Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-03-11
57th CONGRESS.
Continued from page IL

analysed the pending measure and at
tackled the present navigation laws
which he declared were relics or par
barism and responsible for the decline
of our merchant marine.
TiIIman of South Carolina followed
in a brief speech in opposition to the
bill. He denounced the policy of Civ
ing subsidies to anybody, particularly
to individuals and corporations en-
gagged in the formation of shipping
trusts.
The Senate passed a considerable
number of unobjected bills on the cal
endar.
When the Senate convened, a joint
resolution was passed authorizing the
secretary of the navy to donate to the
Minnesota State Historical Society the
steering wheel of the former United
States ship Minnesota.
The Senate agreed to the conference
asked for by the House on the diplo-
matte and consular appropriation bill,
and Hale, Cullom and Teller were
named as conferees.
Vest, Mo-. then began a speech in OPP
position to the pending subsidy bill, de-
claring that 70 per cent of the subsidy
which would be received by ships on
the Atlantic would go to the Interna-
tional Navigation Co.-the American
Line The pending bill, he said, would
take money out of the treasury of the
United States without giving anything
OF value in return for it. The vessels
would get the subsidies whether they
carried a single postal card or not. lie
said that Frye and Hanna had present
ed roseate pictures of the additional
commerce which the United States
would acquire through the operations
of the proposed bill, claiming that
trade would follow the mails. As
matter of fact, he asserted, the mails
followed the trade; that had been
proved by the history of the world.
England, ne asserted, had 50 per cent.
OF the ocean carrying trade o. the
world. He denied that England paid
subsidies to her vessels. He declared
that Great Britain paid the steamship
lines for carrying the mails, the sums
paid being dependent upon the number
of pounds of mail carried. Most of
Fncland's ocean commerce was car
ried by her tramp steamers and not
penny of subsidy was paid to any Of
them The only real subsidy which
Great Britain paid, Vest said, was $780,
600 a year. to the owners of certain YES
sells which could be called into use as
auxiliary cruisers in time Of war, if
they were deemed necessary.
Vest sharply criticised the provisions
of the pending bill looking to the im-
provement of the deep sea fisheries. He
I. t,.-
from Maine (Frye) because he proposed
to take $4,000 a year from the tax
PAYERS for the benefit of New England's
deep sea fisheries. He thought New
England ought to be satisfied with the
legislation for her special benefit al
ready on the statute books.
Vest criticised the majority of the
commerce committee for eliminating
from the bill the provision which re-
auired a subsidized ship to carry at
least so per cent. of her cargo capacity
on any voyage upon which she was to
receive subsidy. The majority. he eX-
planned, had held that the provision
was of doubtful constitutionality.' He
had read a letter from Hon. George F.
Edmunds. taking the ground that such
q provision was not unconstitutional.
Inc senator lTOIlI Manic NTIyt', NtSt
continued, had said with his usual
courage and frankness that subsidy
meant protection. And he might have
said truthfully," said Vest, that pro-
lection meant subsidy
Vest maintained that ships could be
built in this country as cheaply as they
could be built anywhere. He made
vigorous attack on the navigation laws
of the United States, declaring that
they were responsible for the decline
of the merchant marine. They embodied
a semi barbaric system which even
China had thrown aside, he asserted.
The remedy was to abrogate the navi-
Eation laws and to permit citizens OF
the United States to buy thelr ships
where they could buy them cheapest.
Tillman, speaking on the bill, said
that 1t would foster monopolies. He
would cite, he said, as commentary
on patriotism and love of country that
the four scout ships st. Paul, Paris,
New York and st. Louis, used during
the Spanish war, cost the government
S2,S64.S35 and they had been subsidized
under a pretence that they would serve
the nation in time of emergency.
At ABS the Senate went into executive
session and at 4.40 p. NJ. adjourned.