The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-06
MINORITY OBJECTS
TO ANY SUBSIDIES
Merchant Marine Commission
Prepares a Report
is THE SAME OLD STORY
Minority Says They Cannot Help But
See the Trail of the Serpent"
That Is Over All Bills
on the Subject.

Washington, January 1.-The views
of the minority of the merchant
marine commission have been pre-
pared in the form of report which to-
morrow Will be made to the Senate by
Senator Mallory of Florida, and In the
House by Representative Spight OF Mis-
sissppi. The report is signed also by
Representative McDermott of New Jer-
sey. Senator Martin of Virginia is the
only democratic member of the commits
sion who had not subscribed to the mi
nority views. Representative Spight is
author Of the minority view, the princi-
pal feature of which is advocacy of the
discriminating duty policy as a substitute
for direct government aid for American
ship owners, as proposed by the bill pre-
scented by the commission. In this bill
the minority says:
I'VE cannot help but see the trail of
the serpent that has been over all bills
on this subject"
Worked Well In Old Days.
Pointing to the fact that the discrimi-
mating duty system had been the policy
of the fathers of the republic, the mi
nority declares that shipping interests
were marvelously developed In our early
history, and that the same system would
bring like results in this age. 1t is said
that the fear of retaliation, consequent
on the necessity of abrogating treaties
with maritime countries, in order to carry
this system into operation, is not well
| founded.
On this subject the minority report
says:
I'm our infancy as a nation we not
only faced this danger courageously, but
successfully, and our shipping industry
prospered far beyond anything we have
| witnessed since we bound ourselves with
treaties virtually to surrender bus
| mess on the high seas"
Commenting on the material difference
| between the cost of construction In Am
| erican and foreign shipyards, the minor
| fty declares that the hearings conducted
| by the commission show that the greater
cost of labor In the American yards is
| largely overcome by the greater effici-
! ency of the American artisan and the
use of improved tools. The greatest i'm
! pediment to cheaper ships In American
| yards is declared by them to be the ''un-
necessary and exorbitant tariff imposed
on steel and iron products" The minor
| ity further says:
TT has been conclusivey shown by
| testimony before this commission that
materials which enter into the construc
ton of ships are sold by our factories
and laid down In foreign shipyards for
| price far below that charged at the
|
| would not exist Tbut for unjust provis-
! ions of our tariff laws"
| The minority declares the testimony
Indicates that the cost of constructing
ships in American yards had before the
advent of Dingleyism and its brood of
cormorant trusts gotten down to about
the cost of construction In foreign yards"
Opposed Direct Subsidies.
| While the minority says there are OBJ
jections to the entire bill agreed on by
| the. commission, opposition Is withheld
| by the minority except to sections which
provide for direct subsidies. The report
| says these are 80 obnoxious to demo-
cratic principles and to the economic
sense of the country that we are COM
PEELED to enter our earnest protest against
| their enactment into laws"
! The subsidy bill introduced by the COM
mittee is declared by the minCsity to be
not as honest as former direct subsidy
measures. The minority says the bill
"displaces the word subsidy with the
word 'subvention,' and through the ex-
PLANTATION with which 1t Is launched seeks
| to create the impression that 1t only gives
back in the shipping industry what is
| taken from it, or rather 1t gives back
| to American ships what Is taken in in
| creased tonnage taxes from ships of all
nations. But on the other hand 1t places
| in the treasury the amounts to be re-
ceived under 1t through tonnage taxes,
and taxes out Of the treasury the ap-
propriations provided for without any
reference whatever to the relative
amounts taken out and put in-without
any limitation of the subsidy to the
amount of the tonnage taxes-without any
sort or limitation of the total to be paid
| out of the treasury now or hereafter
for the benefit Of the merchant marine"
The subject Of subvention In section
Of the bill, says the minority, is "in-
geniously introduced by the 'sugar-coated
expression in the interest of national
defense and for the performance of pub
| lie services VIII the Congress of the
United States and the American people
suffer themselves to be deceived by this
transparent disguise? Public sentiment
and the sober judgment of the peoples
representatives have united to condemn
every previous effort to enact such legis-
lation and surely this effort must meet
| the fate of its predecessor"
|