The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-03-18

Pension Bills.
washington. March 15.-Differences
Of opinion on the republican side ap-
peared in the senate debate on the ship
subsidy bill today.
Senator Allison, of Iowa, indicated
that he was not quite satisfied with the
measure as 1t stands now. and gave no.
tiee of amendments he proposed to Off
er to 1t. limiting the time of its opera
tion and limiting, also, the amount of
money annually to be paid from the
treasury on account of it.
Senator Allison stated, as he said, a
few objections which he had to the
subsidy bill as it now stood. He had
had. he continued, some difficulty in as
eertaining precisely what the measure
proposed to do and his difficulty had
not diminished as the bill had proceed
ed. The measure in its operation ought
to have an end as well as a beginning,
yet it provided no limitation to the time
the contracts made under it should be
in force. He gave notice therefore, Of
an amendment providing that under the
bill the postmaster general should not
make contracts after July 1, 1910 and
that the contracts should not extend be-
yond July 1, 1920.
He gave notice of another amendment
he proposed to offer providing that no
vessel should be entitled to full compen-
sation under the act unless she shall
have cleared from a port of the United
States with at least so per cent. of her
cargo capacity.
Senator Allison believed also that
there ought to be limitation upon the
aggregate amount of subsidy to be paid
annually under the bill.
He was followed by Senator Spooner,
Of Wisconsin. who took exception to
some provisions of the measure. He
was not at all certain that the bill would
accomplish the great results which ii
advocates claimed f-r it and he urged
that. before it's enactment into law,
definite information upon that point
ought to be furnished to congress. He
did not care to vote for a measure MAX
ing an appropriation that not only
would not accomplish definite results,
but which might be simply a largess to
ship owners. He gave notice of an
amendment which he proposed to offer,
providing that the bill might be amend
ed or repealed by congress without,
however, impairing any contract made
under its provisions. This amendment
would be notice. he said. that the sub
sidy would not be a safe foundation
upon which to build largely.
Harlier in the day Senator Teller, of
Colorado. made a speech in opposition
to the measure. and was followed by
Senator Elkins. of West Virginia. with
a brief address in support of it, al
though the West Virginia senator ad-
zaitted that he would much prefer the
adoption of the policy of discriminating
duties.
Senator Bacon, of Georgia, gave no
dce of an amendment which he propos-
ed to offer to the subsidy bill providing
That no contract under the bill shall be
binding upon the government until 1t
SHOULD have been submitted to and ap-
proved by congress.
In the course of some remarks in sup
port of this amendment, Senator Bacon
urged that the postmaster general
ought not to be made responsible for
the making Of such contracts. 1t was
such delegation of authority by con-
gress as he did not think would be ap-
proved by the American people.
Discussing briefly the general purpos-
es OF the bill. Senator Bacon said that
the word subsidy" had no terrors for
him. IF a bill to provide increased com.
pensation for mail lines between this
country and South America, for in.
stance, were pending before the senate
he would support it. He was opposed
however. to bonuses. the effect OF which
would be to give compensation to thosi
who did not need it.
Senator Bacon had inserted in his re
marks a table showing the exports o
American products from the port o
Boston for ten months-the object be
ing to show that the bulk Of those pro
ducts was carried in slow vessels, much
in vessels under 1000 tons burden
These vessels. he contended, would re
eeive little or no subsidy. Similar Ia
bles were presented for the ports o
Savannah. Galveston and other places
Senator Bacon asserted. therefore, tha
the subsidy would go to few favored
large class mail steamships which dit
net carry the commerce Of the country