Cheyenne record., 1914-08-27
Washington Letter,
By Edward Keating,
Congressman-at-Large
From Colorado.
From Colorado.

out OF business there ana III VIII SnOW
its head son ewhere else.
Our friend, the Shipping Trust, \
the Special Privilege which | have
especially in mind.
Only few months ago we removed
one of the tentacles-of this octopus
when We repealed the act exempting
the monopoly's ships from the pay
ment of tolls on the Panama canal.
That was calculated to reduce its div
idends by several millions year and
to l.ut an equal I'm in the public
treasury.
The trust was panied but not dis
couraged by this lack Reconsideration
en-. the part of Congress.
When warwas declared between the
leading nations of Europe, the repre-
senatives of the Shipping monopoly
flocked to Washington.
Now is the time to build up our
me: chant marine" they shouted
Lets pass IL ship-subsidy act"
1t is noticeable that thist:ust's plans
al way, in .lud, Il ra on tt, pablo
traain..y. Tne raid which i, coyered
by the name "Ship subsidy" has been
pressed on the attention of Congress
in one form and another for twenty
years. Stripped Of the verbiage in
which its sponsors wrap it, the scheme
calls for the yearly grant of large
suns. of the Pablo mon"y to various
steamship lines which have been or
will be established by the trust. Once
the system is established it would
require IL revolution to abolish it and
the drain on the trersury would be
enormous.
2 HANNA'S OLD SCHEME.
Boss Mark Hanna at one time under
took to force ship subsidy bill
through Congress. That was in the
good old days" when Joe Cannon
owned the House and Aldrich ran the
Senate, but the ship subsidy steal was
too raw for even that combination.
phe independent republicans united
VIII tIlC LSlhOSlato anu lCNuG.
: President Wilson and the Democratic
leaders in House and Senate have
given the present day subsidy howlers
Il very cool reception: 1t would be
easier for q trust. magnate to get
through the eye of a needle than for a
subsidy scheme to get by Woodrow
Wilson.
The war in Europe does afford an
opportunity to build up our merchant
marine and the president and his ad
visors see the opportunity and are
planning to take the advantage of it.
They do not intend however that the
shipping monopoly shall be the sole
lsrt ticiary.
Instead of subsidizing monopoly,
Uncle Sam will buy and operate his
own ships for the benefit of all the peo-
pie of this country. Government
ownership and operation will not only
open new territory to our merchants
hut it will go q longway toward put
ting the shipping trust out OF business,
SEND AMERICANS TO SEA.
President Wilson has indorsed the
idea but the trust willnot permit Con
gress to approve it without bitter
fight. 1t held up the Panama repeal
bill for months, but that struggle was
a tame affair compared with the row
which will be caused by the presidents S
latest suggestion.
1t will not do us much good, how
ever. to put the American flag back
on sea unless we put Americans aboard
our ships to defend it. At one time
this country produced the best sailors
in the world. The American Jacky
was known in every part of the seven
sess. and lie was universally feared
and respected.
Today, even the few ships which fly
the Stars and Stripes are manned by
Jappes, Chinese, and Lascars.
Where is the American sailor man!
Why has he quilted the sea? The
answer is to be found in our absurd
navigation laws, which were written
by the shipping interests and which
gave no thought to the welfare of the
man before the mast.
The Mongolian will work for 81 a