The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1915-06-18

We publish below q, few extracts
from Congressman B. G. Humphreys
speech Ut the Greenwood Theatre on
June 7th in order that every voter in
Lefore county may know his reasons
for supporting the wise and timely
measures urged and advocated by our
great Democratic leader. President
Woodrow Wilson. We regret that we
could not get Mr.. Humphreys com
plete speech for publication, as we had
expected and hoped to do in this issue
Of The Commonwealth.
Among other things. oar distinguish
ed Congressman said:
Walter Raleigh said that he who
commanded the sea commanded the
trade; he who commanded the trade
commanded the riches of the world; he
who commanded the riches of the
world commanded the world it.
self. And this is true. Eng
land has carried out that policy for two
years: therefore, commanding the
world.
There were two measures before
the last congress with reference to
traffic on the sea: The Panama canal
tolls and the ship purchase bill. When
the roll was called l raised your voice
and cast your vote. and it is my pur-
pose 70 give you the reason why it was
that | voted for the bills to require the
coastwise ships to pay tolls to the ca
nal and why l voted for the ship pur-
chase bill.
Few have had any cause to investi-
gate the loss of the merchant marine.
Let me explain: Under the law as it
is today no ship can carry a load from
one American port to another Ameri-
can port except a ship flying the
American flag and built in al American
shipyard. The purpose of that was to
build up a ship building industry in the
United States.
lone of these six or seven thousand
ton ships which could be built for half
million dollars in England or Germany,
could not be built in the United States
for less than eight or nine hundred
thousand dollars. Now, we give those
coastwise ships an absolute monopoly.
No ship can load freight at New York
and unload at New Orleans and no pas
senger ship q take on passengers at
New York bound to New Orleans ex-
cept on an American ship built in an
American ship yard.
1.-THE Panama canal cost us three
hundred and seventy-five million dok
lars. No ship can carry a load around
through that canal and discharge it up
on the Pacific American coast save on
ly an American ship.
II had q friend In Hawaii who wished
to come to the United States. He
asked the captain Of q foreign ship II
he could get passage. He said: II
have the room, yes, but the laws Of
your country prohibit it. and If l took
you aboard l would be fined two
hundred dollars. The gentleman paid
the two hundred dollars penalty.
that is United States territory.
1--WE have many companies. They
have absolutely parceled out the ocean
among themselves. One u mi from
New York down u coast and stops
for Savannah; the other company,,s
ships will not stop at Savannah; 1t will
stop at Charleston; the next n to
Jacksonville, the next to New Orleans;
and the next to Galveston, and so on.
The shipper will find that n company
only can serve him. This was the
monopoly when we dug the Panama
canal and took np the question Of tolls.
And these gentlemen said: 1--WE dug
the canal and our ships should pass
through free" That appeals to the
Imagination. and patriotism of the
average man. Well now, we will ana
lyxe that question. We built the canal
that IS true. That we includes you.
You are 4 part Of that we that built
the canal. You, the taxpayer, dug up
that three hundred and seventy-nye