The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-11-30
NEED MERCHANT MARINE
As NAVAL AUXILIARY
Secretary Nc tdoo's Outline of New
Shipping Islil l. Endorsed by
Norris.

l'f4itdrIRhia, IA NOV. @F.--f Tlhdls
capital canno, aud will not supply the
vessels inperatively needed for an
American merchant marine. hence the
-overnmcH. should undertake that
task declared George ". Norris. un-
ti recently director III the Depart
Weut 81 NbaveS IN The city govern
meat 81 philadelphia u & statement
today endorsing Secretary McAdo"' Is
outline OF he ucw shipping nli}
Iraetieaih every Intelligent pl..u
H. faIS country" IT. said sees r.le
supreme importance 81 merchant
marine. and ~ in favor Of having
one. Three ways al suggested I'll
getting 30 First. h> d revision Of the
navigation laws. second. ny paying
subsidies; third. ny government owner
ship and operation, either direct on
through stock ownership OF corpora
ton.
We all want To yet TO the place
in the center of the circle. bat Oh the
rim at this circle there are three
groups of peoplc--ane opposing d re-
vision Of the navigation laws. another
opposing subsidies and third opIos-
ing government ownership Each of
thcsc groups is holding back All
'HUl the position of ai least ono OF
iu"n L. modified we shah MOI < tay-
where.
Any attempt 20 modify the * 81
NIX navigation laws Will certainly le
opposed 10y the Seamens l'uior sup
ported by ali other labor unions. ami
reinforced by the enthusiastic 3dvo-
.atee of the safety al ga idea VITA Sc
cause has been SO much strtng' hcned
by the serles Of startling marin dis
asters which have shocked the world
within the last few years.
All are Opposed to Subsidies
1t is n well known fact. too. that
the Democratic party Ia nppesea- ct
j principle to subsidies. either disguised
/ or undisguised. and as 1t was never
possible 10 get any form Of subsidy
through Republican Congress. II is
scarcely worth while to consider the
possibility Of its getting through n
Democratic Congress.
1t is therefore. evident that any
/ changes which will bring the cost
4 Of either building or operating vessels
down to the foreign standard must be
very radical changes and will inevi-
tally be opposed by very powerful
interests, Present conditions should
not be allowed to continue for the
years that must elapse before such
result could be reached.
/ AN American merchant marine,
! such as proposed In his indianapolis
g., lis speech by Secretary of the Treas
! ury McAdoo, would not merely aerve
i our need in the only possible way
now open to us. but it would also meet
the present need for naval auxiliary.
In my mind there ought to he uni
versa! agreement on the acquisition
/ by the government Of ships to he
built in American shipyards and
! manned by American Ulcers and
sailors 10 form an adequate nav
4 AUXILIARY In time Of war, and ir time
I of peace to be used to develop new
t opportunities for our export trade. The
/ only debatab bile question Is how and
by whom these vessels shall be operat-
ed when in Use for commercial pur-
I poses. That is merely q question vi
K business policy. upon which it ought
not 70 be difficult to secure an agree
nsnt.
AS to the idea that the adoption
/ Of such a measure, calling for opera
ton of shipping Inns by the govern
ment, would be a precedent for rail-
road operation by the government. [
can imagine nothing more unlikely.
The conditions which exist In ocean
, Transportation, and the theory upon
which government intervention must
he justified. are so wholly different
from the railroad situation that there
can be neither analogy nor compari-
E! son between the two. Moreover as
/ the government intervention would
proably be temporary ultimately
! yielding the field to private capital
and would probably show a balance on
4 the wrong side If the led9or. nppo-
! nents of government ownership nf
! railroads shou.d rather welcome the
experiment as likely TO prove an H.
1 Illuminating object lesson.
! Four Essential Facts.
-Four principal facts should be
| borne in mind considering this bill.
Fact one-We have tpractically
| speaking) no vessels in which to send
| out our billions of exports or in
! which to bring In our billions Of i'm
I ports. Because of this fact We are C)
/ destroying the efficiency In war Of our
navy. "a fattening the rest of the
/ world by an annual payment of 5000
! 0on 600. or more, go hampering our
/ manufacturers and exporters by COM
+ peiling them TO ship through their
competitors, 81 d a. running the risk
/ of an utter paralizat1on OF our foreign
I trade by n war TO which we are no
n.aariy. $50,
tons it is capable of nathematl al
/ demonstration that private capital
cannot and viii not supply such yes
sells
"FAci three--These conditions
cannot be materially changed without
/ such radical and fundamental changes
III our policies could he only
brought about--~if at although an
educational propaganda continued
over a period of years,
Fact four-The Federal govern
ment can fin the void at "A direct cost
which cannot be more than a very
minute fraction OF the indirect bene-
fit,
The lines esta blished by the gov
eminent viii greatly aid our exporters
and thereby simplify the problems
Of our bankers. Their operation wiz
develop trade to a point where, within
a few years. Ii will be possible for
private capital to take some or them
eyei. Thus. under government ini.ia-
TIVE there will come about that re-
Niyal of the American merchant ma
riue, about which We have all been
dreaming for "a generation"