The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1915-06-18
HUMPHREYS
RECENT SPEECH IN GREENWOOD

million dollars and built the canal
That we does not refer to the SAM
we as the owners of the ships tina
pass through the canal. We hav,
given them the exclusive right t,
ply the waters from one port of tn,
United States to another.
This is as if the State of Missis
sippi should build a highway from her,
to Winona and should give you the ex
elusive privilege of hauling it, and yot
should say, You will have to send Q
negro to open the gates for me-
When Weber and Fields wen t,
60 into partnership in the steamship
business, Weber said to Field: al
right, I'll furnish the ocean and yo,
furnish the ships"
I'VE built the canal. Our ships pas.
through free. That means no dividend.
We have spent three hundred ant
s~sventy-fve millions in the construction
of the canal. We made no effort tc
levy tolls that would pay the interes,
on that money or to repay the princi
pal. We spent that money and bull
the canal just rs we would spend the
money in the Yazoo river. The cana.
must be operated. and we had to ascer,
tain how much it will cost, and how
much tonnage will pass through it each
year. We employed experts to ascer.
tain what amount of tonnage would
pass through and what the cost of oper.
alton would be. We tax the freight at
whatever amount the cost of the ton
mage will be for the expense of pass
ing through the canal. This is simply
enough to keep the canal going, to pay
the expense.
"We say, we have enabled you to do
the carrying trade without going around
the Horn. We ask only that you pay
the actual cost to put you through.
What would happen if hal was not
done? The canal locks are not automa-
tic. If the ships failed to pay their
dollar a ton tolls the taxpayers of the
United States would pay it for them.
So the president said as an economic
policy it is i~ndefensible.
when We undertook to dig it was
not the United States. England owned
as much territory on the American con
tinent as the United States. The two
countries got together and negotiated
a treaty. One of the clauses in that
treaty was that the ships of all nations
should be permitted to use this canal
upon the same equality. The balance of
the world has construed that as mean
ing exactly what it says. There are
some great men, great lawyers, great
statesmen, who insist that that means
the shippers Of other nations besides
the United States. But the treaty did
not say the ships Of all other nations,
but the ships of all nations shall use
this canal upon the same equality.
1.-THE president said there is but one
honorable course for us to pursue, and
that is to live up to u agreement and
permit the ships Of all nations to pass
through on the same terms. So l voted
for it."
Mr.. Humphreys gave as a few of his
reasons for voting for the Ship purchase
bill the following:
Last July we had the greatest crop
in all the history Of this country, Il
mea cotton CROP and in this discus
sion discuss the question in regard to
the cotton states. | know we must
take a little broader view, but | will
consider it from this viewpoint alone.
The other Democratic representatives
from the manufacturing and other Sec
tions said that it was good for their
sections. So | looked at it an | was
requested to look at it in regard to the
cotton states.
we are the richest people in the
world. We make more products, more
sales, more imports. The products of
the Mississippi valley alone amount to
fifteen billion dollars. The relling
price Of these products is affected by
the transportation cost. England had
forty-three hundred ships at the begin
ming Of this war. She withdrew twelve
hundred for military purposes. There
were 800 ships of Germany withdrawn;
400 of the South Americans Withdrawn.
We had only 36l and a large number Of
these owned by the large interest which
used them exclusively the STANDARD
Oil Company, for instance. That was
the greatest problem Of our country.
Two-thirds Of our crop to be exported
and nothing to carry II except the 36l
ships Of U country.
I'm 1921 we carried 90 per cent Of
the products shipped from the United
States in American ships; in 1851 sixty
per cent. and many Of the products Of
other nations. During this war our
merchant marine was completely de-
stroyed. 1t Is contended that we have
no right to purchase the ships Of these
nations. Well, from the fact that dur.
ing the Civil war it was England that
purchased the ships Of the Americans,
and we never questioned the sales; it il
al right now, as it was perfectly well
then.