Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1903-02-21
FAVOR SHIP SUBSIDY.
MARITIME Association of New
York Urges Passage of
Measure.
70 FOSTER AMERICAN SHIPPING
Appeal to Congress for Legislation
Favorine the Building Up Of Ameri-
can Shipping in the Foreign Trade
Without Diminishing Rate of Wages.

New York, Feb. 21.-President C. B.
Parsons, of the Maritime association
Of New York, has sent to Chairman
Grosvenor, of the committee on mer-
chant marine and fisheries, a letter
urging the passage If the ship subsidy
bill The letter says in part:
THE maritime association of the
port of New York, the largest organ
ization of its kind in the United
States, if not the largest in the world
with a membership of over 1000, has
repeatedly placed itself on record by
formal resolutions as favoring such
legislation. In our judgment the bill
pending before your committee should
be passed at the present session of
congress with certain amendments
which we have suggested to your COM
mfttee.
American labor in the ship yards
and American labor af1oat refuses to
accept employment at the rate of
wages that they obtain abroad. And
this makes 1t impossible for owners
OF American vessels to proftably
compete with the more cheaply built
and more cheaply operated foreign
ships in our foreign carrying trade.
American capital therefore, as we
have seen during the past year, to the
extent of more than a hundred million
dollars, has been invested in foreign
built ships, Differed and manned by
foreigners. Thus we see that while
under existing conditions profitable
employment is denied to American
labor in our shipyards and on board
our ships. profitable employment If
American capital in ship owning has
been extended in a manner unpre-
cedented in our national history.
ct remains for congress by the &C
tion 1t takes or fails to take on the
pending bill to say whether it favors
the building up of American shipping
in the foreign trade, without dimin-
fishing the rates of wages paid in our
shipyards and on board of our ships;
to say whether American capital,
seeking investment in shipping shall
be forced, because of the conditions
OF the competition, to purchase alien
built vessels and employ aliens to run
them, or whether American labor, in
our shipyards and on board of our
ships, shall be forced to work for the
same rate of wages that is paid
abroad.
There can be no doubt that the
American people desire a great mer-
chant marine Of their own; that al
though unprotected competition with
cheaper built, cheaper operated. sub
sidized and bountied foreign shipping,
American tonnage has been driven
out Of American foreign carrying
trade; that over 80 per cent of our
foreign commerce is carried by for
eign ships; that congress has by its
attention to this subject of recent
years led the people to expect affirma-
tive and effective legislation; that
those now in control of the legislative
and administrative branches of our
government have repeatedly pledged
themselves to provide 1t; that a we'll
considered bill is now pending. hav-
ing already passed one branch of
congress; that the session is drawing
to an end; that if long-needed and
long-delayed relief is to come 1t should
come now and that its further post
ponement is as unjust to the great In
dustry affected as it is perilous to the
nation and subversive to our true
independence.
Sealed Verdict Returned.
Pittsburg, Feb. 21.-The jury in the
trial Of DR.. Ellis Duncan for the shoot
ing of Bruce Head returned a sealed
verdict at Gil last night, after a de-
liberation of two hours, The jurors
retired at 4 o'clock yesterday after
noon after one OF the hardest fought
legal battles that ever occurred in the
local courts characterized by the offer
ing of strlkingly sensational testi-
mony. Those who were hopeful OF
aequittal found nothing encouraging
in the long elaboration of the jury
Few. however, believe that the defend
ant will be found guilty of felonious
assault and battery, and think that a
verdict for the lesser offense, that of
unlawfully wounding, will be rendered.
The charge tothe jury by Judge Frazer
seemed to point strongly toward this
decree.