Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-01-24
HOUSE DISCUSSES PENSION BILL,
House Committee Will Report Bill
Making Liquor in Transit
Subject to State Laws.
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

Washington, Jan. 23.-Thc President to-
day sent to Congress q message calling
attention to the great desrab.lity of
enactment of legislation to help American
shipping and American trade by encour-
aging the building and running of lines
of large and swift steamers t. South
America and the Orient The text of
the message follows:
ITO the Senate and House of Repre-
SentativeS:
81 call your attention to the great de-
STABILITY of cracting legislation to help
American shipping and American trade
by encouraging the building and lunnin :,
of lines of large and swift steamers 10
South America and the Orient.
The urgent need of our country's max
ing an effort to do something like its
share of its own carrying trade on the
ocean has been called to our attention
in striking fashion by the experiences
of Secretary Root on his recent South
American tour. The result Of these eX-
periences ne has set forth in his address
before the trans-Iississippi Commercial
Congress at Kansas City, Mo, On Nov.
20 last. all address so important that il
deserves the careful study Of all public
mon
Tile facts set forth by Mr. Root are
striking and they cannot but arrest the
attention Of our people. The great con-
tinent to the south of us, which should
be knit to us by the closest commercial
ties, IS hardly in direct commercial CONT
muuication with is a. all, its commercial
relations being almost exclusively with
Europe Between all the principal South
American ports and European, lines of
swift ard cOmmodious steamers, subsi-
died by their home governments, ply
regularly. There is no such line or
steamers between these ports and the
United States. In consequence our ship
ping to South American ports Is almost
negligible quantity: for instance, in
the year ending June 50, 1905, there enter
cd the port Of Rio de Janciro over 1900
steamers and sailing vessels from Ell
one. but from the United States NJ
steamers and only seven sailing vessels,
two Of which were in distress. One
prime reason for this state Of things IS
the fact thai those who now do business
on the sea do business in Il world not OF
natural competition but Of subsidized
competition State aid to steamship lines
|
Of today as state employment of consuls
70 nrOtect business. Cur commercial com
pcdtors in Europe pay in the aggregat9
some 81, 10000 a year to their steamship
lincs-Great Britain paying nearly $1,000
0o0
.Janan PAYS between 100000 and 81
OOo OOO. Pv the proposed legislation the
United States will still pay relatively
1nes than INV one Of our competitors
n.xs Three wears ago the tranS-NissiS-
sirni Congress formally set form as an
tomato the statement that every snip Is
a missionary Of trade, that Stcams'll
lives wcrl5 for their own countries Just as
railroad lines work fer their tcrmiha
no;nts. and that is is as absurd 1or thC
Tinted States to depend upon loreIe'
Ching to distribute its products as ii
would h, for n department store to de
| nand upOn wagons Of a competing nous
I, deliver its goods. This statement i
the literal truth.
"Norcovcr it must be rcmembcre'
that American ships do not nave u
contend merely against the SubSldlZd
It;on OF their foreign competitors. III
higher wages and the greater cost
maintenance Of American officers an'
crews make it almost impossible 10
| orr people who do business on IN
ocean ia compete on equal terms VIII
foreign Ships unless they are protected
somewhat as their fellow countrymel
| who do business on land are protector
| We cannot. as country afford t
lbaye the wages and the manner of lii
Of ON. seamen cut down; and the onl,
Ia1Ieternative if we are to have sea
men at all. is to offset the expense b.
giving some advantage 10 the ship It
self.
THE proposed law which has bee
introduced in Congress is a sense eX
detrimental. 1t is based on the bes
land most successful precedents as TO
instance. on the recent Cunard con
tract with the British government. A
liar as South America is concerned. it
lain to provide from the Atlantic to tn
Tactic coasts better American lines I
1.-THE great ports of South America tina
the present European lines. The Sout
american republics now see only on
warships. Under this bill our trad
friendship VII! be made evident {
I+harn Tho hill rronoSaS 10 hIliII iarc