The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-11-16

sentiment in favor of a ship subsidy.
In his speech at Seattle, however, Mr.
Hill took especial pains to correct that
impression. He said:
Now we in the United States move
the business for less than half the av-
erage cost of Europe We pay from
twice to four times the rate of wages,
and we do it with an investment of
about a third of their average. If we
can do that on the land. why can't we
do it on the sea? 1 know that if the
ships of the United States had the
same care and the same opportunity
that the ships of other nations have
they would do it, and until then no
subsidy, no ship subsidy, will ever en-
able them to compete with other bust
ness. because in principle it is wrong
to tax all the business of the country
to put your hand into the public treas
ury and hand out to one particular
business a cash subsidy in order that
it may live.
Il want to tell you that a steam
ship line that cannot live without a
cash subsidy will make a mighty lean
race with one. 1t ought to rest on
business foundation. That is the
only reason for running ships, because
they can be made to pay, and if we
can make our railways pay and work
at Ne low rates that the railways in
the United States do carry and pay
! the scale of wages that they do pay,
why can't We succeed on the high seas?
| If we can't, let US hand that business
over to somebody who will do it cheap
er and better: but l don't feel that the
case is a hopeless one, but, on the
other hand, do feel that it would only
! limit the efforts OF those who were try
| ing to make and build q merchant ma
rine for the United States. 1t would
only limit their efforts to extend a
subsidy to a few ships engaged in the
business
L remember on one occasion that |
went home from here and there was no
tonnage to move the stuff we had to
send to the Orient. Absolutely no tom
mage was available. and when | got
home there was a reception to one of
our public men, and the late Senator
Mark Hanna was there l took up in
a few remarks the question of a subsi-
dy. and l said: If we are going to have
one, let us pay a subsidy for some
thing that is going to do us some
good Let US pay tonnage on the act
ual products that reach a new market
That would have done some good. The
tonnage of the products that does not
reach new market, we wouldn't have
anything to pay on that, and on that
that does reach a new market we could
afford to pay Now, we were driven
out of the business on the Atlantic, but
We might retain a hold upon the bust
ness Of this ocean. Immediately there
was a scheme in congress for an ap-
preparation, l think of 100000 for
ship subsidies and they found that so
per cent of it would go to one line,
under the bill that was being then
drawn-and that line on the Atlantic
locean-and l know that the men and
most of the officers lived on the other
side of the Atlantic, and the stock was
owned on the other side of the Allan
tic. Now that would not build up a
merchant marine for us.
"A company over there had disposed
of this old boat to our people and ia
ken what new money they got and
built new boats That was all. and
that was Celebrated portion of that
was celebrated as the inauguration of
a new merchant marine for the United
States. Think of it,
But some of our statesmes were
wise enough to believe that it was go
ing to succeed, but it did not 1t fell
Iingloriously, and, l might say, igno-
miniously, and when we have mer-
chant marine it will be because there
is reason for it. Until that time comes,
just put up with the business that we
can get, and let the others carry it
who can carry it lower and better than
We can in this country