Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-08-05

In respect to the condition of Ameri-
can shipping we have seen notnlns
more forceful than the address by MT.
George G. Seabury of New YORK Pc
fore the National Association of Man
ufdcturerS at it's annual meeting, last
May Mr.. Seabury said:
We now come to staggering ship
ping problem. / am not an aiarmlst
unless we have positive proof that the
UNEXPECTED may or will happen. the
President is not an alarmist when ne
demands four battleships and believes
that eternal vigilance is the price OF
liberty and peace So does any true
American Large navies are supposed
to protect great merchant marine
and it's commerce. This truism does
not apply to the United States, al
though we are the supreme power in
commercialism. We have a present.
able navy and are proud of 1t ana It's
commanders. AS to merchant
marne-well, we have oceans of water
to the east, west, north and south OF
us--to float one on. Our masnHcenl
naval pageant that is enclrcllng the
globe is accompanied almost Wholly
by foreign golfers. If the golfers
suddenly sailed away or were engulfed
in a typhoon, our battle-ships would
become ocean wanderers.
Now then here is a possibility. The
subsidized mail and merchant steam
ship in the trans Atlantic and connec-
tive branch services are liable to be
called at a moments notice to serve
their respective governments in case
of war. Here's our dilemma that has
often startled me: What would or
could we do with our oversee trafhc
in case Of a European conflict? Sup
pose in the internecine strife Great
Britain, Germany and France were
involved? You will say that in these
modern times that The Hague and the
schoolmaster have made war impossl-
BILE. Is it fact? Germany declared
war with France with the swiftness of
a Mercurius. Russia was pleading Tor
The Hague and the peace of the world
while sharpening her tools of war to
crush Japan. Our Spanish American
war was kindled by spark How
unprepared we were! We went
begging to private citizens and foreign
shipping lines for any vessel that
"
munitions of war, creating consterna-
ton and deep humiliation to the
government and the nation. Men may
come, and men may go, but war and
rumors of war will go on forever.
We will now consider a more ex-
asperating and desperate contingency
Having no merchant marine. what
would become of our passenger
service, our exports and imports, in
such an event? | will not dare sug-
gest what may not happen, only to
state specifically that it would cost
US the best part per annum OF three
thousand three hundred millions of
dollars and the gripping of our home
industries through the failure of re-
ceiving our regular supplies of raw
materials for the home market; and
these losses and perplexities would
continue until peace and the service
were restored. / am not an alarmist
but think it over seriously.
President Roosevelt has pleaded
faithfully and earnestly for the federal
government to help put the Stars and
Stripes back again upon the ocean IN
foreign trade. He has had many dis
couragements in which the democracy
of the Congress aided by some of the
Western congressman, notably the
Speaker Of the House, have joined
together to Illustrate this movement
But, today. Mr.. Taft takes it up
fresh and vigorous. To a gentleman
from Maine who was present at the
notification of Mr.. Taft at Cincinnati,
last week. the candidate referred to
his references to the mail subsidy and
he indicated further his great interest
in securing government aid toward the
upbuilding of American shipping.
Between the two we believe that the
democrats of Maine who think that
charity begins at home will know
where to vote next November and that
they will also remember that a vote
for Fernald in September is a vote
for Taft.