The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-07-11
MR.. scHWAB's DECLARATIONS.

NIX. SCHWAB'S DECLARATIONS.
Charles NJ. Schwab, formerly presi-
fdent of the United States Steel cor
operation, and now owner and presi-
pdent of the Bethlehem steel plant,
has made the statement that the Unit
led States can build five battleships
ITO Japan's one, and that in event of
war this country can build warships
hof ali descriptions faster than any
lcountry on earth. The present rec
ord of the shipbuilders of the United
States is of being the slowest when
sit comes to building warships. and If
this is the case in time of peace we
fail to see how the confusion of war
time will materially increase the
more if the navy of the United States,
as Mr. Schwab implies, would have
to be augmented in case of war with
Japan why would it not be good
plan to build those battleships in the
ratio of five to one now? The old
saying In time of peace prepare for
war certainly holds good today as
1T did in the past In fact Japan prov
led the truthfulness of that old saying
by it's preparedness in it's late war
with Russia.
Mr. Schwab, however, goes step
further in his statement and threatens
all sorts of dire things if the Uni.od
States does not grant the shipbuilders
a ship subsidy. He declares that un-
less the subsidy is granted the build
ing of American war vessels and
mercantile marine will soon be aban-
doned by every private corporation in
the country. 1t is very difficult to see
what a ship subsidy has to do with
the building of wapships. The advo-
Gates of the ship subsidy have always
contended that it was for the purpose
of helping American shipbuilders to
meet the competition of foreign ship
builders who are aided by cheap Ia
Dor. Yet as a matter of fact the gov
-ernment of the United States never
asks for bids on the construction of
warships from foreign shipbuilders,
patronizing the shipbuuders of our
own country alone and paying their
price.
Mr.. Schwab's declaration as to
what will happen if ship subsidy is
mot granted practically means that
sthe shipbuilders of America intend TO
Sgo out of business altogether. To
ishow his willingness to do this he fur
kther states that his shipbuilding plant
I'm San Francisco is for sale to the
government. Very well, if the own
lers of private shipbuiiding plants
rare unable to subsist without a sub
isidy now after they have done SO for
several hundred years, let them go
out of business. The government al
ready has several shipbuilding yards
fand such warships as have been
Quilt in them have always been COM
kpleted in record breaking time as far
as the contrast with private ship
builders is concerned. Taken as
whole Mr.. Schwab's statement really
looks like petulant protest because
ithe government does not see fit to
side in with a few rich shipbuilders
land pay them subsidy out of the
peoples money. And his remarks
about what this country could do in
twar time with regard to building war
Fships in record time are almost too
SILLY for further mention. If we can
| build warships so fast as all that the
hest thing for this country to do is
not to maintain any fleet during times
sof peace. Just wait until war breaks
kout and the swift American ship
builders will build us a fleet over
might. Mr.. Schwab, however, does
mot state whether the shipbuil6ers
with their .over night constructed
fleet would also furnish thoroughly
yzrained men to handle it.