The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-07-18

Ing SHIPS, DuL we QOu Seuu IL dUEOdu
on ships that carry commercial
goods. At least there are lines of
ships owned by Americans flying the
British flag, because, under our navi-
cation laws, you are not allowed to
build your ships in foreign ship yards
and put the American flag upon
them. If you do not build them in
an American ship yard, you can't
put an American flag on them; and
you put such duty on the things
that make up the ship that you can
not afford to build them in American
ship yards; and there you are in
vicious circle which makes it impos-
sible to buy the ships without which
you have not those delicate tenta-
cles that you can stretch out and
find the markets of the world.
And then with philanthropy we
proceed to cut a ditch through the
sthmus for the convenience of for
eign ships; spending millions of
American money in order that these
gentlemen should go where they
please, irrespective Of the circum-
stance that we are not going to carry
the goods, and they are going to car
ny them only to such ports as they
themselves choose. Isn't it a Sad
picture? HS emit we been a nice
provincial family?
We have built this wall so high
that we could not see a prospect;
could not see any foreign land; but,
notwithstanding that, by crawling
under the wall, or climbing over it,
a great volume of American manu-
features has been exported, and is be-
ing exported more and more from
year to year, only to find that we
haven't any banking system that we
can use in that business; because
American banks are actually not per-
mitted to buy accepted bills of lad
ing. All the other banks in the
world are, but ours are not; and you
have got to pay your bills in foreign
markets by drafts on London or Ber-
lin or Paris. Another case of pro-
vincialism. You cannot carry your
own money around with you.
Now what is the use of having a
bigger Davenport, and multiplying
your manufactures, only to send
these waves out and have them
break at the ports and come rolling
back on you. If you are not going
to have outlets for your energy, what
is the use of your energy? You have
filled America SO full that her veins
cannot stand the throbbing of all the
energies she contains, and you have
not even sat down to consider how
you are going to give her a release
into the great outer world; and you
cannot ready for it by 1915 when
the canal is going to be opened.
And then, when the canal is opened,
what are the railroad men going to
do? Now the great movements of
goods are east and west; the great
movements of trade are east and
west in America; and when goods
are manufactured, for example, in
Davenport, the natural outlet for
them, assume q am not Informed
upon this matter) is to ship them
east-at any rate if they are going
out of the country; or to ship them
west for distribution in the great
communities west of you. Now just
as soon as that canal is opened you
know that there is going to be diff
ferent aspect to the whole matter,
particularly in this great valley of
the Mississippi. Then there is going
to be a line-I don't know where it
will be drawn-somewhere between
you and the Atlantic-and line
somewhere between you and the Pa
cific, which are going to be like great
back bones of the continent, govern
ing the extremes of commerce; and
the extremes are going to begin to
bear inward down these inner slopes
towards the central valleys, and then
down to the southwark into the gulf;
and then beyond these lines are 60
ing to run to the near ports-be-
cause your nearest ports are not 60
ing to be the Atlantic ports after the
canal opens; they are going to be
the gulf ports. And the threads of
railroads will have to be gathered
into new pattern; they will have to
run this way, and that way, and up
and down, and criss cross, instead of
having the great simplicity they now
have by running east and west.
Now the railroads are not ready
for that, and it is going to happen in
three years; and lot of gentlemen
ask us to let business alone, but bus
mess is not ready to take care of it.
self. Business is being transformed
while you sleep. Business is being
transformed in such fashion that ev-
cry question is assuming an absolute
ly new aspect, and / don't know of
any republican formula, and ! don't
know of any democratic formula by
which it can be treated. That is the
reason this speech is non-partisan. In
the language of famous Tammany
politician: There amt any politics
in it."
For example, in regard to the
tariff: I don't care a red copper
about the principle of protection; ]
don't care any more about the prin-
ciple of free trade. There isn't any
principle in projections; there isn't
any principle in free trade. 1t is
a question of what you want to do
with your commerce; that is all.
1t is a question of the advantage that
is going to be reaped by America by
this, that or the other kind of phys
cuc%ono ic worth fo1kinp