Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1915-08-25
THE sEAMAN,s BILL.
A Hard Blow at Americas Ship
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Bosson Trsnscrigs.l
At banquet being held in japan when
Congress Of the United States of the Ia
Toilette sesman's ball, storm of applause
broke loose. To the japanese, the passage
of the bill was Q notification that the
United States proposed to transfer to them
its trans Pacific steamship business.
1t has been predicted for years by
steamship owners that il the La Toilette
bill passed, American capital would with
draw from the shipping business, except
In the coastwise trade, for the simple
reason that the Law compelled American
owners to operate their vessels ct . cost
from twenty to forty per cent. greater
than that borne by their competitors, and
they must retire unless the government,
by means OF subsidies, Was willing to
make up the difference.
No law enacted by Congress in recent
years has created greater uneasiness in
business circles than the seaman's bill, for
1t aimed at concrete things, and its victims
could figure to q dollar where they would
lose, and the simple discontinuance by
them OF their saiiings or the transfer Of
their vessels to foreign registry would
constitute facts which would outweigh .
thousand times all the arguments Of the
friends OF the seaman's bill as to why it
would not demoralixe American shipping.
In the opinion of some of Americas
most noted financiers and shipping men,
not . dollar OF American capital will 60
into American ships for the foreign trade
unless the seaman's bill is modified. The
chief effect OF its operation, aside from
that upon the counting room OF the
owner, will be to place in the hands OF
the leaders OF the labor unions the power
to tie up American shipping almost at
will, and to em broil the United States
with . score or more Of foreign nations
as an incidental. Already some twenty
one treaties or agreements OF commerce
and navigation have received notice OF
denunciation by the United States govern
ment because OF the new Lac, and the
executive officer of local seaman's union
has only to discover that iess than seventy
i've per cent. OF the crew in any depart
ment of q foreign vessel are able to under
stand any order given them by an officer
to prevent that foreign vessel from leaving
an American port. Officers OF the United
States government usually regard it a. .
fairly serious business to interfere with
the sailing OF Q ns-Atlantic liner, We
will say, but officers OF labor unions are
not always 30 delicate.
In nothing he has done has the Presi-
dent so forfeited the confidence OF the
country in his business capacity as by
signing the LaFollette bill. He was
afraid of the measure and never uttered q
word in favor OF it, but some OF the leaders
of his party thought they could do him q
good turn by trading with LaFoilette for
the passage of the administration ship
purchase bill. Presume bly, they did this,
for LaFollette voted with the democrats
against his own party every time the ad-
ministration needed q vote, and the demo-
cratic leaders rewarded him by passing
the seaman's bill as the labor union
leaders had written it.
The President lacked the nerve to in
sAeS lis A1d btkuGQ IL.
Now he has added to his many mistakes
in dealing with foreign matters the seri-
GUS one Of provoking quarrel with more
than twenty friendly nations over ship
ping questions. So extreme are the pro-
visions of the seaman's bill. that the
captain of British, French or German
vessel can be arrested and punished in
the United States for an act which is
holly awyul in his Oy cOuntry
The war has given other countries no
time to think OF the La Toilette bill, and,
in fact, it is not yet in operation. But the
war will end and the belligerents will
jump first to the rehabilitation OF their
commerce. When they start, the United
States will have questions Of diplomacy
to untangie which may be more difficult
to settle satisfa ctorily than any presented
by German submarine warfare.