Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-02-28
SHIP SUBSIDY HUNTERS
Foiled at the Treasury Door,
They Try the Window.
Willy METHODS OF ARTFUL MEN.


Endeavoring to secure Monopoly
of the Philippine Carrying Trade.
"God Help the Western Farmcrs."
Senators Frye, Hale and Bcveridge
Special Attorneys For Monopoly.
The old ship subsidy crowd are again
haunting the capitol at aShincton.
They have, however. learned some
things by experience. They are not go
ing directly after what they want and
asking Uncle Sam to put his hand in
his pocket and give them $1,000, 600 to
S10,0OO.OOO a year because they are In
the business of running steamships.
They have discovered that this is SO
obnoxious to the people that even a
Republican congress hesitates to fulfill
the pledge of Senator Hanna, who in
return for 4 campaign fund of about
shipoWners write their own bill.
The slip subsidy hunters are no less
greedy now, but they are more dis
Greet Realizing that the Republicans
dare not pass general subsidy bill
just before a presidential election they
have planned special commission to
lonsi4!er t!c aecd of government aid to
shipping. iis committee is to report
the first dag of the short session of
congress, just after the election. and
during that session a ship subsidy bill
is to be driven through. So the Kepub-
lican leaders promise.
But the hungry shipowners are un-
willing to wait II full year without a
morstl. Hence they are pushing two
bills, introduced by Senator Frye.
which, if passed. will not only give
them a taste of subsidy, but which will
be the entering wedge, they hope, for
subsidy legislation which Will open wide
to them the door of Uncle Sans big
treasury These two bills were unani
mousIy reported by the two commit
tees OF the senate presided over by Sen
ators Frye and Lodge. Both We're re-
ported without hearings, without in
vestigation and without consideration.
One of these bills provides that all
shipments by sea of government sup
plies shall be in American vessels. The
other extends our coaStwiSe laws to the
Philippines, or, i'll other words, pro
vides that all freight and passenger
traffic between the United States and
the Philippine Islands shall be III
American vessels.
The object of both bills is to give
an absolute and unconditional monopo-
ly to American vessels in all Philippine
business. The Philippine trade is com
paratively small. There is not enough
of it to warrant the establishment of
regular lines Nearly all of it is now
done in foreign tramps and at a rate
immeasurably lower than could be
maintained by regular lines.
AS innocent and harmless as these
bills appear, they are so bad that so
ardent Republican as former Secre
tary of War Root strongly opposed
them in letters written to Senator Frye
Secretary Root was in favor of govern
ment aid to shipping but. realizing the
full meaning of giving American YES
sells an unconditional monopoly. he
said that he would rather contract to
give them an advance of so or even
100 per cent over present freight rates
two bills
The printing of Secretary Roots two
letters opened the eyes of many to
the enor,nity of the proposed legisla-
ton. Frightened at the greatly in
creased cost of transportation which
would result from these bills, the east
ern cordage manufacturers and the
western binder twinr dealers compelled
Senator Lodge to grant hearing in OPP
position to these bills. But at this
hearing Senator Lodge arranged to
have present all the shipping interests.
and then he and Senator Hale of Maine
and Senator Bcvcrisc Of Indiana CON
stituted themselves as special attorneys
for the shipping people and in opposi-
ton to the opponents of the bill. The
result was that the opponents We're
only enabled to get in their testimony
in halfway fashion. But this testimo-
ny nevertheless showed that the bill
would more than double freight rates
on all products to and from the Phil
ippines. and this increase would in the
end be paid by the producers Of the
products that we ship to the Philip
pines. 1t showed that by far the heav-
lest sufferers would be the consumers
of binder twine. 1t showed also that
the heavy freight. rates from the Phil
ippines to Atlantic ports would be
practically prohibitory and that the
hemp from the Philippines would Ell
ther be sent to England or. if it came
direct to this country ut all. it would
come by the Pacific ports and that the
freight rates would
place the eastern cordage manufacture