The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-04
WARM FIGHT PROMISED
sECRETAnY TAFT AND sHIPowN.
ERs AnE OPPOSED.
NJ n. H. watkins.

ping laws to the Philippines. Inls WAS
bitterly contested by a combination OF
cordage manufacturers. who, not con-
tent with a rebate Of $3.50 per ton
on hemp which IL charged as an export
duty on all hemp exported from the
Philippines to other countries, the Uni
ted States alone being exempt, main
tained they could not compete with
foreign manufacturers unless they
were able to import their hemp In
tramp steamers operated under a for
eign flag. Secretary Taft adopted
their view Of the case and finally OBJ
tained postfonement of the date on
which the law should take effect from
July /, 1906, until July l. 1906. Now
the plea is advanced that American
shipping will not be available in suf-
ficfent tonnage to handle the Philip
pine export tHade on July list. of next
year, and therefore the time should
be extended from July 1, 1906, to July
l, 1909.
Alexander r. smith, of New York.
formerly superintendent of the Mari
time Exchange of that city and now
commissioner of the Merchant Marine
League of the United Stakes, with
Headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, is in
Washington and takes issue with Sec
rotary Taft and predicts that his eff
forts to have the time extended will
be bitterly opposed by the maritime
interests of this country. Mr.. Smith
has just returned from an extensive
trip through the New England States
and will make a tour of the South
before Congress opens in the interest
of his Organization.
American vessel owners" said Mr..
Smith. ''are keenly alive to the danger
of their interests which is threatened
by Secretary of War Tafts announced
intention to secure a postponement UNI
til 1909. of the extension of our coast
wise laws to the Philippines. Score
tary Taft" continued Mr. Smith, who
Is an expert on American shipping af-
fairs, claims that there are not
enough American vessels available to
do our carrying to the Philippines.
Doubtless he believes this; neverthe-
less 1t Is not so, as there are many
more vessels now available for that
carrying than there is business Tor
them to do. Secretary Taft. or any
other person who may seek the proof
of this assertion from the only source
that proof Is possible-American own
ers--can readily obtain it In convince
ing abundance. But the trouble is,
Secretary Taft gets his Information
| through sources that are hostile to
American shipping and he believes 1t.
All of the foreign business of the
| Philippines is today controlled by for
eigners, chiefly Englishmen. They
have their agencies, their banks. their
ships and every accessory to trade and
| they are determined to hold 1t. They
have ways of having the matter so
presented to the secretary that he be-
lieves what he is told. American ves-
| sci owners are not in his confidence
and have no way of getting him to
| realize facts as they exist. But an
American Congress stands between
these hostile foreign influences and
American vessel owners and the lat-
| ter are content to present their facts
before that tribunal and then they will
| be glad to have those who are insid-
iously opposing them forced into the
| Open.
II personally know of American
corporations and Individuals who are
| ready and eager to establish Ameri-
can lines of steamships TO run from
| our Atlantic ports to the Philippines.
AS a matter of fact, there is not
enough trade at present between the
United States and the Philippines to
keep even q single American line busy.
But these Americans who want to es-
tablish American lines In that trade
do not consider so much the immediate
trade as the future and greater trade
that will follow the establishment of
free trade between the United States
and those distant possessions the
same as now exists between the United
States and all of its other insular pos
sessions. Such lines would be power
full factors in bringing about free trade
between the Philippines and the Uni
ted States. a fact that Secretary Taft
seems to have quite overlooked. The
foreigners now have that carrying.
and they want to keep it. 1t remains
to be seem" he continued, whether
Congress will 1egislate for foreign or
for American ships in respect to our
Philippines trade. For my part / be-
lieves 1t will legislate for the Ameri-
cans.
Secretary Taft is also quoted as say
ing that no new American vessels have
been built for this trade since the law
was passed last year. But who is to
blame for that? Not Americans who
are anxious and ready to establish
lines to the Philippines. nor American
shipbui1ders, most of whose shipyafds
are idle. Secretary Taft himself is the
cause of 1t. He has, ever since the law
reserving our trade with the Philip
pines to American vessels first passed,
three years ago, persistently advocat-
ed its postponement till 1903. He has
succeeded In having 1t postponed once
and is quoted as threatening to do so
again, If he can. In the face of this
threat are Americans going to put mill
lions of dollars into ships, only to face
a loss If Secretary Taft succeeds in his
efforts? What would have happened
to a line of American steamships built
ehAiu ANouS 10y wi iAiPPlAO II ouS IA
1901? Its owners would have been
ruined. Suppose a fleet should be built
for that trade now to be ready in 1906
when the law giving the trade to
American vessels goes into effect? II
Secretary Taft succeeded in having it's
application postponed until 1909 that
line would be ruined. OF course. Amer
lean capital In the face of such power
full hostility as Secretary Taft's COM
bined with the foreign shipping inter-
ests who are scheming to hold the car
rying, is afraid of the venture. The
risk Is tpo syreatN Why, am reliably
told that the New York agents and
representatives of the foreign shipping
interests now doing our Philippine car
rying. are freely Dragging that they
will have the laws operation post
poned Indefinitely, and they openly
taunt and Jeer at American vessel own
ers who believe the contrary. But all
Of this will be properly disclosed as
soon as Secretary Taft or any one else
Introduces a bill providing for a fur
Their postponement,
Il reiterate." he concluded, that
there is an ample supply of American
vessels for the present trade and
plenty of American capital ready to
establish lines as soon as Secretary
Tafts threatened continuance of oppo-
sition Is removed"