The Forrest City times., 1901-02-08
HANNA'S SHIPPING BILL.
If a Vigorous and Honest Fight Is Made It Will He De-
 feated.

Senator Hanna will, so it is said, in- sist that the senate shall hold con- tinuous sessions for the consideration of the subsidy bill. As we said re- gently, this ought to have no terrors for the opponents of the measure. Rather it should encourage them. for it indicates that the friends of the measure now realize that it will be no easy matter to force the bill through the senate. The more one hears and reads about this bill the more outrageous does it appear. It has been amended many times in the hope that the more serious objections to it might be removed, but it has not been materially improved It cannot be improved without destroying the interest in it of those men who are specially to be benefited by it. If it were made fair-that is, as fair as subsidy bill can be-the Griscom- ckefeller-Standard Oil crowd would not care whether it passed or not. Recently an amendment has been agreed to which provides that of the S9,000,000 subsidy not more than $2,- 100000 shall be given in one year to vessels of between 20 and 21 knots, or over 21 knots speed. In an article the New York Evening Post the other day MT. John Dewitt Warner cites the recent report of the commission CT of navigation as authority for the statement that the only American steamships that come within these classes are the New York. the Paris, the St. Paul and the St. Louis, all of the American line. More than that there is not one foreign steamer that might come in for subsidy that has a speed of more than IS knots, so none of these would be entitled to a share of the $2 2,O00,000. Nor are any of the ships being built abroad for American capital of a speed in excess of IS knots, and the commissioner of navi- gation shows that none of the vessels under construction for the foreign trade in our own shipyards has a speed in excess of IS knots. And to make the case complete, Mr. Clyde, in his testi- mony before the house committee one year ago, in behalf of the subsidy scheme. said
 We know from inquiries we have made as to what ships will be built if this bill is passed that all of the vessels con templated will be vessels of moderate speed-none of them exceeding F knots"
 It is perfectly clear, therefore, that under this amendment the four fast ships of the International Navigation company will draw from the treasury &. 100000 a year. for there are no other ships that are guaranteed a min- mum amount. From all this, Mir. Warner concludes as follows:
 Since the highest estimate by the Reform club. or any other critic. of the amount which these four ships could get under the bill as 1t originally stood was less than 10000 Senator Frye ought to explain why the sum named was so liberally calculated, and how the amend ments tend to limit the stupendous job, which in behalf of its great passenger steamers. MT. Griscom, through Senator Frye is pushing under the pretense that he is working in aid of American agri- cultural exports-of which. as is admit ted on all hands, these ships can carry little if any"
 It is high time we were hearing from some republican senators who really represent the people on this question. We have no doubt if wig orous and honest fight is made against the bill it can be defeated.-Indianap- oils News Qnd.).