Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-02-27

shipbullding have no share in the
present, they are bound to have a
share, and large one, in the future
prosperity of America. Our people,
as their naval and mercantile history
| proves, are pre-eminently a sea-loy-
/ ing and sea-ruling folk. On any
thing like even terms they have dem
onstrated their ability to outsail and
out-trade the British and Continental
raions. The people who have created
in twenty years the second largest
war fleet, and ship for ship and man
for man undoubtedly the most eff
Cient fighting navy in the world, can.
II given chance, produce mer-
chant fleet of like size and excel
lence.
Three or four powerful causes arc
now moving toward this end. One
is the growing recognition of the
Middle West that II cannot decently
ask protection for It's wool and hides
and sugar and new manufacturing,
and atthe same time Join the solid
South In denying protection to ocean
shipbuilding and navigation. Anoth-
er factor is the growth of the navy
and its demand for an adequate re-
serve Of auxiliary cruisers. transports
and supply ships. The grotesque
spectacle of sixteen American armor-
clads conveyed around the world
and coaled from one port to another
by a nondescript crowd of foreign
"tramps" has brought its lesson even
to the farmers of the. Mississippi VAL
ley. A third factor working toward
the creation of an adequate Ameri-
can merchant marine is the widening
interest in overseas trade and the
need of foreign markets for the sur
plus products of many American in
dustries grown strong under fifty
years of protection.
These factors are reflected in the
attitude of Congress A few months
ago an important ocean mail bill, for
the encouragement of American ship
lines to South America and across the
Pacific Ocean, passed the National
Senate without division - without
a single negative vote. Two or three
years ago such result as this would
have been deemed impossible. The
leaders of the National House wished
to postpone action on this bill until
the short or coming session of Con-
gress, after the Presidential cleo
ton. But they finally consented to
have II offered as an amendment to
the postofilce appropriation bill. In
spite of anti-elcCtiOn nervousness and
the subsidy" bugaboo, still exploit
ed by foreign steamship agents in the
Middle West. this ocean mail bill
failed of acceptance in the postofiice
appropriation by only a narrow vote
of las to 153-Iacking but eight OF
a majority.
In the preceding Congress an ocean
mail bill, narrower than this, was
opposed by % per cent. of the Re-
publicans of the House. This year
only l6 per cent of the House Re-
publicans were recorded against It
All but-one of these men were from
) the Middle West, and yet majority
of the Representatives of some Of the
: greatest Middle Western States. no
: tably Indiana, Illinois, and Nebras
ka, voted for II.
| President Roosevelt Throughout
- his executive career has been reso
Lutte champion of the upbuilding o
| the merchant marine. Judge TAT
Is no less outspoken. In his address
of acceptance Mr.. Taft specificall,
urges the passage of the pending
ocean mail bill as tentative" stel
in the right direction. This meas
ure, already passed by the Senate ant
requiring only the approval of tn
House. will undoubtedly be taken nj
by the House leaders early in tn
next Congressional session opening
In December. A gain of Ave vote
will give IL a majority. AS between
the previous trial Of strength II yea
ago and the test OF last spring, tn
measure had made gain of twent
votes.