Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-22

y OONDA CLAN, w "a
terry Of the Pacific I do not believe there
Will be war with Japan, and will do ali
Wlthin my power to prevent IT. But IL II
pared.
I'VE are willing to subsidize our rivers
and harbors and our railways. but not our
merchant marine upon the high seas ]
do not believe the people of this country
are content to spend $1OO, 100000 a year in
the building OF great navy without pro-
viding for an auxiliary feet What will il
avail us to have scores of war vessels II
we cannot man them? We must have this
| auxiliary fleet of merchantmen not only
TO draw our sailors from in time of
need, but to attend our big fighting ves-
sells We cannot borrow vessels from other
nations in time Of war. The best measure
OF peace is always to be ready for war;
Want Free Ships.
ut is my hope that when the great
Panama canal is completed the first YES
sci to pass through will be an American
ship built in our own shipyards and bearing
the name Of NJ. A. Hanna, and I would
like to see Theodore Roosevelt standing
| upon the deck under the Stars and Stripes
| When the boat makes the trip through the
canal which will unite our two oceans"
AT the close of the address of Repre-.
sentative Humphrey an impromptu dis
cussion was started by Welding Rine
| ana w. b. Cragin, the delegates from
the New York Produce Exchange Botf
are vessel owners and complained against
the federal provisions prohibiting the pur-
chase OF foreign vessels. They advocated
Iree ships, the same as one is allowed
10 purchase other commodities in foreign
lands, as we'll as ship subsidy They
wanted the law repealed that they nigh,
De aoie TO purchase boats wherever this
couid De done to advantage. President
| Goulder said this would not solve the
problem of the merchant marine. Sena-
| tor Gallinger said free ships would not
| help our shipyards except possibly In a
! few repairs.
| Lewis Nixon also took a hand in the dis
cussion. and appealed fors more patriotic
motives.
MI. McCleary's Address.
Assistant Postmaster General ]. T. Nc
Cleary spoke to the question. "Why the
Post Office Department Is interested in
Our Merchant Marine" He said in part:
AT all hazards and at any cost the in
| tegrity of the nation must be preserved.
We maintain a small standing army of
ncered by professional soldiers, to serve
| as a nucleus for expansion in time of
need. For our reserve we depend on our
citizens who constitute the militia.
The principle adopted for land force
| CdH Ne applied III large measures TO our
sea forces.
I'VE must have battleships and cruisers
and other vessels of war. These must be
owned by the government. But in addi-
| ton there must be in actual war a vast
| number of auxiliary vessels-a naval re-
serve, which is absolutely essential.
"Enective preparations in the way of
naval reserve vessels can be met in either
of two ways-the government may build
and own all the auxiliary vessels required,
or 1t must secure them without making
| the original investment
In time Of peace, when not needed,
such vessels could be used in commerce.
II they could be constructed by private
individuals according to plans approved
by the Navy Department, and if the gov
eminent could secure from the owners a
contract to turn them over to the gov
eminent in case of war on demand, it
would surely be in the public interest. 1t
Is a public service, and the government
could well afford to make moderate ap-
preparation from the national treasury to
secure this naval reserve in time of peace.
1.-THE government received last year for
carrying the mails to foreign countries
over $65OO,O0O. of which more than 49,
100000 was profit. If the government is
willing to forego this profit, and to have
the mails carried by it's own citizens. in
stead of by foreigners, this S6.500000 of
postal receipts will provide at a minimum
cost the naval reserve, which the nation
Is bound to provide at any cost, and will
at the same time secure for this country
lines of ships which will develop valuable
streams Of commerce with South America
and other parts Of the world. the benefits
Of which will be felt by all Of our people.
Foraker's Remedy.
Senator Foraker, speaking on seafaring
traffic, said:.
Coming directly to the subject this
convention has had under consideration,
some one has prepared chart showing
the rise and fall Of our merchant marine
as measured by the percentages of our
imports and exports carried in American
bottoms.
1t starts with 1879 and ends with 1907.
At glance 1t tells the story of century.
Rapidly mounting upward from practical
| ly nothing to 80 per cent, it substantially
| held its own, except during the war of
| 1872 for half century, and then plunged
| 1t remains today.
In other words, in 1889 something
impaired life and prosperity to our rner-
chant marine and caused it to grow, I'M
| til in 1897, only eight years later, 1t had
reached the point where it carried 80 per
cent of all our exports and imports.
| 1t maintained this supremacy with
slight fluctuations until 1S47, when a pre-
cipitous decline commenced that has con-
tinued until we are now carrying less
than 10 per cent. And the end is not yet.
| The decline continues.
| This very moment marks our deepest
humiliation. We now have less satisfac-
| tory conditions than any that have ever
| yet been known, and there is less promise
| of improvement, except as we find it in
| the hope and belief that the extremity to
| which we have come may, for very shame,
compel attention and precipitate action.
Forced to Employ Foreign Ships.
Notwithstanding the subsidies we have
| been paying, we have only eight ships in
| the Transatlantic line, and within the last
year fifteen ships that crossed the Pacific
| in trade with China, Japan, the Philip
pines and Australia have been reduced on
one account and another until today we
| have only eight Of them left.
| These, with the Ward line to Cuba and
| the South American line to Venezuela and
the Pacific mail steamship line. make up
Four entire marine, except the Panama
| steamship line, owned by the govern
ment-the whole mere fragment of what
we should have.
| foreign ships to meet the ordinary neces-
| stiles Of the government.
Only a few weeks aga-it was published
| in all the newspapers that a shipment OF
| L and ID inch guns with ammunition de-
| signed for the Notifications at CorregidoI
| and Subig bay was shipped from the
proving grounds at Sandy Hook on a YES
| sci belonging to one of the British lines
| There was no American ship to carry
| American guns designed for American
| f)rt'tCE tons.
Coal for Fleet in Foreign Vessels.
| yxybok ar,erinan roo5 80 49, coff,- -.