The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-05-03
PULLEN SOCIETY
ANNUAL DEBATE
Continued from Page One.)

AloHS anu hopes vi all men VINO love I'D
erty and justice. We should sympathize
with all men in the struggles of life and
should never Cypress one class to enrich
another. We should stand for absolute
justice, equality of rights, economical
and honest government, and equal oppor-
tunities for all men under and before
the law
The third speaker of the evening was
HILL NJ. HUNTER.
Mr.. Hill M. Hunter, speaking for the
affirmative, said in part:
The United States has become a great
exporting country. The productive forces
of the United States are on the increase.
limit is being reached by our inability
to secure transportation. We are at
the mercy of foreign ship owners for the
transportation of our products. Our
shipping industry has gradually declined.
We now carry Only per cent of our
products in our own vessels. This de-
cline of our shipping is caused by for
eigners being able to transport cheaper
than we can on account of their cheap
labor. and also on account of their YES
sells receiving subsidies.
Without some form of encouragement
from the government our ships cannot
compete with those of foreign countries.
The present subsidy bill offers this en-
couragement in the form of graded sub
sides Objects of bill is the restoration
of our merchant marine, so that in case
of war between great foreign maratime
powers we will be able to obtain trans
pOrtatiOn for our product The saving
to the American people of the enormous
sums paid out in freights to enable
Americans to compete with foreign pow
erS.
The British and German shipping con-
Germs are fighting the bill. They see
that it will work to their detriment
Passage of bill would mean increase
in iron and steel industries; would
moan more employment to all classes of
labor. Passage of bill would cause COM
petition. Competition would mean re-
ducton in freight rates. This would
mean the saving of an enormous sum
to our manufacturers and producers
This is one of the great objects of the
bill
nj case of war between the great for
eign maratime nations we would be I'M
able to obtain transportation for our
which would bring stagnation to our in
dustries and poverty to our producers.
The way to eliminate these dangers is
to provide for our transportation in
our own vessel The present subsidy
bill would accomplish this purpose.
At the conclusion of his address the
presiding officer presented ...t..
HOWARD SIMPSON.
The debate was closed by Mr.. Howard
Simpson, who in urging the negative
position presented the following argu
ment:
Whenever some industry or employ
ment wants help they run howing to
Congress for help. The cotton growers
should have bounty if one is given to
ship owners. If English, German and
Japanese ships make money carrying our
exports American ships should do so too
They say the reason they can't do this
is because materials for ships and labor
are higher in America than elsewhere,
and that foreign ships are subsidized.
Mr.. Clay has shown that materials
and labor can be had as cheaply by our
ship owners and builders as by the ship
owners ard builders of foreign countries.
The iron tramp ships of England con-
stitute the greatest part of Englands
merchant marine and do not receive
single dollar of subsidy. Should we pay
the American vessels for doing what they
ought to be able to get rich on without
a bonus? Do We want to put the ship
yard owners on the pedestal of financial
aristocracy and pay them an enormous
bonus for attending to their own busi-
ness. If Congress should say to its citi-
zens, you shall pay 81 for the carrying
of a bale of cotton when you can get a
foreign vessel to carry it for 70 cents
every man of you would object. But
this is just what this bill does. BY it you
pay rs cents to ship owners and 25 cents
to the public treasury; then the ship
owner goes to the public treasury and
gets the % cents, SO you pay him 81 just
the same.
Following the close of the debate came
an enjoyable musical selection by the
Cadet Band. and theb the orations.
The first speaker was Mr.. o. Max