The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-01-21
Voiceof thePeopIe
THE MERCHANT MARINE LEAGUE
OF THE UNITED STATES
Organized.
Cleveland. Nov. 21. 1904.
cleveland. O.. Jan. Is. 1sOg

To the Editor of THE TIMES. Hammond,
Ind
Dear sir-we want to present for
your consideration what we think is an
outrage.
This country is spending millions of
American dollars in digging a canal at
Panama which will be- in time of peace
at all events, under the present condi-
tions. solely for the benefit of the mer-
chant marine of our German, British,
Norwegian, French and japanese
friends; and cannot be considered in
any way money well spent for the
benefit of American commerce, Ameri-
can business interests or the American
1ag-for the reason that we have prac-
Etically no American ships and Ameri-
can flag does not wave from the mast
head of anything in the way of an
American Merchant Marine
On the Isthmus there are only Amer
lean engineers, foremen and skilled
mechanic. These are employed exclu-
sively, though at higher wages than
those for which foreigners could be
procured.
The dredges. engines. boilers. loco
motives, rails. tools equipment and
supplies of every character are pur-
chased in this country although the
cost is usually more than that at which
these same things could be purchased
in Europe. Practically everything is
being purchased under the joint resolu-
tion of June, 1906 which provides that
the purchase of such things shall be
restricted to articles of domestic pro-
duction and manufacture from the
lowest possible bidder unless the presi-
dent shall in any case, deem the bids
or tender therefor to be extortionate
or unreasonable, thus carrying out the
policy of protection to American labor
and American enterprise, which is
probably the only right one in view
of the fact that American money is
paying the freight" Everything that
has been undertaken and everything
that has been done down there. with
one significant exception is thoroughly
American in every way, and that ex-
ing transported in foreign vessels, IN
der foreign flags by foreign seamen and
profit therefrom all goes to foreign
shipping corporations.
! AS a result of this, in the harbor OF
0O1On anu III duJdC6Il WdlSESt IlO Sil1l
will be found flying the flag of the
United States unless one of the four
vessels of the government transport
service or a warship, should happen to
be there.
The 200, 900 or 500, 900 tons of coal now
being used annually on the Isthmus
the lumber the machinery and sup
plies of all descriptions. not conveyed
by the few steams of the government
line are being carried entirely by for
eigners.
If any American manufacturer asks
fifty or one hundred thousand dollars
for a given piece of machinery, and il
can be purchased in Europe for ten OIL
twenty thousand dollars less, the Amer
lean is given the contract. But, If g
foreign ship bids a thousand dollars fol
carrying that machinery from New
York or any other American port to the
canal, and an American ship bids eleven
or twelve hundred dollars for carrying
| it, on account of the higher wage scale
in this country, the foreigner gets the
business-every time. That is to say
protection rules one transaction and
free trade the other, with the result
that the construction of the Panama
canal, instead of serving American