The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1909-02-24
WANTS BETTER
MERCHANT MARINE
Senator Lands Makes Strong Appeal
For Better Trade Relations
With All Nations.

Washington, Feb. PA strong plea
for better trade relations with Latin
American and for the building up of
merchant marine was made in the
house of representatives today by Mr..
lands of Indiana. He declared that
it would be seem that there would
have been a kinship in mutual hope
and ambition which, he said, from the
very start, would have cemented soc
ial and business bonds with those
countries that would forever have for
stalled any or all European nations
from gaining primacy in the com
mercial affairs and general interests
of the people to the south of the I'm
tied States. But it has not worked
out in this way" he said He would
not say that it was the fault of the
Latin-American countries. On the
contrary, it was a matter of record
that on several occasions in years
long past the strongest of those ma
tions made oVertures to the United
States, which if accepted he said would
have worked wonders through the
years that followed, But there seem
ed to be an assumed loftiness on our
part, he said, "a superlativeness that
chilled and drove away those who
should have been our most intimate
neighbors and our most confidential
friends Blaine, he said, saw the
mistake and took the first step to
rectify it. Harrison, Cleveland and
Mckinley followed "in a way but not
with any great enthusiasm" But, he
said it remains for President ROose-
velt and Secretary Root TO approach
and surround and invest and inspire
the situation so as to lift the Pan
American idea high up, so high that
the whole world is today eagerly
watching whatever move we make to
regain lost ground, and to effect an
entrance into territory which we have
not only neglected but toward which
we seem to have displayed a studied
Indifference"
Mr.. Lands spoke Of the approaching
completion of the Panama canal and
said that unless we wake up it will
be proportionately detrimental to us.
The only hope of the United States
winning by the canal, he said, rests
in our taking steps, immediate steps,
prosperity of Latin-Americans to get
into that broad and inviting market
with energy and courage" In his !
judgment the time had come for the |
people of the United States to make |
a specially of Latin-America. I'VE |
want to make up our minds to get |
better acquainted he said There is |
every evidence that such determin- |
ofi ri hn ri lxy
reciprocated by the people of these |
republics" Those twenty republics, |
he declared, are now carrying on one
third of the foreign trade of the east
ern hemisphere. The whole situation
he maintained with reference to |
Latin-America had changed during the |
past decade, he said, "and that citi-
zens of the United States who do not
appreciate it are deaf dumb and
blind"
In speaking of the infrequency with
which the American flag is seen on
the high seas, Mr. Lands declared
that it was due to prejudice alone that
subsidies had not been granted for
the building up of the merchant mar
inc The American flag, he said to-
day is almost stranger to every ship
tAt6Dl lle IUdu-Ol-Wdis Dul odiu,
I'VE are going to put it back on the
sea The manufacturers are going to
help put it back on the sea. The mer
chants are going to help us put it
back on the sea. lie farmers, east
and west, north and south, who have
been misled, and who have more at
stake than any other class of our peo-
pie, they will learn the facts, prejud-
ice will be dethroned, and they will
help us put the American flag back
upon the sea" The plain truth was,
he said, that the people of the United
States had been so busy with land
among themselves that they
had given little attention to sea car {
rying between and among other ma
tions.
Mr. Lands presented numerous sta
tisties on the subject, and said that
the American tonnage today was 2OO-
600 less than it was a hundred years
ago. "A respectable place to sleep
he said, good food and government
aid are the three things absolutely
essential to put the American flag on |
the sea, and the sooner we recognize
it the; sooner we will have the Ameri- {
can flag on the sea- i