The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-14
as 10 a SNIP SUBSIDY.


Some organization with headquarters
in Cleveland is sending out Literature"
to the newspapers Of the country Just
now to boom the ship subsidy business.
It Is an effort to manufacture senti-
nent in favor of having congress make
an appropriation Of q few million dol
lars or so to be given as a present 10
ship owners Three different copies of
the same literature have come to the
State Journal within the past two
weeks.
The state Journal confesses that It is
unable To- work up much enthusiasm
for a ship subsidy. and judging from
the few editorial expressions from the
Mississippi valley in the ship subsidy
literature. most other newspapers n
this part of the country are at least in
different on the matter. An effort is
made to show that the inland press
is for the subsidy. but the effort is q
failure
The ship subsidy business has all the
appearances of a graft. The main bene-
hciaries would be the rich ship owners.
And besides this paper cannot see the
philosophy of the United States govern
ment paying out money to make up a
deficiency in the expense of doing some
thing ourselves that we can hire some
body else to do for US cheaper
Figures are cited showing how the
ships Of other nations come to America
and carry our products over the seas
for US, because those nations give their
shipping a subsidy, and American ships
cannot compete with them and have
therefore gone out Of the business.
That looks to US perfectly right and
proper. If other nations wish to carry
our goods for US cheaper than we can
carry them ourselves, we should not
object. If it is the policy of other ma
tons TO take money out of their ma
ttonal treasures and pay part Of our
freight bills for US, the State Journal
cannot see why we should pay out sew
era1 millions more to keep them from
their work Of philanthropy. And that
IS what a ship subsidy would amount
tc. When there comes a time VIII n
money is to be made 1egitimately il
shipping our own goods. the Yankee
sailor will be on hand to go into the
business.
The trouble is that at present there
is no graft for the rich ship owners.
They wish the government to give than
a rakeon just because they happen to
the grocery business or the newspaper
business, or some other line. It is sus-
pected. however, that some of them are
in one branch Of the grocery business
that pertaining to oil.
The advocates Of the ship subsidy
measure take pains to point out that
the subsidy bill is meant especially 10
encourage American shipbuilding. and
It provides that all material to be used
in building ships shall be admitted free
of duty
That sounds pretty good, extremely
good-for the shipbuilding trust. The
rest OF US all have to pay big duty on
all the imported stuff we use, but if
the shipbuilding trust wants some of
the same goods for its business it gets
them duty free. Looks like some more
graft.
The gentlemen who are operating the
ship subsidy bureau up in Cleveland
might as well strike the State Journal
/ off their mailing list and save their
/ postage stamps If they cannot produce
any better arguments than those that
have thus far been forthcoming-and
they probably cannot.