The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-03-11
SUBSIDY BILL ATTACKED
MR. FEST SPEAKS FOR TWO HOURS
 AGAINST IT.
Denies That England Pays Enormous Subsidies-PresentN Navigation Laws to Blame for the Falling or in American Merchant Marine - Denounced as Relics of Barbarian.

Washington, March 10. For nearly
 addressed the senate in opposition to
 the pending ship subsidy bill No mem
 CT attention than he received. Despite
 his evident feehleness he spoke with
 force and fire. and was at times bril-
 liantly eloquent He carefully analyz- ed the pending measure and attacked
 the present navigation laws, which he
 declared were relics of barbarism and
 responsible for the decline of our mer-
 chant marine.
 MT Tillman of South Carolina follow ed in brief speech in opposition to the bill. He denounced the policy of giv
 ing subsidies to anybody, particularly to individuals and corporations engag- ed in the formation of shipping trusts.
 MT. Vest in his argument compared the ship subsidy bill in its details with the postal subsidy act of 1S91 arguing that in the pending bill 1t was proposed to increase the subsidy because it was declared by the majority that the pres ent postal subsidies were not sufficient
 to achieve the results hoped for from the pending bill.
 He declared that the pending bill provided for a pure, naked and un- adulterated subsidy and that it was defended on the ground that with the subsidy the American merchant marine could compete with the subsidized ships of European maritime powers. He de- nied 'emphatically and distinctly" that such would be the result of the hill's operation England, he asserted, had 53 per cent. of the ocean carrying trade of the world He denied that England paid subsidies to her vessels. He declared that Great Britain paid the steamship lines for carrying the mails, the sums paid being dependent upon the number of pounds of mall car ried.
 Most of Ensland's ocean commerce was carried by her tramp steamers and not penny of subsidy was paid to any of them. The only real subsidy which Great Britain paid, MT Vest said, was $500, ,000 year. to the owners of certain vessels which could be called into use as auxiliary cruisers in time of war, if they were deemed necessary.
 MT, Vest criticised the majority of the commerce committee for eliminat- ing from the bill the provision which a subsidized ship to carry at least 30 per cent. of her cargo capacity on any voyage upon which she was to receive subsidy. The majority, he ex- plained, had held that the provision was of doubtful constitutionality. He had read letter from Hon. George F, taking the ground that such a provision was not unconstitutional
 The senator from Maine, (Mr. Frye). Mir. Vest continued, had said with his usual courage and frankness, that sub sdy meant protection And he might l have said ttuthfully," said MT Vest, l that protection meant subsidy
 MT. Vest maintained that ships could l be built in this country as cheaply as | they could be built anywhere and that | -he contention Of the majority to the | contrary was not well founded. He | made a. vigorous attack upon the navi- | gation laws of the United States, de- 1 daring that they were responsible for | the decline of the merchant marine. 1 They embodied a semi barbaric system l which even China had thrown aside, he | asserted. They had weighed down the | merchant marine until 1t amounted ! practically to nothing. The remedy , vas to abrogate the navigation laws | lnd to permit citizens of the United l States to buy their ships where they | 'ould buy them cheapest. No subsidy would enable them to do that. He as- erted that if the democratic party hould regain power no ship subsidy 1 would be permitted to remain on the tatute books.