Evening star., 1915-02-04

shipping business. But are we to be
determined in our action about great
and vital national policies by the ques-
or ora a m make k w a hundred ed dollars doll or @ a FEW
thousand dollars? Let me illustrate by
the revenue cutter service. In the last
year. 1914. it cost $2.500.o00, approx
mately' to keep those vessels in serv-
Under the regulations of the depart
ment. no revenue cutter can stay in
port over twenty.four hours without
Why its to saa IS a
upon the high seas, to save life and to
save property. as we'll as to protect
our coast against smuggling and
against other offenses.
Huge Sums Saved.
"1n that one year Of 1914 the revenue
cutter service saved nearly ten millions
Of dallars OF shipping property in peril
at sea, and 1t saved. in addition to
that. four hundred and fifty or more
priceless human lives, and yet would
you say, gentlemen, that the revenue
cutter service should not be main
tanned because 1t costs this government
money to maintain it? Are we gov
sordid considerations that nothing
should be done by the government un-
less a profit is received?
why did we build the Panama canal.
In which we have invested now over
three hundred and seventy-five millions
of dollars? Did we do that because we
expected to make profit for this ma
tion? Would we have hesitated to
could not see at the end of it an actual
return upon our investment? Where
the vital interests of this nation are
at stake, where the lives of it's citizens
a. ~
citizens is put in peril by the seas or
otherwise, 1t Is the function of govern
ment, regardless of cost, to come to the
relief of its people.
Has No Patience With Idea.
And so. my friends, when American
commerce today is in jeopardy: when.
through acts Of belligerent nations in
which the Innocent American people
had no part; when freight rates are
soaring to impossible points. hamper
ing. our commerce. affecting our ma
ter.al as well as our financial interests,
affecting In large measure. ind rectly.
1t Is true. the direct life of the ma
ton, l must confess that have no
/, patience with the idea that the Amer
| ican government must sit here with
fettered feet and trammeled hands and
refuse to protect the American busi-
ness man and the American producer
under circumstances of this kind.
My friends. there are times in the
life of every nation when 1t is neces-
sary that every power of the govern
ment should be exercised to protect its
property. its rights and the lives OF its
citizens, and this Is a time when we
where we must not. because Of any
hidebound dogma or any academic the
ories. or any fears that tbs or that
thing may happen, go straight forward
that are necessary to be done. and do
them at the time that it Is necessary to
do them: because remedies are not
worth continental unless they are ap-
piled when the disease is at the acute
stage.
Now At Acute Stage.
Now we are at the acute stage. Since
| August. 1914. our commerce has been
| seriously affected by the conditions
which have arisen on the other side OF
the water. In response to a Senate
resolution. the Secretary of Commerce
| and myself made report to the SEN
ate few days ago. and 1 want to read
| to you a few things in this report
which will convey to you more striking
! ly than any words of mine can possi-
bly, convey. the conditions that affect
American shipping interests. American
|
! American business men in general, who
are interested in our export and our
| import trade.
These letters were sent to the two
departments without any direct re-
quest whatever for Information. They
| were voluntarily sent in response to
the suggestion Of the Senate resolution
that these two departments. connected
as they are with the shipping interests Of
the country, should furnish such informa-
ton as was ava liable. Garcia & Co,
general comm ission merchants of San
| Francisco, wrote under date Of January
8 as follows:
1--we beg to say that we ourselves
, have shipped in the last two months
) 500 or GOO tons OF dried fruit to New
| York through the canal at Panama for
| reshipment to Scandinavian ports and
! " To great extent these goods have
! been ir New York for a long time, for
| the reason that our forwarding agents
J Messrs c B Richards and company,
could not get any spare 1t seems that
| whenever the scandinavian america n
lines are asking higher freight rates
| other lines do so. too. and now even
! 100 shillings for 2.24o pounds. while
only a few days ago this company
asked As shillings for 2.240 pounds
Advances Without Notice.
: THESE advances in freight rates are
made without notice. and even previ-
Gus engagements have not been per.
formed So that the shippers. instead
of making a small profit on their sales
to European countries. are losing
money
"And yet 1 have heard it seriously
contended, although l know 1 need not
discuss such a proposition with intelli-
gent American business men, that
freight rates, ocean transportation
rates, do not make any difference To
our business men. because the man on
the other side pays it. There is not a
man within the sound of my voice who
i has anything to do with business who
| does not know that the cost of trans
| portation is an elemental and serious
problem in every business transaction
involving the shipment or movement OF
goods"
| Senator Burton's Question.
| Senator Burton followed Secretary
McAdoo, and fired at the convention
the question::
SIS 1t intended to buy the ships of
| helligerents in this war;"