Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-01

enact for the protection Of our sailors and
with the protective system making a diff
ference In the price between the necesssries
to be used in the maintenance OF a mer-
chant marine, we shall nab that
merchant marine to compel with the
marine Of the rest Of the world.
This is not the only question. either,
for Il will be found on an examination OF
the methods pursued in old countries with
respect to their merchant marine that there
is now extended by way Of subsidies by the
various governments to their respective
ships upwards OF SSS. OOO, 900 and this offers
another means by which in the competition
the American merchant ship is driven out
Of business and finds itself utterly unable
TO bid against its foreign competitors.
Navy without Transports.
Not only this, but so inadequate is the
American merchant marine today that in
selecting auxiliary ships with which to
make our navy an instrument of otfense
or defense. or indeed in sending it around
the world as a fleet, we have to call on
vessels sailing under a foreign flag to
carry the coal and to supply the other
needs OF such a journey, Wefe we. COM
PEELED to so into a war today, our merch-
ant marine lacks altogether a sufficient
tonnage Of auxiliary unarmed ships abso-
lutely necessary to the proper operation Of
the navy and were a war to come on we
should have to purchase such vessels from
foreign countries and this might under
the laws governing neutrals be most diff
cult.
Il need not tell you OF the insdequacy Of
the American shipping marine on the Pa
cific coast and the growing power for
commercial purposes in this regard OF the
empire Of Japan.
FavOrs subsidy Law.
For this reason it seems to me that
there lie no subject to which congress can
better devote It's attention i'm the coming
session than the passage Of q bill which
shall encourage our merchant marine in
such a way as to establish American
lines directly between New York and other
eastern and South American potts and
between our Pacific Coast ports and the
Orient and the Philippines.
w earn a profit from our foreign malls
of from So, 100000 to s,OOO,O 900 a year. The
application Of that amount would be quite
sufficient to. put on a satisfactory basis
two or three oriental lines and several
lines from the east to South America. OF
course we are familiar with the argument
that this would be contributing TO private
COlllpdHICh OuN VI IH6 NINhculS Auiu VI llN
United States; but we are thus contributing
in various ways on similar principles in
effect, both by our protective tariff law,
by our river and harbor bills and by our
reclamation service. We are now putting
money in the pockets of ship owners, but
we are giving them money With which
they can compete for a reasonable profit
only with the merchant marine of the
world.
Foreign Trade Growing.
From my observations l think the coun-
try Is ready now to try. such a Law and
to witness its effects upon the foreign
trade Of the United States. II st. Is sue
c~essful, experience will show how the
policy can best be expanded and enlarged
and the American commercial flag be
made to wave upon the seas as 1t did
before our civil war. 1t Is, true that our
foreign trade is great and increasing and
this without the merchant marine greatly
enhances the opportunities FOR extending
trade for the merchants OF the. country
having such a merchant marine. .>e
There is no part OF the country more
interested in the development of this
policy than Seattle and the whole Pacific
coast. With the enormous energy and po-
tential force that you have developed in
your community here for trade and bust
ness expansion, 1t cannot have escaped
the foresight of your business . captains
that the development of a merchant marine
means the growth of Seattle into a port
Of such Importance that hardly the lively
imagination OF its ambitious, citizens can
compass It."