The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-02-04
SNIP MONOPOLY ADVOCATES
CANNOT MAKE THEIR
ARGUMENTS FIT

Thu Democratic senators Rad hard
time agreeing on the details OF the
government, ship purchase bill. But
they are having = still harder time
agreeing on arguments with which %
meet attacks on H. In the Senate the
other day Mr.. Simmons announced in
reply 20 Mr. Roots warnings that the
government had no intention Of pur-
chasing informed ships belonging to
any Of the powers now al war. But
II we are no, 10 buy the idle German
steamers now laid up In our ports, and
Grea, Britain and France decline "a
sell us ships which might be used in
trade with the Teutonic allies, where
are we to get vessels Italy doesn't
want to part with hers, and ocean car.
rying charges are now SO high tina,
owners OF other neutral shipping
would hardly be inclined 10 part with
il except at cost which would put
the United States az vast disadvan-
tage In setting up government own
ed transportation industry.
Yet right on the heels Of Mr.. Sim
mons statement that the government
would buy no interned ships 1.-THE only
ones who owners would save money
by selling) Mr.. Walsh treated the
Senate to an elaborate argument in.
tended TO prove that Great Britain was
bound by British precedents (were the
Declaration Of London ignored) to
permit our taking over any available
German liners. At the most, he said,
the validity Of such purchases would
have TO be tested in the British prize
courts. Then, If the decision there
went against US we could make a dip
lomatic protest and have the issue
referred, under our arbitration treaty
with Great Britain, TO an arbitration
board
II would take at least two or three
years 10 get to the end Of that litiga-
ton. If the service which govern
ment ownership is to render is an
emergency service--as most Of the
supporters Of the scheme say it is
the crisis in ocean transportation
would be over long before the validity
OF our purchases Of informed vessels
had been finally passed upon.
The trouble with the advocates of
the administration bill is that they
cannot decide whether they are deal
ing with an emergency or with con-
tinuing situation. Secretary McAdoo
has worked himself into a state of
mind over the enormous increase in
ocean freight rates and says that those
rates are burden artifcially imposed
on the American producer with COM
modities to export. Yet the war has
put up prices of commodities as well
as freight rates on them. The seller |
here II not paying the freight The
buyer abroad, who has to have sup
plies and can't get them except from
the United States, has to pay the cost
of delivering them. He has no
choice. With wheat selling at $3.50
bushel here it is absurd to say that
the American farmer is being plumber
cd by the ocean freight carrier Were
conditions in the ocean trade more
normal or were Europe's supplies not
cut short by the war, the American
exporter would have to take much less
for his commodities cotton excepted>
than he is getting now. The emer-
gency has created sellers opportunr
ity here in spite Of the fact that 1t has
also raised ocean freight rates.
A government ship monopoly, il os-
tablished at once, would have to be
established at an excessive cost. u
might maintain itself by charging Just
AS high rates as the existing carriers
10. In that case the alleged freight
charge burden on the American farm
ar would not be lifted And after the
emergency had passed the government
would be left with an extravagant in
vestment on its hands.
The advocates Of the administration
bill are unwilling to say what they
would do in that event. Would they
sell out at so per cent loss or try to
maintain government shipping mon
opoly on a peace basis9 Arguments
for an emergency service do not jibe
with arguments for permanent SER
vice. Yet the shipping bills friends
continue to mix them because they
do not really know which sort Of a
service the Fletcher bill has in view.
President Wilson has also added a
touch of irony to the Democratic stu
alton by Directing to the literacy test
Of the immigration bill because such
discrimination was never favored in
the platforms of the great parties. He
demanded a specific appeal to the SEN
timent of the country on that point.
r.