New-York tribune., 1901-01-10
MR.. FRYE ON SUBSIDIES.
THE MAINE SENATOR REPLIES TO
CRITICS OF THE SHIPPING BILL.
HE ANSWERS OBJECTIONS WHICH HAVE
BEEN RAISED AND ASSUMES FULL RE-
SPONSIBILITY FOR THE AUTHOR
SHIP OF THE MEASURE
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rR1BuxE.l


rate ard detailed interview he has authorized on
the Ship Subsidy bill. AS will be seen. the Sen
ator discusses without reserve some of the chief
objections which the opponents of the measure
have urged against it, and assumes full respon-
sibility for the authorship of the pending meas
IRE. Senator Frye said
1t is needless for me to reiterate the opinion
have expressed in recent Interviews to wit:
That the Senate will pass the Ship Subsidy bill
at this session. 1t may, however, be of interest
10 the public to know why, in my opinion this
measure is Of such pressing National Importance
as to compel immediate Congressional action.
Furthermore, it seems proper that l should make
a public statement of this character at this
time, because the bill under consideration is essen
TALLY my bill. 1t prepared by a committee
appointed by me. and composed of the most
experienced advisers l could call to my aid. 1t
was then subjected to rigid examination by the
Committee on Commerce of the Senate, of which
/ am chairman, and by that committee it has
been revised and amended to meet every fair
criticism and objection that has been made with
regard TO it. To-day it represents the essence of
the best thought of the most experienced ship
ping men of this country, put in legal form by
the best counsel obtainabe. and revised and ap-
proved by the committee of the United States
| Senate whose duty it is 70 pass upon CONNER
cial legislation.
I viii not assert that this bill is perfect. but
l do most unqualifedly claim that II is near
perfect as such a bill be made, short of
the experience Of a practical test in actual
operation: and that the loss of commercial Op-
portunities and advantages open to US,
which would surely result from further delay
maintain our own lines OF vessels between our
seaports and the markets of the world, where
we must sell the surplus products OF our farms
ana factories. forbids the devotion Of more time
to mere striving after absolute and probably
unattainabe technical perfection.
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BILL.
The fact that the bill in It's original form was
introduced in the Senate last session by Sen
ator Hanna does not alter my responsibility for
it in any way. I had fully expected TO intro
nd hay hut
for the fact that my duties a member of the
Commission which arranged terms OF peace
with Spain detained me in Paris longer than l
had anticipated. and was therefore obliged to
ask Senator Hanna, a member of my com
mittee and one thoroughly familiar with the
subject, TO act for and introduce the bill, lest
the incalculably valuable opportunities opened
TO US commercially by the results OF our vie
tory over Spain might be lost Curtailed
through delay in the creation OF the merchant
fleet which I then considered and still consider
essential TO the reaping Of the harvest which is
ours to gather If will
In this connection 1 may say that look back
upon my service in the Commission which made
the treaty with Spain with perhaps greater
satisfaction than upon any other period OF my
public career 1t our privilege to terminate
a horrible though to us glorious war upon terms
which, II is true. added to our responsibilities.
but nevertheless placed us Ia orr IL ntful pc
sition among the Powers OF the world and
opened to us channels of trade and markets
which might otherwise have remained closed
for years to the great detriment OF our indus
trial development and prosperity.
was my privilege to take in that important epi-
sode Of our history. but l shall not be content
nor feel that l have fulfilled my obligation 10
country until the work begun at Paris Is
finished here by the enactment OF legislation
which. by the creation and maintenance Of lines
of our own vessels from seaportS to
those Of all nations to which we sell or can sell
our surplus products, will have made indie
pendent Of foreign carriers and secured our
foreign markets TO by bonds which cannot,
as at present, be severed by every European
imbroglio involving one or more Of the great
maritime nations, whether we concerned in
1t or not but viii assure to our exporters for
their goods the same safe conduct under the
American flag upon the seas that they
joy under that flag ashore.
CAPTURING FOREIGN MARKETS
AS a nation we are now engaged with most
gratifying success, in establishing commercial
dependencies. to speak, all over the world
In other words, making the people of
other countries dependent upon US for not only
their necessities but also many Of their com
forts and luxuries. We doing this by pro-
ducing and selling better and cheaper commodi-
ties than our competitors. and We will gradu-
ally drive those competitors out of the business
and hold these foreign markets as our own COM
mercial dependencies, the if they were
our own colonies. There is, however, this funda-
mental difference between commercial depen-
denotes so created and held and colonial or
other dependencies held so to speak, by force
If, for any reason. ii should suddenly become
necessary or desirable to withdraw from a
colonial dependency it could be done without
serious harm or commercial loss to our
country, but if. after establishing extensive
commercial dependencies. we should suddenly
be compelled to withdraw from them, would
find ourselves overwhelmed with surplus prod
of all kinds, which could not possibly
consume at home, and such state Of coinmer-
cial ruin and panic would necessarily ensue in
this country has never yet been experienced
by any nation. The first and greatest sufferers
from such catastrophe would obviously De
the wage earners of the country.
The steady growth of our exports makes us
daily more utterly dependent upon regular, con-
stant and safe communication, under the pro
lection of our own flag, with the consumers OF
those exports. l unwilling to believe that
pressure of other business or any other cause
will be permitted by this Congress to place IL In
the position of taking the responsibility of leaV
ing the country in a position of such peril when
a remedy which, although possibly not perfect,
is nevertheless adequate for present needs. ana
the best possibly now attalnable Is already be
fore ii awaiting action
PAYMENTS TO EXPRESS STEAMERS.
Before closing this interview it may be well
for me TO allude briefly to one or two OF the
chief objections which have been raised TO this
measure.
First-As to the large sums of money to be
paid to large express passenger steamers OF
high speed / would say that the evidence sub
mitted to the Committee Commerce proves
conclusively that the compensation TO be
paid steamers of this class is absolutely
the difference in the cost of building, main
tanning and operating such steamers under
the American flag as compared with the British
flag and in addition also to give to such Amer
lean owners the equivalent Of the mail, adnn-
raIty and other subventons which foreign steam
ers of the class receive from their Govern
ments Furthermore, the fact that these express
steamers require such liberal Government ald
to enable them to compete with foreign express
steamers is not new discovery made since the
present bill has been under discussion
In 1891 l reported from the Committee on
Commerce two bills one paying a bounty to ali
/ rod a