The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1912-08-08

upon tne cheap ueFlCe vi UuuHtica anu
subsidies in the case OF the Missis-
sippi river. that great central artery
of our trade. 1t Is plain that the fed
eral government must build and main
tain the levees and keep the great
waters in harnes for the general use.
1t is plain. too. that vast sums OF
money must be spent to develop new
waterways where trade Will be most
served and transportation most read
lily cheapened by them. Such expen'
dltures are no largess on the part OF
the government: they are national In.
vestments.
Merchant Marine.
The question OF q merchant marine
turns back to the tariff again, to
which all roads seem TO lead, and to
our registry laws, which. II coupled
with the tariff, might almost be sup
posed to have been intended TO take
the American flag of the seas.
l}ounties are not necessary. II you
will but undo some OF the things that
have been done. without great
merchant marine We cannot take our
righ;ful place In the commerce OF the
world Merchants who must depend
upon the carriers OF rival mercantile
nations to carry their goods to market
are at disadvantage In international
trade too manifest to need to be point
| ed out; and our merchants will not
| long suffer themselves--ought not to
suffer themselves--to be placed a.
such a disadvantage Our industries
have expanded to such point that
they VIII burst their jackets, II they
cannot And free outlet to the mar
kets OF the world; and they cannot
| find such an outlet unless they be CIV
en- ships OF their own to carry their
goods-ships that will so the routes
| they want them to go-and perfer the
interests of America In their sailing
orders and their equipment Our do
nestle markets no longer suffice. We
need foreign markets. That is anoth-
er force that is going to break the
tariff down. The tariff was once O
bulwark; now It is n dam. For trade
Is reciprocal we cannot sell unless
we also buy
The very fact that We have at last
taken the Panama canal seriously In
hand and are vigorously pushing 1t TO
wards completion is eloquent OF our
re-awakened interest in international
trade. We are not building the canal
and pouring out million upon million
of money upon Its construction merely
to establish a water connection be
tween the two coasts OF the continent
important and desirable as that may
be, particularly from the point OF
view OF naval defense. II ia meant &c
be great international highway. II
would be little ridiculous II We
should build II and then have no ships
to send through IT, There have beer
years when not n single ton OF freigh
passed through the great Suez cana
In an American bottom. SO empty are
the seas of our ships and seamen
We mrst mean to put an end to tina
kind OF thing or we would not be cut
ting a new canal Mt our very door
merely for the use of our men-of-war
We shall not manage the revival b!
the mere paltry device OF tolls W.
must build and buy ships in compoti
ton with the world. We can do II |
we will but give ourselves leave.
There is another duty which thu
Democratic party has shown itsel
, great enough and close enough to tn
people to perceive, the duty of govern
: ment to share in promoting agricuI
r mral, Industrial, vocational education
, in every way possible within It's con
! stltutional powers. No other platform
| has given this intimate vision of
! party's duty.
Free to Serve the People.
In concluding the governor said:
4 presidential campaign may easil
> degenerate into n mere personal cor
!, test and SO lose its real dignity an
significance. There is no indispensable