The Washington herald., 1914-12-09

our duty. How are we to carry oul
goods to the empty markets Of which
have spoken II we have not the ships
How are We TO build up a great trade u
We have not the certain and constant
means OF transportation upon which al
profitable and useful commerce depends
/ And how are We to get the ships II We
wait for the trade to develop without
them? To correct the many mistakes by
| which we have discouraged and all bui
| destroyed the merchant marine OF tht
country. to retrace the steps by which
| We have, IL seems almost deliberately
withdrawn our flag from the seas, except
where, here and there. a ship of war II
hidden carry it or some wandering yacht
! displays IL, would take a long time anc
/ involve many detailed items Of legisla'
| ton, and the trade which We ought i'm
mediately to handle would disappear oil
find other channels while we debated the
| items.
The case is not unlike that which con-
| fronted us when our own continent was
| to be opened up to settlement and in
dustry, and we needed long lines of rail-
| way, extended means of transportation
prepared beforehand. IL development was
not to lag intolerably and wait inter
! minabIy. We lavishly subsidized the
building of transcontinental railroads
We look back upon that with regret
now, because the subsidies led to many
scandals OF which We are ashamed; but
| We know that the railroads had TO be
built and IL we had it to do over again
We should of course build them, but in
| another way. Therefore l propose an
other way of Sproviding the means OF
transportation, which must precede, not
tardily follow, the development of our
trade with our neighbor states Of America.
1t may seem a reversal Of the natural
order of things, but il is true, that the
routes of trade must be actually opened
by many ships and regular sailings and
moderate charges-before streams of mer-
chandise will flow freely and profitably
through them.
Urges Pending shipping Bill.
cussed at the last session, but as yet
passed by neither House. In my
Judgment such legislation is imperative
ly needed and cannot wisely be postponed.
The government must open these gates
OF trade, and open them wide; open them
before it is altogether profitable to open
them, or altogether reasonable to ask
private capital to open them at a ven
ture. 1t is not question of the govern
ment monopolizing the field. 1t should
take action to make 1t certain that trans
at TtdsOHdDlG Will Dc
promptly provided, even where the car
riage is not at first profitable; and then,
when the carriage has become sufficiently
profitable to attract and engage private
capital, and engage it in abundance, the
government ought to withdraw. / very
earnestly hope that the Congress will be
of this opinion, and that both Houses
will adopt this exceedingly important bill.
The great subject Of rural credits still
remains to be dealt with, and it is 4
matter of deep regret that the difficult
ties Of the subject have seemed to rem
der il impossible to complete bill for
passage at this session. But II cannot
be perfected yet, and therefore there
are no other constructive measures the
necessity for which will at this time call
your attention to; but l would be negli-
gent OF a very manifest duty were l not
to call the attention Of the Senate TO the
fact that the proposed convention for
safety at sea awaits its confirmation and
that the limit fixed in the convention it
self for its acceptance is the last day
of the present month. The conference
in which this convention originated was
called by the United States: the repre-
sentatives OF the United States played a
very influential part indeed in framing
the provisions OF the proposed conven-
ton; and those provisions are in them
selves for the most part admirable. II
would hardly be consistent with the part
We have played in the whole matter
to let it drop and go by the board as
II forgotten and neglected. It was rati-
fed in May last by the German govern
ment and in August by the Parliament OF
Great Britain. II marks a most hopeful
and decided advantage in Internal tionaI
civilization. We should show our earn
est good faith in a great matter by
adding our own acceptance of II.
There is another matter OF which
must make special mention, il 1 am to
discharge my conscience, lest it should
escape your attention. 1t affects only a
single item Of appropriation. But many
human lives and many great enterprises
hang upon it. 1t is the matter of making
adequate provision for the survey and
charting of our coasts 1t is Immediately
pressing and exigent in connection with
the immense coast line Of Alaska, a coast
line greater than that of the United
States themselves. though it is also very
important indeed with regard to the
older coasts of the continent We cannot
use our great Alaskan domain, ships will
not ply thIther, IL those coasts and their
many hidden dangers are not thoroughly
surveyed and charted. The work is in
at almost every point Ships
ana nVes nave been lost in threading
what were supposed to be well known
main channels. We have not provided
adequate vessels or adequate machinery
FOR the survey and charting. We have
used old vessels that were not big enough
Or strong enough and which were so
nearly unseaworthy that our inspectors
would not have allowed private owners
TO send them to sea. This is a matter
which, as I have said. seems small. but
Is in reality very great Its Importance
has only to be looked into to be appre-
ciated
Economy in Expenditures,
Before I close may I say a few words
Upon two topics. much discussed out OF
3oors, upon which it is highly important
hat our judgments should be clear. def
7ite, and steadfast?
One Of these is economy in government
The duty of economy is |
lot debatable. 1t is manifest and i'm
'erative. In the appropriations we pass
We are spending the mopey of the great |
people whose servants we are-not our
'wn. We are trustees and responsible |
stewards in the spending The onlv thing
iebatable and upon which We should be /!
,areful to make our thought and purpose !
lear is the kind OF economy demanded
# US. I assert with the greatest conf |
ience that the people of the United |
states are not Jealous of the amount |
heir government costs il they are sure |
hat they get what they need and desire |
or the outlay. that the money is being
fOV nhfarfz ~