The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-08-27

building industry would have been one
of the largest and most prosperous IN
the world
II is not cotton alone that has suffered
from the lack of a merchant marine
Other exports have suffered and will suf-
fer if not in as marked degree. II
is not an exaggeration to say that the
lack Of merchant marine for the pres
ent year has cost us more than the sub
sides that would have built up our ship
ping industries would cost us in cen
tury. There is some hope that our pres
ent unfortunate situation will not al
ways exist in view of the fact that there
are people in the South and middle West
that have been impressed by the evils
OF the course our country has pursued.
| The exemption of our ships from tolls
through the Panama canal was a weak
attempt TO remedy our situation by an
indirect subsidy. II was generally ia
yored by the South and West but that
slight subsidy at the demand of Eng
land, has been taken away and it is
probable that the old prejudice against
subsidies will subsist for an indefinite
period. 1t took the best part of CEN
fury TO put our currency laws into any
thing like a satisfactory condition and
it may take twice as long to make
like Improvement In our maritime laws.
1t may take more than one European
war to drive home the lesson Of our need
but the South and middle West may
finally realize that they themselves have
an interest in ocean traffic that will
bring them to the support of a policy
and laws that will restore to us the
great and innumerable benefits of an
adequate marine.
When that time comes we shall do
something more than to exempt our
ships from canal tolls. Such an exemp- |
ton would be an inadequate remedy for |
the evils we suffer. However great may |
be the traffic through the canal it will |
always be greatly inferior to that which |
will directly cross the oceans. The
oceans are Gods free canals, whose locks
and gates are continents and harbors.
To regain these open avenues of com
merce we shall have to remove the preju-
dice born in the non maritime estates
put our ships on an equality with those
of other nations in the competition of
he seas by subsidies or by the restora
lion of the old laws that would have
made us, if kept in force, one of the
greatest maritime nations of the world
With such laws we would not be depend
mt upon the favor of the English navy
md the whims of the martial gods of
europe for the safety of our ocean trade. 4
I during the present year we are en-
Ibled to move our products across the {
atlantic and the Pacific, it will be due I
o the good grsces of the English navy (
Those who have opposed the develop
nent of our merchant marine have main I
aimed that it would be better for us Z
0 continue to pay S200,000,000 year /
0 foreign ships and that the world had 7
dvanced so that our commerce would L
ever again be interrupted by war. The r
resent European conflict has proven the L
allacy of that argument and the paci- &
SITS that now say that this conflict will {
c the last of great wars will be proven
llse prophets by the events Of the flu I
lre. Christ said that we shall hear of b
'ars and rumors of wars" and history S
Ellis us that from the year 1926 B. C. o
} the year 1861 A. D., period of 1857 t
ears, there were only 227 years of peace a
nd $3.50 years of war, 10 years OF war i
} every year OF peace. a
yermont's Taxation Problem.
But whether wars shall cease or con- il
nue. is a question that we viii not dis h
ISIS to-day. There are problems that Il
'ncern our immediate present that de- m
rye our attention. They are of more V
lmediate interest One of the first II
nong them is the tax problem. Three h,
our legislatures have given il con- fa
deration and have failed TO solve il. I'll
nat there is something wrong with our W
esent system Of taxation is generally We
needed. The question that has been