The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-01-10
See No Hope of Securing
Legislation at Pres
ent Session.
Willing to Compromise on
Bill Granting Only
Mail Subsidy.
Chances Are Nothing Can
Be Done Until the
1909 Session.

That the hopes OF the ship subsidy ad-
VOeates OF getting legislation this ses-
sion have about been lost is shown by
The fact efforts are now being made 10
get the opponents OF a subsidy bill on
the Republican side OF the House Com
mittae on Merchant Marine and Fisheries
10 consent 10 a bill providing merely for
mail subsidies on two lines 20 the Orient
Efforts are being made 10 get the three
Republicans Of the committee who are
against subsidies TO consent To such a
narrowing OF the bill and 10 vote for a
favorable report on this skeletonized
measures.
Neither Representatives BiTdsall, Hin
shaw OF Wilson viii consent 10 vote for
favorable report, even on the narrower
bill. They take the position that. while
ordinarily they might not oppose such
a proposition. they will vote for a Ia
vorable report now on any kind OF
subsidy bill for the reason that as soon
as the bill is allowed 10 get 10 the floor
efforts win be made TO amend it back
into something ike the shape in which
il was when it left the Senate.
Friends Are Discouraged.
Representatives Flack of New York
and McDermott of New Jersey are two
members OF the committee on which the
friends Of the subsidy bill have been re-
king. II was said today that neither Of
them would be at the meeting OF the
committee January Is, when a final vote
viii be taken on the question Of report
ing the buL In their absence, il win
be impossible 10 make a favorable report
OF the subsidy measure.
The friends OF subsidy legislation are
discouraged, not alone by the situation
in the committee, but also By the fact
the President has not sent Congress
message, as it was given out he would
some weeks ago In case the committee
can get a bill reported out. The Presi-
dent Will urge the House 10 pass IL. He
is not disposed 10 get into the fight I'm
less the committee can report bin.
Opponents Are Confident.
There can be no doubt the prospects
FOR ship subsidy legislation are more
doubtful now than they were d year
ago. The opponents OF any legislation
are confident they have the night won
for this session. When the Fifty-ninth
Congress passes March 4, then In order
10 revive ship subsidy legislation it viii
be necessary 70 Get a new bill intro
wei as the House. This viii necessi-
tate a great amount Of trouble. II will
mean, practically. that the whole fight
by the friends OF ship subsidies VIII
have 10 be fought over again. The out
look Tor legislation in the SiXtieth Con-
Eress Is no better than it is In the
Ftrty-nllJh Congress. There Will be
This difference, however. In case
speaker Cannon wishes 10 do so. he will
have the power TO make uD the House
Committee on Merchant Marine ana
Fisheries so that Ia Will be favorable 70
reporting q subsidy bill. This would
make IL possible for the bill 20 get 10
the House floor, but even when il is
reported. with the Democratic side
70 see where there is hope for legisla-
ton.
Nothing Dong Until 1909.
In short. there is reason 10 believe nov
that ship subsidy legislation cannot be
had in the life OF this Administrator
and that the best the friends Of such
legislation can hope for is 20 get the
Sixty-frst Congress to act. This means
that it viii be 1870 at least, before the
Government viii grant any subsidies TO
the merchant marine
Some talk is being INDUCED in that
the disclosures OF the Hartman control
or certain lines lately have hurt the
snip subsidy cause. While there NAV
be some warrant for this statement. the
opponents OF such legislation in the
Blouse have believed ever since the ses-
sion opened that they were strong
enough TO defeat the bin. Western Re
puhlleans have all along been reluctant
70 10 anything that would 0pan the yrav
10 subsidized steamer lines.