The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-12-12

the railroad rate bill would have been
to relieve those powerful corporations
from regulation by law or a stringent
character. But he comes here with
piece OF legislation that Is aimed,
not at powerful corporations, but at
defenseless laboring men. The Ameri-
can congress In its decision between
the large and powerful shipping in
terests OF this country and the LABOR
ing interests should hesitate before
1t passes this bill"
Sparkman of the First.
] Congressman Sparkman OF the First
Florida district, was one OF the clos
ing speakers in the debate, and MS
speech was very forceIul one: He
discussed in detail the question OF com
pulsory pilotage and showed why the
Dill should not become law at this
time. The following are excerpts
from his speech:
Il had supposed it would not De
necessary for anyone at this late day
to stand upon this floor and urge the
importance to commerce of the pilot
systems of the south or anywhere
else in the country.
Gentlemen, you ought to know that
Notwithstanding the -arious ports
throughout the coUztry have been,
many OF them, ve;y greatly improved
by deepening and widening tnenr
channels, yet pari passu with the La
provement OF those harbors the yes
sells entering them have also been in
creased in tonnage and draft render
ING tho dtfHa,nlfiAs Of Navigation 80
far as these larger vessels are con-
cerned, as great, as before the I'M
provements were made, so that there
is as great necessity for pilots In the
navigation Of those harbors as at any
time in their commercial history.
Why was the law changed so far
as steamboats, we're concerned, as IT
was in 1871? The reason was that
the steamboat does not need the use
of a pilot as much as a sailing vessel.
Another reason was that 1t costs more
to run and operate a steamboat, seven
or eight times as much, than 1T does
to operate a sailing vessel, thus CIV
ing, it was no doubt thought, the sail
ing vessel a great advantage OF the
steamboat. and the idea no doubt was
to place them more nearly upon an
equality by exempting coastwise
steam vessels from compulsory pilot
age. No one, perhaps, dreamed that
the passage of that law would discrim
mate against sail vessels, and in my
Judgment there was none, nor Is there
any now.
Now, Mr. Speaker a remark was
made by some gentleman a while ago
about exhorbitant charges in few
individual instances. l. also either
heard or saw the statement in the
testimony taken at The hearings on
this bill that $140 was charged one
vessel for pilotage, and that after pay.
ing that charge and other charges Ii
had only some $500 left to distribute
among the owners. But when
looked further / found that the other
charges in addition to the pilot charges
amounted to $1,700. And yet the gen
tleman testifying, the owner of the
vessel, seemed to think his whole
trouble came from the pilot charges
of about $40, as, ], now remember.
$50 far. as the local discrimination
lis concerned, the laws of the states
fix the pilot charges, either directly
by saying what they shall be, as In
Florida, for instance, or indirectly
through boards of pilot commission
ers authorized by state laws to do that
very thing; and, sir, | know Of nc
state law. nor has any been pointed
out, which makes or authorizes such
determinations. If, therefore, there
has been any discrimination, it has
been made by individual pilots here
and there; and to say that this pilot
system, which q gentleman now or
the other side in a former congress
stated was the finest in the world
should be destroyed because, fOrsooth
some individual has violated the laws
of his state is folly AS well might
we condemn the whole penal code be
cause a few evil-minded persons now
and then should violate some Of Its
provisions.
81 wish to refer to one other matter
Something was said about the states
OF Georgia and Virginia having II
cense laws. 1t i'll becomes the gentle
men who favor this bill to charge thai
up against the opponents Of the meas
ure, because it was done In the inter
est of the shipping of those ports The
legislatures Of those states said II
the shipowners: you think you car
occasionally pilot your vessels into
the ports OF this state, and that yor
may not at all times need a state pilot
Very well. But II you are to have
lpllot ready when you do need him
The must be paid in some way. So il
lyou will pay a certain amount toward
: keeping up the system, we win permits
your vessel to come in without paying
, for a pilot, except when you avail
yourself OF his services" But this
bill does nothing of that kind, and II
Iyou pass this measure, want to say
. to you that when the storm comes
and ships are in. peril the pilot viii
mot be there to serve them"