The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-08
NO NEED OF 1T.

From the facts that have already
been presented to the public through
T h e Glob e, it would appear that
that there is no special need of the
bill favored by Secretary Moody au-
thorizing the president, the secretary
of the navy and the secretary of war
to use American or foreign ships at
their discretion in transporting sup
plies between the United States and
the Philippines after the first of July.
On that date the law applying the
coasting trade regulations to COM
merce with the Philippines goes into
effect This restricts such privileges
to American bottoms The officials of
the administration now wish to have
themselves excepted; so that, while a
citizen of the United States must do
business in vessels owned and OPP
Grated by citizens of the United States,
the government of the United States
can help at its option build up and
maintain the merchant marine of a
foreign and competing power.
We see no conceivable reason why
this privilege should be granted. 1t is
contrary to all our declared national
policy. 1t certainly would be an out
rage upon Individual rights if a pri-
vate citizen were forbidden in the name
and interest Of the nation to do some
thing conceived to be injurious to it,
while the nation itself was explicitly
authorized to commit that very act.
Furthermore, there is no practical need
of any such privilege. If the govern
ment exercises the slightest possible
sense in the transportation of supplies
between this country and the Philip
pines, it would have no more use for a
foreign owned ship than for a balloon.
1t wants these tramp steamers avail
able to carry stuff from New York by
the Suez canal route at low rates. 1t
thus does something to lower the tre-
mendous charges made necessary by
maintaining also the costly San Fran
cisco route. 1t pays several times the
actual cost of carrying freight to Ma
Mia in order to get it to San Francisco.
and then carries it in it's old rickety
transports at another cost which no
private corporation would dream of in
curing. Thus the combination most
favored by the government is one of
political pull from San Francisco for
high prices and private favor and
tramp foreign steamships on the Allan
tic seaboard for low prices, and the in
jury of the American merchant marine.
If the government were to do what
any properly managed business concern
would do, it would have no need to ask
an exception from the law. 1t would
break up or sell its transports and
abandon the San Francisco route al
together. 1t would seek for and obtain
rate from the northern route, which
would certainly lower immensely the
average Cost OF carriage that 1t has
been paying. and would probably be
able to compete even from points on
the Atlantic coast with the alI-water
route. 1t would not be troubled about
the ownership of vessels, because the
carriers plying the Pacific in connec-
ton with the northern line are and will
be American ships. The government
can feel no embarrassment in this mat
ter that is not entirely its own fault
Such being the case. the fact that it
asks to be excepted from ruling made
in behalf of a great national interest
is in no wise to it's credit.
A half-million Chinese have been