extent tho
| restoration of an American merchant
| marine. / assert this in the light OF his
tory and the experience of the past. No
shipping subsidy heretofore granted has
| accomplished its ayowed purpose.
Bounties Tried Before.
THE Collier Line received from the
! Government over s.. 500, 900 more than its
| entire fleet cost and finally went out of
| business. and the service for which the
Government paid this large sum was con-
tinued by vessels which could be prof a
bly, run and were run without any subsidy
! whatever. The Brazilian Line did not IN
| crease our exports. was lamentable fail
| ure. and was finally discontinued. The
! Pacific Mail subsidy was a total failure
| in everything except the scandal it ere
! ated. The whole record OF American sub
sides shows that they have lad the same
! effect on business enterprise as is pro-
duced in the individual when he comes
| to be supported by charity and gets out
! OF sympathy with the idea of earning his
! own living.
1t is generally conceded that the most
| remarkable increase in merchant ship
! ping is that OF Norway, which pays no
! subsidy whatever. In Germany the in
crease in tonnage which existed before
| the adoption of the subsidy system. did
not continue after DOAulleS were Ddlu. In
England which controls about one-half
the tonnage Of the world, a careful inves-
tigation CT the facts will show that some
ting less than 3 per cent OF that tonnage
receives Government aid. The most sue
| cessful German line, the Hamburg Ameri-
can, never had any subsidy The English
| Government aids to shipping are n pol
itical rather than commercial expedient,
and are made for the purpose of main
tanning communication with the scattered
| colonies of the British Empire, whose
trade would not justify nor support the
steamship lines which are essential for
the purposes of government.
France and Italy have each attempted
to stimulate their merchant marine by
! bestowing building and sailing bounties
for the last fifteen or twenty years and
| vessels from both countries are seen fire.
queutly in our foreign trade, yet for the
last ten years the percentage of tonnage
OF each has steadily decreased and they
find themselves unable to compete with
countries either having no bountics or
having less than themselves.
IF the American merchant marine is to
be revived and rehabilitated so as to take
a prominent and commanding position
among the nations Of the world, it viii lie
done in some other way than by the tenn
porary intoxicant provided by the pro-
visions of this bill. and we have no moral
right even if We were constrained by no
other consideration, to tax 20 600 eco peo-
pie that We may bestow a bounty upon
seven companies or corporations"