The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-02-20
The Ship Subsidy Bill.

lean flag was seen in every port, aud
the American ship on every ocean,"
The day OF iron ships came. England
led the world in the production of iron
and STEEL Every pound OF the nicer
grades OF iron used in the Uuited States
was imported. Every tool was made OF
English steel. There was no American
steel for use of any kind-for machin-
cry, or tools in any branch of industr
or springs of carriages. England had
monopoly in the building of iron ships
Her precedence in iron and steel man
ufsctures was reintorc by cheap la
Dor and the inherited skill of genera
tions of artisans. so long as wooden
ships were used, the virgin forests OF
this land, in close proximity to the ship
yards, with the national aptitude of
Americans on the Atlantic coast for
building feet ships and sailing them,
gave the United States proud pre-
eminence among the commercial ma
rines of the world, as we'll as among
its navies. The "Constitution"-"Old
Ironsides'-is relic of the latter, the
"Amerca" of the former.
The war of the rebellion came to
complete the Punishment of American
ships from the ocean. In English
ports, by English ship builders, with
English capital, armed with English
guns, supplied with English ammuni-
ton, manned by English seamen, were
built the Alabama and her sister pirates
of the Confederate cause. When the
war ended the United States was driven
from the high seas of commerce. AT
ter the war, admonished by its lessons,
the government gave its aid TO private
enterprise to link the Atlantic to the
Pacific coast by lines of railways For
a generation the energy and enterprise
of the country have been devoted to
building lines of internal communica-
ton through the vast regions of the re-
public. That task has been completed.
At its conclusion the nation finds that
it's vast foreign commerce is carried al
most exclusively in foreign ships. OF
the 100000 tons of shipping required
for its transportation, the United States
furnishes but 100000. The enormous
sum of S175 900 900 is paid annually to
foreign ship owners for the transport
tation of American productions to for
eign countries, and the return freights
of imports. That is to say, the same
conditions that existed in this country
in industrial production prior to the in
stitution of the Morrill, protective
tariff exists now on the ocean in re-
spect of the carrying business. The
Frye ship subsidy bill is designed to
accomplish for the latter what the Nor
rill protective tariff has done for Amer
lean manufactures and related inter-
ests.
The bill proposes to appropriate
100000 annually for term of years
to be divided in subsidies among the
different classes of American ships,
already built and which may be built.
The fast liners and the slow freight
vessels would receive their just proper
ton of this sum. What each would
receive is intended to bear some rea-
sonable proportion to the cost of opera
ton and maintenance. Vessels re-
ceiving the subsidy are required to
carry the mails OF the United States
free. For this service the government
has paid S1,500,000 annually. Thus
the net annual increase of the expend-
iture would be 81, 100000.
1t is not supposable that Senator Frye
has framed and matured this bill, and
guarded it against every conceivable
abuse, for any other purpose than the
best interests of the whole country. 1t
is not conceivable that Senator Dapew,
man of largest practical experience
in great business affairs, would give
his support to this measure if its oper-
alton would be the enrichment of
steamship companies and ship build
ers at the unrequited expense of the
country. Its purpose is to accomplish
for the ship building industry in the
United States, and the carrying busi-
ness of American ship owners, pre-
cisely what the protective tariff has
done for the iron and steel business
of this country and for other branches
of industry. or the measure, its pur-
pose, and the results that would follow
it's enactment into law, Senator Depew
said in his recent speech:
The subsidy works automatically in
the promotion of an American mer-
chant marine. The bill creates no
favors, it fosters no interests, but it
lays down universal rules by which the
capital and enterprise of the people can
demand their share of this subsidy. 1t
10 rootrinta6 m M olaou IF uaanalo hut