The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-10-06
SMITH ON SHIP SUBSIDY.
GIVES REASON FOR OPPOSING
REPUBLICAN SCHEME.
Points Out That High Tariff Creates
Need OF Unnatural Fostering of
Merchant Marine.

Florence, Oct. 3.-Senator f.. d.
Smith has received the following tele-
gram from the New York American:
| New York, Sept. 80, 1909.
'E. ID. Smith. Florence, S. C..
| Now that the president has come
out so forcibly for a ship subsidy and
mas declared that there is no subject
10 which congress can better devot,
Its attention during the coming ses-
sion. will you kindly inform the public
whether or not you favor such a bill.
and why. Answer prepaid.
(Signed) New York American"
In reply Senator Smith telegraphed
the following:
I'm reply to your telegram Of the
| goth, / state emphatically that / am
opposed to ship subsidy for the fol-
lowing reasons: That the business Of
public or common carrier Is an abso-
lutte and unavoidable necessity; the
railroads and steamships and sailing
vessels, under the present develop
ment and conditions of modern life.
can not be dispensed with. Therefore.
there Is no reason why companies
owning and controlling these necessi-
ties are not entitled to and should no,
receive a sufficient remuner. .tion 10
justify them In building anc mai,.
tanning such equipment as will meet
the demands of trade with a profit
to themselves.
"A ship subsidy presupposes lack
OF profit and this lack of profit indi-
Gates a lack Of demand for ships. and
his lack of demand on the part Of
shippers indicates something wrong in
tfe conditions of commerce. There.
fore the evil is not to be removed by
t,.-!ng The ople to pay for an evil
which, under the normal laws Of
trade, would not exist. Now, what is
this evil? 1t Is the Republican cry
tnat the American market must be
saved for the American laborer. and.
under this specious plea. importations
from abroad have fallen to such
small tonnage that it is practically
Improbable for American vessels NO
engage in any national trade, es be-
tween America and other nations.
ITO attempt to carry freight from
America to other countries and then.
under the operation of the tariff be
unable 20 bring back a full cargo
would necessarily entail loss. There
fore the American people are asked
not only to pay a higher price for
American goods, but to support a
merchant marine out Of the public
treasury, in order to enable the high
tariff people to maintain the tariff
and at the same time be furnished at
the expense OF the American people
cheap American bottoms to ship their
goods in.
Another reason. perhaps, is found
in this same Republicanism. that the
american wage Garner must be pro.
tected in his wages and the wages
paid dock laborers, stevedores. sail.
8, officers and, in a word, all en-
ployes in shipping service are so high
as necessarily make it impossible to
compete in the trade Of the world.
therefore. We are called upon. out
of the general wage earned and the
"eaith produced by the America n
people. to make good this difference
and maintain these wages. at the en-
pense OF the American treasury.
therefore We have arrived at the le-
! Sitinate outcome Of the doctrine of
attempting to formulate ard main
tain an artificial condition In the face
of and in spite of the natural law of
supply and demand or OF trade.
Mr.. Taft. In his remarkable SOM
ersault on the tariff. namely. canvass
ing the country before his election oil
the revision Of the tariff downward; !;
then, after the extraordinary session
Of congress not only signing the Aid
rich bill without protest. but declar-
ing that it was the best ever. must
necessarily, If he ever hopes to see
American bottoms carrying American
goods, advocate ship subsidy. for no
American vessels can ever profitably
engage in the traffic Of the world nm
| der the operation of his and Aid
:ichS tariff measure"