Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-27
SHAW ON NON-PARTIsANSH
Chief Speaker at Syracuse Chamber Of
Commerce BANQUET.

SYRACUSE, n. Y, April 27.-Secretary
of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw was the
guest of honor and chief speaker at the
annual banquet of the Syracuse chamber
of commerce last night More than 300
merchants and business men from this and
neighboring cities were at the table. Gen.
eral Horatio C. King of New York was also
one of the speakers.
Secretary Shaw was given a hearty re-
ception when he arose to speak on Non
partisan craftsmanship"
In part he said:
Some of the best work of the republic
has been accomplished non-partisauly- Dur
ing the adminstra ton of James Madison a
law was passed giving the American ship
builder and the American shipowrer a
monopoly OF our coastwise trade While
this law has been many times assailed. no
party has ever dared repeal ii, and Its
presence on the statute books is, therefore,
with non-partisan approval. What Is the
result? We have the largest and most
prosperous, the cheapest and best coast
wide trade in the world.
Work Of Non-Partisan Votes.
About forty years ago there was I'm
augurated a policy of internal Improvement.
BY non-partisan votes large grants of land
and large appropriations of money were
offered as an fnducement to the construc-
ton of Translate and trans-continental
railroads. Note the result.
Five trunk lines, all but one assisted by
the government, cross the Rocky noun
tains and a result of these roads and
their tributaries the entire west has become
the most profitable market for the manu-
featured products of the eastern states and
in turn the greatest producers of food prod
uctS which comprise over 90 per cent of
our exports Nor is this all. We have the
most efficient, the cheapest and the best
railway service in the world. The average
freight rates in Europe are three times as
high as in the United States.
provement the government has made lib
eral appropriations for the Improvement
of rivers and harbors. These appropria-
tons have all been passed as comparison
measures and by a non-partisan vote.
The Isthmian Canal
For more than a hundred years states
men have dreamed and talked and planned
for an isthmian canal, and now the hope OF
a century bids fair to be realized Tho
government of the United States willingly
pays fifty millions for the right of way,
then promises to spend probably two hun
dred millions in the construction and other
millions in the maintenance, and perhaps
other millions still in the defense of the
canal, and then pledges itself to permit the
commerce of the world to enjoy this short
cut between the oceans on equal terms.
Fortunately the parties vie with each
other in enthusiasm over the prospect of
making this the greatest of all contribn-
tions to the worlds commerce. / wish
non partisanly the parties would be as
thusiastic in their efforts to create a mer-
chant marine, to the end that American
material producers and American ship
builders and American sailors might get
their fair proportion of the worlds carry
ing trade.
THE Spanish war, with it's unexpected
results, placed the Pacific ocean logically,
if not actually, where she has always been
naturally, under the sovereignty of the
stars and stripes. The opportunity is be-
fore US, and sooner or later the American
L. xrri1l tot nd f.,t,
erations will not be slow in rendering their
need of praise to the craftsmanship. partf-
san or non-partisan, which secures to
America the legitimate fruits of this enor-
nous expenditure"