The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-04-05


kong, few hundred miles north of the
Philippines. These subsidized forASen
concerns. with dividends guaranteed
out of their national treasures. deprive
our American ships OF freight and mas
sengers- Although the Boston steam
ship Company's service is conducted by
experienced and capable managers. it
has never made any profit, and unless
Congress passes this Philippine Iegis-
lation or grants some measure of i'm
mediate relief these American ships
will be withdrawn from the route or
transferred 10 foreign colors.
This is precisely the result sought
by the European governments. Not
content with fighting American ship
owners abroad, their foreign rivals.
grown embroidered. are fighting them
right in our own country 1t is a fact
OF much significance 20 the state De-
pertinent that the memorial offered the
other day in the New York Chamber of
Commerce against the bill reservTng TO
American ships American commerce
with the Philippines was presented by
the New York agent of the North Ger
man Lloyd Steamship Company. of
Bremen. Germany. subsidized for its
eastern service for 81, $3.50. 600 a year
by the American representative Of the
British shipping and mercantile house
OF Smith, Bell & Co. Manila agents for
eight British steamship lines with 900
steamers. among them the BritIsh-yan-
couver Company. with a subsidy of
100000 a year.
{" Under such competition wrote the
late Hon. William C. Whitney, it is
quite easy to conjecture what will be-
come of the American flag and our re-
sources in the way of naval reserve
| in the North Pacific.
ITO sum up, the European powers,
| by subsidy. bounty, and other discrinli-
nations. have completely driven Amer
! lean shipping out of their commerce
| with their possessions in the Orient.
They are now moving to the next and
most effective step. of driving Amerf-
| can shipping out Of our own commerce
with our own possessions in the Phil
| ippines. Because of the derceness OF
party divisions in the United States
and the apparent Indifference of the
Middle West to our maritime interests
we, as a nation. have not thus far been
able to meet subsidy by subsidy. But
Senate bill 2259 extending to the Phil
| fppine trade the principle of coastwise
protection-our historic national policy,
over which our parties have never
divfded-offers a direct and consistent
method of saving the remnant of our
lPacfffc fleet and retaining in our owr
hands the control of our own commu-
nication with our East Indian CONNER
| ciaI ports and naval stations
Foreign government which. by sub
sidizing their ships, have driven oul
ships out of the Orient and almost of
| the seas would show an egregious as
surance if they objected to the pending
measure as a violation of the principle
of the open door AS a matter of fact
this reserving to American ships of at
least our American trade with our Phil
ippine dependencies is an act of abso-
| lutte self-defense against the aggressive
maritime policy OF Europe. We must
do this or we shall soon be forced to
the humi1iating plight of not being able
to reach the Philippines save by the
grace of our rivals IN trade under the
flags of our possible enemies in war.
Sincerely yours,
WINTHROP L. MARVIN