The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-18
BOTH MIsREPREsENT THE PEOPLE


The senate yesterday succeeded in pass
ing the ship subsidy bill by the vote OF
AZ to 81, Mr.. Frye accepting some amend
ments, one Of which limits the operation
of contracts to July 1, 1920, and makes
the maximum payments in any one year
$S,oO0,0OO 1t may be assumed readily that
the amount paid out of the treasury will
not be q cent less than this limit, and that
means that $144 200, 900 will be disbursed
TO Americans engaged in our foreign
trade to enable them. as they say, to keep
their ships moving. ...
It is. impossible to avoid the reflection
that it is a very bad practice to deal out
government or public money to private
individuals to keep them in business. Six
or seven years ago Mr.. Cramp, the we'll
known American shipbuilder, read paper
before the convention Of the Board OF
Trade and Transportation in New York,
in which he said very emphatically
The question Of first cost of ships Is triv
tai that it ceases to be factor in the Situa-
tion. Within this year the Cramp company
has bid for the construction of certain freight
ships for foreign account in competition with
about twenty English concerns. The differ
ence between the highest and lowest English
bids, the same plans and specifications,
was 20 per cent. Several of the English bids
Were higher than Cramps. Hence, instead
of asking whether ships can be built as cheap
ly In this country as in England, the ques-
ton should be- Can ships be built as cheaply
in England as in the United States?' An act
ual difference of 20 per cent as between the
bids Of different English shipyards on these
same ships, while the American bid was be-
tween the two extremes. seems to answer
that question in the negative. The matter
of first cost may therefore be dismissed.
Since Mr.. Cramp uttered these signifi-
cant words the cost Of shipbuilding In
this country, through the cheapening me-
chanical processes, has been still further
cheapened, and the question of cost, as
Mr.. Cramp has shown, is not to be con-
sidered. He said that the only advantage
at that time enjoyed by foreigners was
lower cost Of operating vessels. This,
however, is a matter perfectly adjustable,
Dust as the cost of operating railways has
been reduced, so that in this country the
cost per mile ton is the lowest in the
world. In the face of these facts, and on
reasoning utterly fallacious, this ship sub
sidy bill has been pushed Through the
senate route to the statute book, and
at a time when the word "subsidy' is
largely considered to be synonymous with
monopoly. The measure reflects not the
demand of the people, as defensible ne
cess1ty. It was born and pushed by special
Interests. . e'l
The promotion of special interests is
Blocking the way to the performance Of
our national duty toward Cuba The ways
and means committee started out with the
Intention of permitting no tariff reductions
on Cuban products imported into the
United States. in return for like conces-
Bons to be granted by the new Cuban
government on imports from the United
States. They argued that the height and
thickness of the tariff wall must not be
reduced a hairs breadth. They modified
this irrational attempt to evade a ma
tional pledge They reported a 20 per
cent reduction some weeks ago, and have
held several republican house caucuses to
decide whether solemn duty performed
In committee should be allowed to stand
by the party. Up to this time the con-
Serences have only been series of wran-
giles over the question Of performing an
obvious duty and massing opposition to
actual party legislation as to Cuba in tho
Plat amendment and to the president,
who recommended concessions to Cuba as
q national duty. Thus, in spite of the
effort to stife concessions to Cuba on the
ground that such action would make a
breach in the tariff wall, the irreconcila-
bles are succeeding in developing a very
strong public sentiment in favor Of reci-
procity, not only with Cuba, but with
Europe and Spanish America and Canada.
AS national Legislators the irreconcilables
are actually arraying themselves against
a growing national demand for the effec-
tuation of the policy declared by McKin-
ley at Buffalo last September. They are
repudiating the terms Of the republican
platforms. The country waits to see if
these men will continue to oppose the
taking of the first steps toward enforcing
the terms Of the Plat amendment. They
are trifing with very grave subject, with
an unuenlable national duty. The senate
also IS playing with fire in its persistent
ship SUBSIDY legislation.