The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-03-07
Humphrey Bill Must Face
Three Separate and Bitter
Attacks in the House on Its
Presentation.
WILSON is SHOWING
WHAT THE PERIL IS
Nation Would Pay Extrava-
giant Price for Vessels,
Which Would Be Useless if
War Was Declared.

Washington. March ATTACKED in
one quarter by the investigation which
Congressman Steenerson demands, in
another by the minority report of the
democratic members of the merchant
marine committee, and assaulted in his
own ranks by the vigorous opposition
of Congressman Wilson of Illinois. the
ship subsidy column is rapidly becom-
ing badly demoralized.
Congressman Wilson is the authority
for some statements that emphasize
the ridiculous position into which the
friends of the Humphrey ship subsidy
bill contemplate forcing the United
States. The Illinois member long was
one of the most indefatigable workers
against a reckless grant of ship sub
sidy graft" and has been doing some
more digging into the subject He has
trailed the ship subsidy arguments
through the various departments of the
government and found that most of
them are exceedingly weak in the sup
port they receive from the official rec
ords and the experience of the govern
ment in it's naval and mail establish
ments.
'The government can put employees
upon the ships and provide them with
first class staterooms, let them carry
the mails in those staterooms, and pay
all OF their expenses from. one end of
the journey to the other cheaper than
it can afford to give the subsidies pro-
vided for by the Humphrey BILL" said
MIR. Wilson.
Ships Useless in War Time.
| Further facts that the Illinois con-
gresham has deduced from the Off
cial records are to be presented in a
second minority report which he in
tends to submit upon the Humphrey
subsidy bill.
Mr.. Wilson has established the fact,
upon the authority of Admiral Dewey,
that the vessels which would be built
under the encouragement of a subsidy
provided for in the Humphrey bill
would be useless in time of war. A
favorite argument in favor of a general
subsidy is that it would provide mer-
chant fleet that could be converted into
war fleet in time of need.
In a recent letter to Congressman
Wilson Admiral Dewey stated that
ships of from 6,OOO to 10000 tons are
the only ones of practical use to the
government as colliers or transports.
"This bill does not meet these needs
at ALL" says Mr.. Wilson. wherefore
| &c n
trade measure. Nor does it's possible
encouragement of trade justify the
government in making contracts
which will draw from the United
States treasury the price of ship
every four years.
Gives Instance of Losses.
AS an evidence of the costliness OF
certain mail subsidies now maintain
ed by the government, Mr.. Wilson
cites the instance of the New York
and Cuba mail line, which enjoys a
subsidy of 81 per mile for the dist
ance travelled on the outward voyages.
These lines have carried in the
last five years 50,s27 pounds of let.
ters and 916,1S7 pounds of printed
matter, for which the government has
paid over $1,OOO,O0O for carrying" said
Mr. Wilson.
The Southern Express company
charges 1915 per hundred pounds tC
carry express packages from Wash
tinston to Havana and is Independent
of this steamship line. These letters
could have been sent by express to
of printed matter for $52.6S065.
Furthermore, the mail route by
steamer from New York to Havana
takes four days, and the steamers
sail bi-weekly. Letters sent by the
railroads to Florida, and thence by in
dependent steamers to Havana, car
he delivered in two days time from
New York"
| Would Bring Small Ships.
Mr.. Wilson objects to the basis OF
mail subsidies upon the old division o.
first. second and third" class steam
ers based upon rate Of speed fixed
twenty years ago. 1t would result IL
the building of small ships just ablt
to make the speed, he says, which
. would be quickly paid for by the gov
ernment subsidies.
The Humphrey bill encourages a,
: uneconomical type Of ship" says Mr.
, Wilson. The fact that We have pal,
the American line some $4,000, 90,
and that line still has only the sam.
number of ships it started with. nov
second or third class, shows how thi
policy fails to create ships
The British subsidy to steamships
like the Mauretania and Lusitania il
i Continued On Page Eight.)