Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-02-28
GALLINGER WANTS
A SHIP SUBSIDY
AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE IN
DANGER OF EXTINCTION IN
THE PACIFIC.
JAPS ARE GAINING GROUND.
Expense Would Be Small, and Flag
Would Sail Many Strange Seas,
Says the Senator.
TRADE AWAITS UNITED STATES.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb. "a
Speaking in favor Of the passage of the
ocean mail subsidy bill in the Senate
today, Senator Gallinger reviewed con
dltlonS under which the merchant ma
rine Of this country is operating and
cited many advantages that he believes
VIII accrue 10 the commercial interests
Of the United States if better mail IA
cilities to Seuth American and other
ports are established.
THE bill raises no new issue. intro
duces 10 new principle" said Mr.. Gal
lingcr. 1T leaves existing and prosper
GUS steamship services exactly as they
are now, and without changing enc iota
the tried and approved methods of the
present law, Increases the compensation
on routes which sixteen years of expert
ence have concEsively proved to be in
adequate-the long. costly, and import
ant routes to South America and the
orient. the routes where our lack OF
steamship service is severcst, and our
need of such service most imperative"
Pacific Ships Disappear.
'Only eight of fifteen ships that were
plying across the Pacific ocean last
-'lhI' vi dIt ltI L, iit Sdlb.
Since the shipping bill Of the last
Congress was defeated, almost one-half
Of our feeble American Pacific naval re
serve has disappeared. When Admiral
Evans steers up through the Golden
Gate from the straits of Magellan we
shall have the grOtesque diSprOpOrtiOn
in the Pacific of two battleships to every
commercial vessel engaged in foreign
trade-a sight which has never yet been
seen beneath the sun.
And unless the new shipping bill is
speedily passed, we shall see an even
more grotesquc disprOpOrtion than that
sixteen bittleships and no one commercial
steamer in tho Pacific away from the
ports Of the United States. For the
remnant Of our merchant marine III that
mighty ocean is now facing the absolute
.tinction which long since overlook our
numerical fleet on the routes to South
nerlca.'
he passage of this bill, he predicted
y revive the waning American marine
al all that the bill seeks can be accom-
plished for &4,O00OOO a year 1t would
strengthen the Pacific lines and create
new lines to the southern hemisphere. 1t
would he said. promptly establish a line
from the Atlantic coast to Brazil and
another to Argentina. Il line from the
South Atlantic or gulf coast TO South
America and similar communication to
the Pacific ocean.
Payment Not Large.
'"The proposed payment for these ad-
vantages is about half the amount Eng
land and France now pay for their
steamship service and less than is paid
by Japan Last year the United States
made Il profit of $4,000, 900 on its car
riage of foreign mail, and he hoped to
lave at least that amount devoted to
building up the foreign mail service,
I'm view of these facts" he said. need
we wonder that in spite of the Monroe
doctrine we are being quietly should
cred out Of the South American renub-
lies by other peoples whose Governments
understand the intimate relations he
tween ships and tradc. Great Britain.
Franco. Germany. Italy. Snain. have
long had thc;r own steamship lines to
South American markets. Japan had 20
sooner closed her victorious war with
Russia th9n she subsidized into existence
steamship line across the Pacific to
Teru and Chile. and our consuls note
that this is about to no extended to Ar
rentine and Brazil. What mockery of
fate it is that the people of hermit
nation. which the United States 60
wears agO first onnned and introduced TO
the modern world. should now be able
To boast better. moro regular and more
direct shinnnr facilities of their own
to South America than are provided for
the manufacturers and merchants of the
United States
No Fuel for Fleet
'"The most smarting and humilating
episode of the entire year is the revela-
ton which the Pacific cruise of the great
battleshp fleet is affording. that our
merchant marine is now shrunk to such
skeleton that it does not contain
enough ocean going steam GOLFERS to
nrovide the Indispensable fuel for our
hattleships on their voyage from the
American port of Hampton Roads to the
American port of San Francisco"
More than twenty new and powerful
steamships available as auxilaries of
war would be built by the influence of
the bill if passed. he said.
TO PENSION AGED JURISTS.
D. D.az-.IaI