The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1915-08-05
..OUR AM1ABLE GOVERNMENT,

s.OUR AMIABLE GOVERNMENT,
| There is no doubt but what even
a ''do-nothing'' congress is prefer
able to one that makes muddle out
of that which it attempts to do. The
United States is long on theorists,
and entirely too many of them are
afforded an opportunity to air their
assininity in congress. The follow
ing from the Saturday Evening Post
is interesting in this connections:
zone can hardly consider the past
year in Europe without wondering
what that kind of acid test would
disclose if applied to the government
of the United States. That it would
show muddle everybody knows
especially everybody who remembers
the SpanishAmerican war; but
really how broad and deep a mud
die? How much life and treasure
should we have to throw in before
we made a firm footing and wal
lowed out of it? ..
"Take, for example. the shipping
question. For years we have talked
with vague hopefulness about an
American merchant marine. We
now wake to a pleasing realization
that congress has probably legislated
the American flag altogether off the
Pacific ocean. For years we have
talked hopefully about great sys-
TEN of inland water transporation-to
create which many citizens want the
federal government to spend a huge
sum. Our only very Important in-
land-water traffic has been on the
Great Lakes. We now receive cheer
ing intelligence that congress has
possibly legislated a large part of
the shipping off the Great Lakes.
That it has not actually legislated it
| all off is merely a piece of good luck.
Nobody happened to suggest a
half baked measure that would have
closed the lakes entirely.
"We can say that our government
is good-natured. Nobody in it really
intends much harm. Nearly every
body's intentions are quite amiable.
Somebody had set of human notions
as to how ships should be operated.
Whether ships could or would be
operated in that desirable manner
was immaterial The notion. was
pleasing and congress adopted it..
Somebody else had an interesting
theory that shipping lines should
not make joint agreem ents on rates.
True, the worlds experience had
demonstrated that in normal times
some sort of rate agreement was me-
cessary to stabilize the shipping
business. But what's the world s
experience to us when it con1its with
an academic theory that pleases us?
"Somebody had another amusing
theory that railroads should not own
steamship lines. It would be nicer,
he thought, if steamship lines were
independent The trivial facts
that railroads did own a great feet
Of lake steamers and that some
seventy million tons of freight were
carried yearly on the lakes at a cost
only trifle over half a mill a ton
mile, we're not permitted in the least
to interfere with putting this pleas
ing theory. into statute. Our gov
eminent never bothers with dull ex-
perience when>'a the DRY tickles it's
fancy. -. srH>.: >;
$50, under authority of congress-,
railroads have been ordered to dis.
pose of their+bla steamers. One
road has begun, cutting it's boats in
two for the purpose of sending them
round to the Atlantic through the
We]land canal and putting them in
a service where extraordinary war
conditions enable steamers to oper-
ate profitable in spite of Congress.
"Meager as it is, American ship
ping has been serving one more or less
useful purpose-the boys at Washing.
ton have got lot of amusement out
of it,