The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-06
SHIPS AN
 THE TARIFF Minority of Marine Con- missions Views. OPPOSED TO SUBSIDIES Discriminating Duties Urged
 in Their Stead. This. the Report Declares, Was the Policy of the Fathers of the
 Republic and Was Most
 Successful.
OPPOSED TO SUBSIDIES

Washington, Jan. 5.-The views of the minority of the Merchant Marine Commission have been prepared in the form of a report which tomorrow will be made to the Senate by Senator Mall lory of Florida, and in 'the House by Representative Spight of Mississippi. The report Is signed also by Represent ative McDermott of New Jersey. Sem ator Martin of Virginia. is the only Democratic member of the committee who has not subscribed to the minority views.
 Representative Spight is author of the minority report, the principal fea- ture of which is advocacy of the dis eliminating duty policy as a substitute for direct government aid for American ship owners, as proposed by the bill presented by the commission. In this bill the minority says:
 ''We cannot help but see the trail of the serpent that has been over all bills on this subject."'
 Pointing to the fact that'the discrim- mating duty system had been the pol icy of the fathers of the republic, the minority declares that shipping inter ests were marvelously developed In our early history and that the same system would bring like results in this age. It is said that the fear of retaliation, consequent on the necessity of abrogat- ing treaties with maritime countries in order to carry this system into oper- ation, is not well founded.
 Z On this subject the minority report says:
 Tn Ne Olden Times.
 "In our infancy as a nation we not only faced this danger courageousiy but successfully. and our shipping in- dustry prospered far beyond anything we have witnessed since we bound our selves with treaties virtually to surren- der our business on. the high seas
 Commenting on the material differ ence between the cost, of construction in American and foreign ship yards. the minority declares that the hearings conducted by the commission show that the greater cost of labor In the Amer lean yards is largely overcome by the greateR efficiency of the American ar- tisan and the use of improved tools. The greatest impediment to cheaper ships in American yards is declared by the minority to be the unnecessary and exorbitant tariff imposed on steel and iron products" The minority fur ther says:
 Tt has been conclusively shown by testimony before the commission that materials which enter into the con struction of ships are sold by our fac- tories and laid down in foreign ship yards fora price far below that charged at the mills to our own people--a con- dition that would not exist but for the unjust provisions of our tariff laws"
 The minority declares the testimony indicates that the cost of construct ing ships in American yards had, be- fore the advent of Dingleyism and it's brood of cormorant trusts, gotten down to about the cost of construct ing ships in foreign yards"
 Against Direct Subsidies.
 While the minority says there are objections to the entire bill agreed on by the commission, opposition is with held by the minority except as to sections which provide for direct sub sides. The report says these are so obnoxious to Democratic principles and to the economic sense of the coun- try that we are compelled to enter our earnest protest against their enact- ment into laws"
 The subsidy bill introduced by the Committee is declared by the minor ity to be not as honest as former di- rect subsidies measures. The minor ity says the bill. 'displaces the word subsidy with the word 'subvention' and through the explanation with which 1t Is launched, seeks to create the impression that it only gives back to the shipping industry what is ta- ken from 1t; or rather that 1t gives back to American ships what is taken in increased tonnage taxes from ships of all nations. But on the. contrary 1t places in the treasury the amounts to be received under 1t through tonnage taxes and takes out of the treasury the appropriations provided for with out any reference whatever to the rel ative amounts taken out and put in without any limitation of the subsidy to the amount of the tonnage tax without any sort of the 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, lis ln- geniously introduced by the sugar coated expression, In the interest of national defence and for the perform ance of public services. Will the Congress of the United States and the American people suffer themselves to be deceived by this transparent dis guise? Public sentiment and the so- Der judgment of the peoples represen- tatives have united to condemn every previous effort to enact such legisla- tiOn and surely thia effort ynuat ,,,aat