Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-27
The Ship Subsidy Bill
Receives Crushing Blow.
Senator Frye Deals Il Power
full Blow On Head.
And At Once Supporters Of Meas.
ure Begin to Fade Away.

w dSHlnS u. ~ Jan. -U-\opS-
ciaD.-The mortality rate of legisla-
tive measures always runs up into
frightful per cent. as Congress pro-
crosses. The expiring gasps OF hun
dreds of these ventures at law making
as a rule excite little compassion
among the hardened senators and rep
resentatives But while the session is
Young big brother is said to have
fallen.
The word has been whispered around
the corridors of the Capitol within a
few days that the big brother is the
ship subsidy bill He has collapsed in
the crush, bearing upon his head the
| impress Of terrible blow that Senator
Frye of Maine dealt the moment he
| caught sight of him. The incident has
an element OF the ludricrouS as illus
trating how well laid legislative plans
go away
In the old days the Maine senator
was the first to be consulted when ship
| subsidy legislation was under con-
temptation. He bears the sears OF
| many battles waged for the success of
| that cause. Almost Is years ago he
was first bearing down upon the Sen
ate with ship subsidy bills. There
We're debates of months duration. The
| opponents employed all the tactics
they could think of but in every Con-
gress Mr.. Frye got his ship subsidy
| bill through the Senate and put it
up to- the House. 1t was said that
some of the bills were "bad bills" but
| whether they were or not, Senator
Frye established out of his years of
fighting some recognized principles as
| to what ship subsidy law should be.
Finally he grew aweary and left it
| to Senator Galiinger of New Hamp-
| shire to fight the subsidy battles at
| that end of the Capitol And even
Senator Gallinger grew aweary and
| joined with Senator Frye in saying:
Let the House do nothing. When
| they enact bill we will look after our
end of it,"
SO the lieutenants of the House have
| done the scouting and deploying dur
ing the last two or three years. They
| secuted and deployed this year. The
| indispensable preliminaries of Presi-
| dental endorsement and the like were
attended to. There were conferences
| and parleys too numerous to count AT
| last <durng the holidays it was all
| fixed up" With a great whoop-la,
| the announcement came that bill had
been drawn. 1t would extend the pre-
visions of the postal subsidies to ships
Of lower speed on outward voyages OF
| 1000 miles. 1t would increase tonnage
| taxes. 1t would admit ships free to
American registry when those ships
were to engage in the foreign trade.
No one had gone to the trouble of
consulting Senator Frye about it, or
for that matter, any other senator.
| The House lieutenants were simply
| looking out for their side of the case.
| They reasoned that anything the
| House would agree to would be ac-
cepted by the Senate.
The very first day the bill was out,
Senator Frye had put on his great
coat of an afternoon, stuck his hands
deep down into the pockets thereof,
and started for his hotel. Grim as a
sphinx he was preceding, when one
interrupted him in the corridor to
tell him about that bill.
He hit it powerful funk on the
head Immediately. Free ships!' ex-
claimed the senator. II was always
against that No bill providing for
free ships can have my vote"
Ever since that hour the ship sub
sidy bill has been expiring. The SEN
ator did not get exercised about the
matter He contented himself with
that incisive statement and allowed
the situation to develop. But men have
been focking to Washington to pounce
upon that subsidy bill and they have
battered and bruised it till friends are
ashamed to acknowledge their willing
ness to support it. The Maine and
New England shipping interests, which
were foremost in urging subsidies in
the old days-subsidies, however, that
would reward cargo carrying ships,
rather than mail ships-have fallen in
behind the veteran Maine senator.
The lukewarm Western representa-
lives. who have always hung back
| a hOut subsidies ir11madia tp1v took the