Waterbury Democrat., 1902-03-18
SUBSIDY BILL PASSED l
Senate Stood d2 to 31 In F'a-
 vor of Measure.
FLOOD OF AMENDMENTS VOTED DOWN

No Foreign BufIt Ship Can Partici-
 pate Tn the Bounty or Be Given
 American Registry-Pro-
 visions of the Act.
 WASHINGTON. March 1S-After prolonged debate the senate passed the ship subsidy bill. the final vote on the measure being 42 to 31. Senators Alli- son and Deliver of Iowa, Spooner and Quarles of Wisconsin and Proctor and Dillingham; of Vermont, Republicans, voted against final passage of the bill, and Senator McLaurin (S. O voted for it. Some amendments to the bill were adopted, but they were all agreeable to those in charge of the measure, the friends of the bill voting down all other amendments.
 The voting upon amendments began at o'clock, and such a flood of them was offered that final vote on the bill as amended was not reached until just before o'clock.
 The senate agreed to an amendment offered by Mir. Spooner providing that congress should have power to amend or repeal the act, without impairing any contract made under it's authority. Mir Hanna of Ohio offered and the senate adopted three amendments ap- plying directly to the acquisition by J. Pierpont Morgan and his associates of the Leyland line of British ships. They provide that no foreign built ship shall participate in the proposed subsidy, that nothing in the act shall be con- strued to prevent American citizens or corporations from holding or operating foreign ships in the ocean carrying trade and that no foreign built ship of any line thus acquired by American cit izens shall be admitted hereafter to American registry.
 The title of the bill passed by the senate is, s"Ho provide for ocean mail service between the United States and foreign ports and the common defense, to promote commerce and to encourage the deepsysea fisheries" Title 1 of the measure, as passed, deals with ocean mail steamships and their subsidies. The postal subsidy act of 1891 is so amended as to direct the postmaster general to enter into contracts for not less than five nor more than fifteen years with American citizens for the carrying of mails on American steam ships to such foreign points as will best promote the postal, commercial and maritime interests of the United States, the mail service on such lines to be equitably distributed among the Atlantic, Mexican, Gulf and Pacific ports and the contracts to be made with the lowest responsible bidder.
 The vessels in the mail service shall be American built and owned and officered by American citizens. Dur- ing the first two years one-fourth of the crew must be American citizens, during the next three years one-third must be American citizens, and during the remaining life of the contract at least one-half must be American citi- zens. The ships must be screw steam ships of iron or steel and divided into the following classes, according to speed: First class, 20 knots or over; second class, 19 knots; third class, IS knots; fourth class, IT knots; fifth class, 16 knots; sixth class, 15 knots; seventh class, IA knots.
 All steamships of the first four class es shall be constructed with particular reference to prompt conversion into auxiliary naval cruisers and shall be of the highest rating known to mari time commerce.
 The rate of compensation for ocean mail service to be paid per gross regis tered ton for each 100 nautical miles sailed from the port of clearance in the United States to the port of entry ill the United States, according to the route required by the postoffice depart ment, shall not exceed the following:
 Steamships of the first class, 2.7 cents; second class, 2.5 cents: third class, 2.3 cents; fourth class, 2.1 cents; fifth class, 1.9 cents; sixth class, IT cents; seventh class, 1.5 cents.
 The rates of compensation to any vessel carrying mails to foreign port in North America shall not exceed TO per cent of the maximum rates estab- lished.
 Mail steamships are required to carry as apprentices one American born boy for each 1000 tons gross register. He shall be educated in seamanship and engineering and rank as a petty offi- cer.
 Title 2 of the bill provides for the general subsidy to be paid. It directs the secretary of the treasury to pay to the owners of any vessel in the United States duly registered and engaged in the foreign trade of the United States a compensation amounting to a cent per gross registered ton for each 100 nautical miles sailed not exceeding six teen entries in any one year and on each entry not exceeding sixteen in any one year for q period of five years from the date of registration of a ves- sel of 1000 gross tons which shall be completed after the passage of this bill, one-fourth of cent per gross ton for each 100 nautical miles sailed in addition to the above mentioned com pensation. The bill specifies certain vessels which shall not receive com pensation under it's provisions, among them being vessels engaged in the coastwise trade exclusively
 The house committee on rules by divided vote on party lines decided to report the resolution of Representative Crumpacker Qnd.) for a special com mittee of thirteen members to investi- gate and report on the alleged disfran- chisement of voters in some of the states Two Democratic members of the committee, Representative Rich ardson CTenn.) and Underwood (Ala.),