The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-08-28
The War and Our Dilemma.

DID he think the hour had struck?
The War and Our Dilemma.
II is very difficult for the Amer
lean to realize that the great Euro
pean war. which has been dreaded
for a generation, is actually taking
place. The calamity is so appalling
that II seems to stretch beyond tn,
reach of imagination. The desire oil
the President, although impotent. tc
avert hostilities is voiced in every
American breast. 1t was useless tc
offer mediatfon-there was no ques
ton to mediate. There was only
the gaunt figure of brute force
against brute force.
After the great wave of distress
for the terrible calamity which has
befallen Europe has been expressed
the thought naturally turns upon
what will be the effect of such an
upheaval upon our own country, and
what lesson can we learn from IL
For years the Scientific American
has preached the necessity of the
upbuilding of our merchant marine
The story of our present poverty in
merchant ships is too well known to
need mention at the present time,
but now, at last, the lesson is driven
home in a surprising and unexpected
way. Some two hundred thousand
Americans are practically marooned
in Europe with no facilities for
reaching their country. Battleships
and cruisers, even were 1t practica BILE
to put our line of defense to such a
use. are not adapted in any way to
passenger service. and such a method
of solving the problem is almost out
of the question. OF navy transports,
we have hardly any. The Interna-
tional Mercantile Marine, owned as
it Is largely by American capital,
does not carry the Stars and Stripes.
and under the terms of the purchase
its larger ships may be used by the
British government, whose flag it
flies, under stress of war conditions.
1t has been said that the United Fruit
Company has placed its small fleet
of steamers at the disposal of the
Government for the rescue of Am
orleans stranded abroad. 1t is hui
initiating to think that the Govern
ment may be obliged to apply to pri-
vate owners for the use of their
vessels to aid in the present crisis.
The American Line is the only trans
atlantic line which flies the Stars
and Stripes. In recent statistics pub
lished in London, it was stated that
the wealth of the United States at
the present moment was almost equal
to the combined wealth of Great
Britain and Germany. In spite of
this. owing to bad laws, lack of sup
port on the part of the Government,
and the high cost of labor. we are
not able to compete with the merch-
ant marine of other nations. We are
paying enormous sums every year to
foreign owners for the transporta-
ton of our imports and exports.
This large sum might be kept in
this country provided we had serious
ly entered into the field of marine
Experience has shown
that we are capable of building as
good ships of war as other nations,
but we have allowed our domestic
ship building to fall into decay. Now
that the period of great railroad
has been arrested.
largely through the hostile legisla-
ton of the Federal and State gov
there are plenty of men
with which not only to build our
vessels. but to provide personnel.
1t is fortunate that we have re-
ceived this sinister warning at
time when we are at peace with all
the world. Had we found ourselves
in a serious war, the utter lack of
A merchant marine, both for COM
merce and transports. would be a
for which we would dearly
pay The price now is one largely
Of pride and lost opportunity.
The lost opportunity will present
tself little later when our mer-
chants are seeking an outlet, for
heir foreign exports. Our trade with
Europe has, of course. fallen into
liter confusion, and will. to a great
between Europe and South Amer
ca will be practically interrupted. |,
We ortunately have reached a psych-
illogical moent for developing our
rade with South America. Never /
'efore has there existed so cordial |
relationship btween the two con-
inents. Whatever trouble moy have |
risen from the Mexican imhroplio