The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-01-26

Senator Elhu Root made an earnest
appeal for the passage of the ocean sub
sidy bill in the Senate YESTERDAY The
Senator from New York was more earn
est than usual in the matter. and replied
sharply to Senator CumminS and other
critics of the proposed legislation.
He pointed out that there was a fallary
in the charge that there was no limit on
the subsidy to be paid. The 81 a mile
for the outward voyage was in itself a
limitation, the Senator argued, but there
was still another limitation The total
amount to be paid under tho bill, he said.
could not exceed in any one year the profits
derived from the ocean mail business In
that year.
Talk about subsidy" exclaimed Mr..
Root. Talk about this measure being
for the benefit of private interests. All
that is proposed is to turn over the
profits from ocean mail service to the
Improvement of that service What right
have the people OF the interior. of Iowa,
Minnesota. and Missouri, to make a profit
out of the merchants of New York. New
Orleans. Philadelphia. and Boston, and
the other commercial interests behind
those cities? What right have they to
make profit out of the seaboard cities
by refusing TO apply the money received
from ocean MAILS. from the business of
these merchants of the Seacoast cities in
trying to give them an efficient ocean
mail service"
shows Mail DcmOra I liza ton.
Mr.. Root read from consular reports
and other authoritative sources to show
TN" decentralization of mails between the
United States Atlantic coast ports and
South American ports.
The failure &c extend American trade
in South America" said the Senator, is
due to tn" failure to give our merchants
4 decent mail service. You cannot eX-
poet South American merchants. to pur-
chase our goods when they cannot get
an answer To their letters within a
month
The Senator replied to Senators who
had said the suhvention proposed would
add no United States ships to the South
American trade. In that case, then it
will cost nothing, remarked Mr.. Root
1t is an experiment. and worth trying"
Senator Root bOwled over Senator 10
>cph Little Bristow. Of Kansas. While
the Senator was quoting figures to show
the profits from ocean mail service, the
Kansas inSurCent Senator. formerly
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General.
asked the Senator from New York where
h" obtained his figures.
Prom the Postmaster General" re-
piled Senator Root.
How did the Postmaster General reach
such concusions?'' persisted Mr.. Brstow.
oh. WELL replied Mr.. Root, waving
Mr.. BristOw aside deprecatngly. Il am
willing to answer any proper questions,
hut decline to enter int" a colloquy with
the Senator a. to the value OF the Post
master Generals official figures
Eh.,r- l,a
Eress had stood in the way of the de-
development Of the South American
trade. the Senator paid a compliment to
the development of tn" South American
republics.
Ready for Development.
''They have passed from the stage Of
mlitarsm. said he. into the stage of
industrialsm. They on the threshold
of "A great industrial development Their
trade has risen in a few years to 81 .665,-
fNNHH. These countries only u few years
ago wcr" the theater of strife. They
have now taken their places among the
great producing nations of the GARTH
The Senator showed that in a few
Years the imports of the South American
republics had increased 100 per cent their
exports l5' per cent, and their total trade
l.} per cent.
The South American trade is more
than treble, almost Iuadruple. the entire
trade with China" said Mr.. Root The
trade of Argentina alone is 500, 900 900 a
year, and of Brazil. $40. C00.C00.''
The Senator reviewed the historical
events that had made the United States
and tn" Latin American republics
friendly.
The people OF Brazil and Argentina
have responded generously to every over
turc we have made. but they cannot I'M
drrstand why we do not open direct COM
muniCation with them.
Concluding, Senator Root declared:
There is such a thing as duty i'm
posed on republic to promote the trade
of the nation.