The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-16
HEDGING ON SUBSIDY
,rPuBLrCAN LEADERS ARE GROW
ING DUBIOUS.
BACON OFFERS AMENDMENT,
LET CONGRESS APPROVE ALL CON-
TRACTS.

v, Allison Is Not Satisfied and Will
Oner Amendments-Mr. SpOOner
Excepts TO Some Provisions and
Doubts the ResuIts-The Bill Dele
Gates Too Much Authority to the
po.tnaster General, Said Mr.. Ba-
oon-No Contract should Be Bind
ing Until Approved by Congress.
Washington, March 15.-Differences
of opinion on the Republican side APP
,aared in the Senate debate ON the
ship subsidy bill to-day. Mr.. Allison of
rowa. indicated that he was not quite
satisfied with the measure as it stands
now and gave notice of amendments
he proposed to offer to it limiting the
time of its operation and limiting, also,
the amount of money annually to be
naid from the treasury on account of
It.
He was followed by Mr.. Spooner of
Wisconsin, who took exception to some
PROVISIONS of the measure. He was not
at all certain that the bill would ac-
complish the great results which its
advocates claimed for it, and he urged
that before it's enactment into
law definite information upon
that point ought to be fur
pished to Congress. He did not
care to vote for a measure making an
appropriation that would not only not
accomplish definite results, but which
..zL4 - e;v,,rlxr q Ioruacs RI shin own
ers. He gave notice of an amendment,
which he proposes to offer, providing
that the bill might be amended or re-
pealed by Congress without, however,
mpairing any contract made under it's
provisions. This amendment would be
a natice, he said, that the subsidy
would not be a safe foundation upon
which to build largely.
Earlier in the day Mr.. Teller of Colo
RADIO made a speech in opposition to
the measure, and was followed by Mr.
Elkins of West Virginia with a brief
address in support of it, although the
West Virginia senator admitted that he
would much prefer the adoption of the
policy of discriminating duties.
MI Bacon of Georgia gave notice of
az amendment which he proposed to
offer to the subsidy bill, providing that
no contract under the bill shall be bind
ing upon The government until 1t should
have been approved by Congress.
In the course of some remarks in
support of the amendment, Mr.. 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.
Mr. Bacon had inserted in his re-
marks a table showing the exports OF
American products from the port of
Boston for ten months, the object be-
ing to show that the bulk Of those
products was carried in slow vessels,
much in vessels under 1000 tons.
These vessels would receive little or
no subsidy. Similar tables were pre-
scented for the ports Of Savannah, Cal
weston and other points. Mr.. Bacon as
serted, therefore, that the subsidy
woulo go to a few favored large mail
Steamships which did not carry the
commerce of the country.
Discussing the general purposes of
the bill, Mr.. Bacon said that the word
subsidy" had no terrors for him. If
bill to provide increased compensa-
ton for mail lines between this coun-
try and South America, for instance,
We're pending before the Senate, he
would support it. He was opposed,
however, to the bonuses the effect of
which would be to give compensation
10 those who did not need it.
Allison States Objections.
Mr.. Allison stated, as he said, a few
objections which he had to the sub
SOY bill as it now stood. He had had,
ne continued some difficulty in ascer-
talnlng precisely what the measure
proposed to do, and his difficulty had
NOT diminished as the debate had pro-
coeded. The measure in it's operation
Ought to have an end as well as a be-
ginning, yet it provided no limitation
10 the time the contracts made under
II should be in force. He gave notice,
therefore, of an amendment providing
mat under the bill the postmaster gen
1I% should not make contracts after
Suly l, 1910. and that the contracts
should not extend beyond July 1, 1920.
ne gave notice of another amend
neht he proposed to offer, providing
mat elat no vessel should be entitled to
tSu compensation under the act, unless
she snail have cleared from a port of
ule United States with at least so per
Se I OF her cargo capacity.
Mr. Allison said also that there
ought to be a limitation upon the ag-
eregate amount of subsidy to be paid
annually under the bill.
Mr' SDoOner Has His Doubts.
Mr. Spooner of Wisconsin said that
WIN the general motives of the bill
~ Bood American could find himself
a. opposition. The desirability that
rlinerlcan productions should be car
r eu IN an American merchant marine
las apparent to all. Personally he
tug ago formed the opinion that the
az ue method of the revival of our mer-
liant marine was by the Ievying of
discriminating duties. but our hands
, rou peen tied by treaties which pre-
tsteHted the levying of such duties. If
ne me United States should renounce
brose treaties harm might follow, but
W uid not take kindly, he said, to
t e doctrine that the United States
beNer was to be bound
~ treaties with our competitors. The
s,a@sage of the pending bill would pro-
Oe retaliation and the retaliation
,, used by abrogation of the treaties
bbould differ only in name. He said
os would not have voted for the bill
VI last wear.
ao az Investigations induced him to
so ouot whether the pending bill would
a5,'lp llsh the results hoped for by its
~ oCates. It had been contended that
r. III OF last year would no more
~ eQualize the conditions between
ms country and European countries,
Set the present bill proposed a
t5a i lower subsidy. He insisted that
N United States government ought
" know definitely that this hin would