Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-10-19
The West and Shin subsidies.

President Taft's ship subsidy pro-
gram is not to have easy sailing. as (
is sure to encounter vigorous opposi-
ton in the west The Topeka CKan.)
Capital. republican newspaper. indi-
cafes what will follow when once the
first subsidy is secured. And the Capt.
tai is not the only republican journal
that protests against this scheme 10
tax the whole country for the benefit
OF a few shipbuilders and spectators.
The ship subsidy proposition which
President Taft favors is not only a
most unjust measure in itself, but !
is also scheme in the interest of
maintaining an oppressive robber-tariif
law 1t will add millions to the ex-
penditures of the government and will
not increase the revenues one cent.
The western congressman who votes
for a ship subsidy bill will, we be-
lieve, dig his political grave. The
people are not in the humor to in
crease special interests. The follow
ing from the Topeka Capital indicata s
how hosts of republicans feel on the
Esubject of ship subsidies:
be tried on few lines. going to South
America and the east, as an experi
ment. Suppose the experiment doesn't
quite do it? Then the subsidy re.
ceivers will be sure that little more
will be enough. Then. if it succeeds,
what? Why, it is a success, and VII
be applied all along the line. It viii
grow like SNOWFALL rolling down hill
That is the way with the excessive
tariffs, until the country revolted and
demanded downward revision Mr.
Taft speaks of the tariff as analogous
and therefore justifying ship subsidies
Is the tariff a subsidy? This is be-
coming the universal view of high
tariff that they are subsidies to manu-
facturers who are cCntesting success
fully in the markets of the world
I'VE naturally take the middle west
ern view of the ship subsidies, and
they do not appeal to this section,
which helps to pay them without get
ting the benefits. The case is clear,
so far as the middle west, or the agri-
cultural section, is concerned. What
American ship owners say is that they
cannot compete with foreign ships in
the ocean carrying trade. That means
nothing, or it means that the rate
charged for carrying out products on
the high seas are too low. The price
of wheat, for instance. on the farm is
the Liverpool or foreign market price
less the freight.
Why should the farmer complain
because ocean freight rates are too
low? Why should he wish to contri-
butte to subsidy or a bounty to Amer
lean ship owners to lift these rates, IN
effect to a point where the American
owner will make what seems to him
satisfactory profit? 1t amounts 70
asking the producer in the west to con-
tribute to raise his own freight rates.
As a matter of fact, the western pro-
Queer is indebted to the foreign ship
owners, or to foreign governments
that subsidize ships. for low ocean
freights, and he has not the slightest
interest in contributing to raise these
charges.
But, leaving out of account the pa
ticular case, the time will come when
on principle the people will not toler-
ate the idea of converting public taxes
into private profits. The paying Of
subsidies Or bonuses or bounties by
all the people to a few who already
are wealthy capitalists will not be
patiently borne by hard working peo-
pie who have enough to do to pay
their legitimate bills, who ask for no
subsidies in their own private bust
ness"