The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-27
DANGER TO PARTY
In SUBSIDY BILL?
Republican Leaders Fear Result
of Presidents Endorsement
- of Project. " g.
SITUATION rs FRAUGHT
WITH GRAVEST PERIL
congressman Hesitate to Act in
View Of the Possible III
r.. Outcome. 4 .


r.. Outcome.
BY w. w. Jernane, Colorado Building,
Washington, D. c. .
Washington, Nov. ,27.-WilI the at
tempt to use the magic Roosevelt g
name to force ship subsidy bill thru
congress- send the republican party
down to sdefeat7 This is the question
when Secretary Root s great speech at
Kansas City the other day is causing re-
publican party leaders to ask each
other.
There. does not appear to be any dis
position to combat the. value and merit
Of Mr.. Root s argument in favor Of the
expenditure of. the public money for
the purpose of drawing South America
and North America closer in their COM
mercial, social and industrial relations.
So far, all who. have discussed this fea-
ture of the secretary s speech appear
to hold to the opinion that the people
at large would countenance even an
extfavagant outlay to accomplish that
which he SO graphically laid before the
country. Politically, the American re-
publics must suffer a common fate.
Therefore, socially, commercially and
industriallv, they should be bound to-
gether. Thus far Mr.. Root has the ap-
this direction he goes no farther than
many have gone. before him. - 9
Gives Roosevelt's o. K.
But Mr.. Root, in setting up the i'm
portance Of developing the relations be-
tween the two Americas, gives the in
dorsement of the Roosevelt administra-
ton to the entire subsidy propaganda
as exemplifed in the bill which passed
VIrT4 SI fofo TO oof rr+n
and that is where the rub comes It il
that feature Of the case which makes
members of congress wonder if it will
be entirely safe for them to lend their
Individual support to the project Of
doing, something to draw the South
Americans to us. That is. if the doors
OF, the treasury are once thrown open,
a world subsidy, will the people
excuse it on the ground that little Of
the money was spent for the laudable
purpose of knitting the two Americas
together, or will they 90 to the polls
and vote the republican party into OBJ
livion9 Answer that question and you
Immediately settle the question as TO-,
whether, there is to- be any ship sub
sidy legislation this winter. - 80
aFtE4 Afraid Of the Issue. szs.,5:s7gss2s,,
Some Of. the greatest men in the party
are afraid Of it: Among these is to be
found Uncle Joe Cannon. IF it had not
been for his opposition the senate sub
sidy, bill would have come to a vote in
the house. last winter. The president
wanted tied it voted on / and he urged the
is fully as 'tsot' in his ideas as the
president and the bill rested in the
house committee on merchant marine
and, fisheries, where it is now. Whether
the speaker is opposed to the subsidy
principle has not been, fully revealed,
but it is known That the failure Of this
legislation for the past two congresses
ever his opinion of subsidies. it is
known that he has been afraid Of the
effect of any such legislation. The
condition of the treasury, the certainty
that one subsidy appropria ton would
lead to another, and the temper of the
people on the subject, are the only rea-
sons he has apparently felt called upon
has given to all who had any occasion
to talk with him about it, from the
president down.
Foreign Trade Big Now.
The one great, underlying fact on
which rests the fear Of the republicans
that they may earn the popular wrath
if they. establish. the subsidy princi-
pie in this country is the present splen-
the United States. From an obscure
position among the weak and puny ma
tions of the world. the United States
has come forward in this respect, stride
by stride, without subsidies, without
ships of commerce flying the stars and
stripes on every sea, until today we
stand without peer, the foremost ex-
porting nation on earth.
This is the great fact which makes
the party leaders give pause. For they
know that if a subsidy is granted to
shipowners and the expenditure Of the
money does not result in an immediate
and marked increase of American ex-
ports, disaster awaits the party. which
permitted the vessel owners to reach
their long arms into the United States
treasury. And yet it may be that,
as it has, no subsidy could tend to
hasten it.. For if the people are al
ready selling all their surplus, and do
ing it readily, no number Of waiting
vessels would or could make them sell
more.
Turned Down Big Order.
To ILLUSTRATED: A few days ago an
opportunity was pointed out to the
American Car & Foundry company, the
so-called car trust, to sell large num-
ben of cars in China, and the reply
was that the company could not fill all
the orders received for cars in this
county. and, therefore, did mot desire
to reach after the Chinese trade. Hence
a thousand subsidized ships waiting to
carry cars to China could not have
any effect upon exports. Even free
transportation to a foreign country
would not induce an American manu-
tacturer to neglect his established do
nestle trade, or to send any of his
product abroad until the demands of
his domestic trade were fully satisfied.
Again, if subsidies are the sure key
to commercial greatness in the foreign
field, how is it that Great Britain has
not SO far outstripped the rest of the
world as to make the race hopeless for
othersY She has expended for this pur-
pose IN The neighborhood Of $500 0OO,-
OOo Yet the United States has come
up out Of the. ruch without any sub.
sldles at all, and has equaled and passed
ner In the total value of annual ex-
ports. And other nations with vary
ing amounts invested in subsidies have
also taken away some of her business
"a foreign countries If subsidies make
Tor greater. exports, they must also
make. For lower freight rates. These
Two are one and indivisible, as the
standard Oil company can tell You.
The exporter who gets the lowest rates
WAL sell the goods, provided other
things are equal. 81
But do subsidies make lower freight
4 Continued on I'd Page, I'd Column.