Evening star., 1902-03-14
MR. FORAKER SPEAKS
Supports the Ship Subsidy
Bill.
NOT WHAT he PREFERS
WILLING TO YIELD TO THE MA
JoRITY's WISH.
Passage of the Post Office Appropria-
tion Bill by the House-Regular
Order Postponed.
NOT WHAT he PREFERS

Rev. Wallace Radcliffe, pastor of the New
York Avenue Presbyterian Church of this
| city, pronounced the invocation at the open.
| ing of today's session of the Senate
Mr.. Foraker on Shipping Bill
! At the conclusion of routine business the
| Senate resumed consideration OF the ship
subsidy bill, and Mr.. Foraker (Ohio) ad.
| dressed the Senate. He said that while he
| expected to vote for the bill. he was not
| entirely satisfied with 1t. Ever since he
had studied the question he had been OF
| the opinion that the most equitable and
scientific way to rehabilitate the merchant
marine of the United States would be to
| inaugurate the policy of discriminating
| duties under which the fathers of the coun-
| try made our merchant marine the pride OF
the country. He was of opinion that in the
circumstances 1t would be impossible to
| attempt to return to the policy of discrim-
| mating duties. He had followed the trend
| of legislation closely enough to learn that
| 1t was highly necessary to have majority
| In favor of any proposition before 1t was
enacted into law He had consulted with
his colleagues in the Senate and recognized
the impossibiity of securing a majority in
favor of the policy of discriminating duties
Being desirous of building up the merchant
marine he looked therefore, for the next
best scheme for accomplishing this result.
The senator in charge of the bill (Mr.
Frye had stated clearly the objections to
the adoption of the plan of discriminating
duties. tWenty-One treaties being an abSO-
lutte bar to that policy.
The next best plan to his mind for the
building up of the marchant marine was
embodied in the pending bill.
In response to an inquiry by Mr.. Teller
tCol), Mr. Foraker replied that he be-
lieved majority Of the republican sena-
tors were opposed to the policy of discrm-
mating duties
Notwithstanding the republican platform
of 1862" suggested Mr.. Teller.
Mr.. Foraker replied that he had been the
chairman of the platform committee OF
1886. He was SO constituted, he said that
he had to have views Of his own. He was
particularly contentious in 1896 about his
views as to discriminating duties: but what
he wanted most was restoration of the
American merchant marine. If he could
not get a majority of Congress To join IN
his views he was willing, to achieve the
great result, to adopt the views of the
majority.
Purchase of Foreign Lines. :.
Referring to the purported purchase OF
foreign steamship lines Mr.. Foraker said
by some it had been mentioned as if it
were crime. The fact was that if any
offense detrimental to the country had
been committed it had been committed by
the Senate itself
Mr.. Morgan, he said had purchased the
ID
had under consideration for two years the
subsidy bill which failed of passage in the
last Congress. After that bill had failed
the last hope of Mr. Morgan and his assoc
ciates had fallen to the ground. The mac
tion of the Senate had forced them to look
elsewhere for the ships which they needed.
They had gone abroad to spend their mill
lions for ships, instead of spending them
in the shipyards and among the laboring
men of this country.
Cost of Building Ships.
AS to the relative cost of building and op.
Grating ships under the American flag, Mr..
Foraker said the preponderance of the evf-
dence was against the proposition that the
vessels could be built or operated in this
country as cheaply as they could be built
or operated abroad. The only reason for
the purchase Of foreign ships by Mr.. Nor
gan and his associates was that they could
not invest profitably in American ships
which came into competition with foreign
ships by reason of cheaper construction,
cheaper operation and subsidies from for
eign governments.
In proof of the greater cost of ships con-
structed in America. Mr.. Foraker read a
letter from President Baker of the Atlantic
Transportation line, showing that the con-
tract price for two ships built for the COM
pany at Belfast, Ireland was fo92 oD0 while
the cost of two ships identically the same
in construction built at Camden N. j., was
ESQ, 900.
While Mr.. Foraker was discussing the
mail routes to be established under the
pending bill Mr.. Bacon (Ga.) insisted that
the measure should specify what routes
should be established, that no such import
ant question should be left to the POST
master General
Mr.. Foraker admitted that he would pre-
fer such course but Mr.. Hanna suggested
that the ship owners ought to have some
thing to say upon that subject, it would
not be just to provide routes that could
not be operated at profit
Mr.. Foraker asserted that the Interna-
tional Navigation Company-the American
line-had made no money by carrying the
mails, under the postal subsidy act and
did not care for renewal of its contract.
The proposed legislation, he said, was
such as would enable the United States to
build and operate ships and fly the flag Of
the merchant marine in every port Of the
world