The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-04-02
MOURNING FOR
DEFEATED BILL
Roosevelt Writes Letter Thank
ing Western Supporters of
Ship Subsidy.
OLD ARGUMENTS ADVANCED
OTHER COUNTRIES PAY HEAVY
AMOUNTS.


f. NJ Pollard Of the First Nebraska dis
trict has received a letter from Presi-
dent Roosevelt thanking him for his sup
Dort Of the ship subsidy bill. congratulate
ing him and other western congressman
upon the view they took of the situation
and deprecating the defeat of the bill
As a serious injury to the commercial in
terests Of the United States. The presl-
dents letter follows:
Washington, March 10. l9os--My Dear
Mr.. Pollard l feel that it Is due not
only 70 YOU, but to the other western
congressman, the congressman from the
interior who voted for the ship subsidy
bill. that ] should express to YOU, not
only for YOU, but for all of them also,
the reasons why / think YOU have rem
dered a great and patriotic service.
Previous Measures Were Bad.
At the outset let me emphasize the
fact that the present proposed ship sub
sidy bill has nothing whatever in COM
mon with certain previous measures Of
The same name There we're well-fOunded
objections to certain features of those
previous measures, but in the present
measure all these objectionable features
have been eliminated. / should heartily
favor the present measure in any event.
bat the experiences Of Secretary Root on
his trip TO South America. and the course
OF events upon the Pacific. seem to me
60 render il Of the utmost consequence
To pass the pfulflStu OIL A. Il Matter OF
fact my only objection 10 it is that It
does not 90 far enough. l. personally.
for instance. would like TO see a lire 10
South America from one OF our Gulf
ports
II feel that YOU men from the west
Eho stood by the cause of American
shipping IN supporting the ship subsidy
bill deserve the same praise that should
Doe accorded 10 those men of the sea-
coast regions who voted for. and BY their
votes succeeded in establishing our pres
ent system of national irrigation In the
states from Kansas. Nebra ska and the
Dakotas westward to CalifG-nia, Ore
gon and Washington. At that time the
argument was made TO me bv many men
representing the country east of the
Mississippi shat IL was not fair to ask
their support for a measure purely 70
benefit The states Of the great plains and
The Rockies.
Plea for Subsidy.
My answer to them was that any
thing that benefited a part of this coun-
try ultimately benefited all of it, and that
We were in honor bound to support Sny
such measure even If our particular To-
cabty was not affected. The same arEu-
meut applies now in reference to this
shipping bill. II is deeply disCreditable TO
as as a nation that our shipping should
be driven from the high seas. and il has
thus been driven partly because our
steamship lines are quite unable to com
pete with foreign steamship lines, Eng
At7Air fHel man. dttftstlseSt- EFfilfn- which
are heavily subsidized by their govern
n1ents. and partly because the high stan
daTd of wages and of living which We tx
act for our seamen puts our shipmasters
and ship owners at a disadvantage when
forced 40 compete even with unSubsi-
died ships of foreign powers This diff
ference in standards, and the subsidiza-
ton Of our foreign competitors. taken to-
sether, have created an obstacle to the
Development Of our shipping which is in
surmountahle except by subsidy. and
this obstacle must be cleared away as
We would clear away bar from the
mouth OF a river.
y felt that the loss Of the ship sub
sidy bill at the last session of congress
vas a real blow TO our country. and that
il was particularly 10 be regretted ne
cause II tended TO dampen some of the
enthusiasm for closer relations with this
country which Secretary Roots visit
aroused in South America"