Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-02-09
ENEMIES ARE ACTIVE
SHIPPING BILLS OPPONENTS
HARD AT WORK.
representatives of Foreign Ship Own
ers Industriousiy Distributing Free
"Literature" to Arouse a Spirit of
Opposition Anon. the People.
1rnshIngton correspondence:

washington correspondence:
From now until the end of the pres
ent session of Congress the people in the
interior of the country may expect to
see any amount of free literature" dis
fributed at the expense of the foreign
ship-owners who are represented here
in opposition 10 the shipping bill. in
order to arouse a spirit of opposition
among the people to the passage of the
measure in question. One of the main
arguments relied upon to create hos
tilty to the shipping bill is the allega-
ton that wealthy people will get the
peoples hard-eirned money" but there
will be nothing said about the wealthy
people who get this money being com
PEELED TO earn it.
This literature against the shipping
bill that is paid for by the foreign ship
owners will contain such questions as
Why should the peoples money be
used TO further enrich millionaire ship
owners and shiD-builders?" And hav-
ing put the matter in this way, the
literature contains arguments against
class legislation" and especially
against any scheme that will ''enrich
the few at the expense of the many"
These are merely samples of the class
hatreds which free-traders, doing the
dirty work of the foreign ship-oWncrs,
are obliged to resort to in the hope of
winning opponents to the shipping bill.
Now, if it were, for arguments sake
admitted, said an Indiana representa-
tive in Congress to the writer, that the
governments money would be paid out
to wealthy people, under the provisions
of the shipping bill my study of it has
shown me that these wealthy people
will be compelled to build new ships in
the United States before they get Il
dollar of Uncle Sans money. 1t some
times takes Il couple of years to build Il
ship, especially of the largest and swift
est. During all of that time the wealthy
ship-owner is doing nothing but paying
money out first for materials and then
for labor, and for one ship sometimes
as much as two millions of dollars will
he spent, before the owner has received
one penny upon his investment. All of
this time" continued my Congressional
informant, labor will have been re-
ceiying, from the mining of the iron
ore. the coal, the quarrying of the lime
stone, the transportation upon inland
ships and railroads, the shaping of the
-, h. aY.,sio ~ hn
shipyard, and its final assemblage into
finished ship, about 50 per cent of this
two millions of dollars.
Labor has been paid, it has taken no
chances, as, from week to week the
wages have been forthcoming. Then
the troubles of the owner begins. He
must put her in trade, perhaps, in a
new route, where there is little business
at first, where his ships must run, for
while, perhaps, with only half cargoes
each way, until producers begin to find
out that it is a stable line, running its
ships frequently and regularly. and
which will lead to ventures in exports
both ways, by which, eventually, re-
munerative trade may be built up. And
from the time the first Spadeful of earth
Is turned to mine the materials which
enter into the ships construction, until
it has become a paying venture to her
owner, he Is steadily paying out his
money in one form or another to Ameri-
can labor. When this view of the real
operation Of the measure was forceful-
iy brought to my attention by delega-
ton of worSingmen from my district,
who came here for that sole purpose"
concluded the Indiana Congressman, Il
came to the conclusion that there was
much more Of merit in the shipping bill
than had believed, before-a cOnclu-
sion that has been confirmed the more |
have examined the provisions of the
Dill in detail, and conclusion that has
induced me to give the measure my
hearty support and warm advocacy"
From this single incident and this
graphic illustration it must be obvious
that the life of an American shipowncr
IS not that of gilded ease. even when
fortified with government subsidy.