The Washington herald., 1911-01-21
CUMMINS ASSAlLS =
OCEAN MAIL BILL
Says Language of Measure
Contains Flaws.
FoREsEEs DOUBLE TARIFFS
Iowa senator Says Nation May Have
to Pay Cost. of Travel Two Ways
BiIl-GallinEer Defends Measure
Which He Fathers.

SeUdlOT CufnII1lUS, OF iowa,
startled the Senate yesterday afternoon
by declaring that the pending ocean mail
subsidy bill, which purports to authorize
the payment of Il subsidy for carrying
the mails between the United States and
South America on the basis of the outgo-
ing voyage solely is so worded that it
would permit the Postmaster General to
pay on every mile Travelled by the vessel
beth going and coming.
Senator Gallinger declared that the Ian
Suage of the measure was not open to
any such construction. and told Senator
Cummins that he believed he was ''over-
technical The Iowa Senator insisted
that the peculiar position in the phrase
ology of certain qualifying words made
possible the construction that ne had
warned the Senate against. The Senator
from Iowa also contended that the exist
ing act of 1891, providing a subsidy for
ocean mail carrying. was also open to
the same construction that he had placed
on the pending bill
Senator CumminS was proceeding to ar
que in support of his contention when
Senator Gallinger. who is in charge of
the subsidy bill, told the Senator from
Iowa THAT if the latter believed change
of the language of the bill to be essential
to guard against a perversion of the in
tent of the lawmakers that Mr.. Cummins
might rewrite the bill so that there could
be no doubt as to construction.
Senator Frye Called In.
Senator Frye. of Maine. was called into
the consultation at the suggestion of Sen
ator Gallinger. the Senator from Maine
having been active ir bringing about the
passage of the act of 1891, in order that
the Senate might have the benefit of his
rccolections as t. what that measure
was intended to give in the way of sub
Sdy.
Senator Cummins addressed the Senate
forty minutes late yesterday afternoon in
opposition 10 the subsidy bill. He had
not concluded when an adjournment was
taken until to-da:. Senator Cummins
said that he did not believe the giving of
subsidies Was sound public policy.
Il don't believe that you can riChtfully
take from the people of the United States
this sum. small as it is, or any other
sum. for that matter. and give il to these
people, said the Senator from Iowa. Il
don't believe the government should take
money from the Treasury and devote ii
to private purpose unless all the peo-
pie share equally in the advantages that
accrue from the enterprise. There is
difference between a protective tariff and
a subsidy as broad as the economic
world. The tariff Is intended to eQualize
the cost of production and benefit the
people all alike, those who bear the bur-
denS sharing the benefits. The subsidy
does not benefit all the peopl" equally
Senator Gallingcr interrupted to sug-
gest to the Senator from Iowa that the
arguments he was employing against the
subsidy bill were very much like the ar
guments of free-trader.
Not long ago this chamber rang with
ton of the protective tariff as a
said the Senator from New
Hampshire. There is no such thing as
of burden or equality of benefit.
The rural free delivery is annual
charge upon the government of Stupen-
dous proportions. and the people of the
cities are taxed equally with the people
along the rural routes for its mainte-
nance. bat the people in the cities derive
no benefit from it,
Wants Equal Distribution.
Senator Cummins replied that when he
spoke of an equal distribution of bene-
fits. he did not mean to limit it to a
aScertainment.
Senator Burton. of Ohio. took the floor
when the subsidy bill was taken up, and
spoke at length in opposition to it. con-
tinuing the address he begun a few days
ago. He declared that when the interest
rates upon 'money are as low in the
United States as they are in England or
it will be time enough to talk
about subsidy. He held that the present
law was ample to develop the merchant
marine, and concluded with the obscrva-
ton that IF the privilege of buying ships
abroad should be granted to Americans,
We would soon have plenty Of ships un-
der American registry flying the Amer-
can flag
Senator Newlands. of Nevada made his
to the subsidy question by
a bill authorizing the Sec
retary of the Navy to build thirty aux
liary cruisers of not to exceed $500 tons
each. at an aggregate cost of $4,000, 600.
He proposed this as substitute for the
Gallinger bill