Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-08

disintercsted service which
ly thought OF hostility or fear
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 but de-
stroyed the merchant marine of the
country. to retrace the steps by which
we have. 1t seems almost deliberately.
withdrawn our flag from the seas, ex-
cept where, here and there, a ship of
war is hidden carry it or some wan
derIng yacht displays it, would take a
long time and involve many detailed
items of legislation. and the trade
which We ought Immediately to han
ole would disappear or find other
channels while we debated the items
The case is not unlike that which
confronted us when our own CONT
nent was to be opened up to settle
ment and industry. and we needed
long lines of railway. extended means
II development was not to lag in
toierably and wait unfortunately. We
lavishly subsidized the building of
transcontinental railroads We look
PACK upon that with regret now, be-
Sause me subsidies led to many scan
we know that the railroads had to be
oullt, and If we had II to do over
AGAIN we should of course build them.
but IN another way. Therefore l pro
pose another way of providing the
means of transportation. which must
precede, not tardily follow, the de-
Veiopment of our trade with our
helShbor states of America. 1t NAV
seem reversal of the natural order
u en-. .nihgs; but it is true, that the
opened-by many ships and reeniar
saILhss and moderate charges-be-
tore streams of merchandise will flow
lreeiy and probably through them.
Urges Pending Shipping Bill.
Hence the pending shipping bill, dis
cussed at the last session, but as yet
passed by neither house. In my
Judgment such legislation is impera-
lively needed and cannot wisely be
postponed The government must
open these gates of trade, and open
them wide; open them before it is al
together profitable to open them. or
altogether reasonable to ask private
capital to open them at venture. 1t
is not a question of the government
monopoliZing the field. 1t should take
action to make it certain that trans
portation at reasonable rates will be
promptly provided. even where the
carriage 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. i very earnestly hope
that the Congress will be of this opin-
ion, 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 a matter of deep regret that the
difficulties of the subject have seemed
to render it impossible to complete a
bill for passage at this session. But
it cannot be perfected yet. and there
fore there are no other constructive
measures the necessity for which /
will at this time call your attention
to; but I would be negligent of very
manifest duty were / not to call the
attention of the Senate to the fact
safety at sea awaits it's confirmation
and that the limit fixed in the conven-
ton itself 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 representatives of the
United States played a very influential
part indeed in framing the provisions
OF the proposed convention; and those
provisions are in themselves for the
most part admirable. 1t would hardly
be consistent with the part we have
played in the whole matter to let it
drop and go by the board as if for
gotten and neglected. 1t was ratified
In May last by the German govern
ment and in August by the parliament
of Great Britain. 1t marks a most
hopeful and decided advance in inter-
national civilization. We should show
our earnest good faith in a great mat
of it
There is another matter of which 7
must make special mention, if l am
10 dlscharge my conscience lest it
should escape your attention 1t may
seem very small thing. It affects
only 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 if those
coasts and their many hidden dangers
are not thoroughly surveyed and
charted- The work is incomplete at
almost every point Ships and lives
have been lost in threading what were
supposed to be well known main chan
nels. 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 in
spectors would not have allowed pri
waite owners to send them to sea. This
5 IS matter which. as I have said
seems small. but is in reality very
great. Its Importance has only to be
looked into to be appreciated.
Economy in Government Expenditure
Before I close may l say few words
upon two topics. much discussed out
of doors, upon which 1t is highly i'm
portant that our judgments should be