Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-18

-0rs Frye. Hale and BeverIdge
spectA Attorneys For Monopoly.
The OLD ship subsidy crowd are again
haunting the capitol at Washington.
They have, however, learned some
things by experience. They are not 60
asking Uncle Sam to put his hand in
his pocket and give them $1,000. 900 to
100000 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 a campaign fund of about
100000 in 1898 promised to let the
shipowners write their own bill.
The ship subsidy hunters are no less
greedy now, but they are more dis
Greet. Realizing that the Republicans
dare not pass Il general subsidy bill
just before presidential election, they
have planned a special commission to
consider the need of government aid to
shipping This committee is to report
the first day of the short session of
congress. just after the election. and
during that session n ship subsidy bill
is TO be driven through. So the Repub-
lican leaders promise.
But the hungry shipowners are I'M
willing TO wait a full year without a
morsel. Hence they are pushing two
bills. introduced by Senator Frye.
which, if passed, will not only give
them 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 We're unani-
mouSly reported by the two commit
tees of the senate presided over by SEN
ators Frye and Lodge. Both were 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, in other words. pro-
vides that all freight and passenger
traffic between the United States and
the Philippine Islands shall be in
American vessels.
The object of both bills is to give
an absolute and unconditional mOnOpo-
Iy 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 rate
UNNECESSARILY lower than could be
maintained by regular lines.
AS innocent and harmless as these
bills appear, they are so bad that so
ardent a 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 30 or even
100 per cent over present freight rates
than to consent to the passage Of these
two bills.
The printing of Secretary Roots two
letters opened the eyes of many to
the enormity 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 Irvine 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 Beveridge 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 were
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 10 the Philip
pines. 1t showed that by far the heav-
lest sufferers would he the consumers
of binder Irvine II showed also that
the heavy freight rates from the Phil
ippines TO Atlantic ports would be
prOhibitory and that the
hemp from the Philippines would eli
Their be sent TO England or. if 1t came
direct 10 this country at all. ii would
some by the Pacific ports and that the
transcontinental freight rates would
place the eastern cOrdage manufactur-
ers at such disadvantage that they
would probably be driven out of bust
ness. The result of this would be to
throw the western farmers into the
hands of the Chicago trust-the Inter
Harvester company-and then,
as one man put il. God help them"
The farmers and the people generally
must always pay the cost when Uncle
Sam gets generous to the corporations
and trusts. Government favoritism is
good for the favorites. but i is hard on
tho raOr1le who foot tho hills