The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-02-17
THE OPEN FORUM.
An Argument for Government Owner
ship of Merchant Vessels.

Editor of The Washington Herald
| Probably there will always be a differ.
enCe in opinion as to what 4 government,
ought to undertake and what should bt
! LETT FOR the work of the citizen. But IL is
| conceded that there are something's that
a government should do. and among
these are the administration of Justice
and the furnishing of money or a medium,
! of exchange for its citizens. Within the
last half century however the opinion
has grown. increasing from year to year,
| that transpoi tation is as much a func-
ton of a government as is justice or
! finance. II Is this sentiment as well as
| the emergency conditions. which is be-
hind the shipping bill now before Com
Eress.
Whatever arguments may be valid
| against government Transportation on
\ land. those arguments lose their weight
and force when applied to transportation
on the seas. because in the commercial
contest on the seas national forces COM
pete against national forces, and the ma
ton that is represented in that contest
only by individual or private competitors
Is foredoomed to defeat. How disastrous
such a policy has been to the people of
the United States the figures of our over
Seas tonnage disclose. Below Is conn
parison of the oversee tonnage of the
nitt'l ana lot dp-
proximately the past half century:
United States-IS7O I.5lI.O5O: 1912. g. On.
Great Britain-1S7o. 5.69I. 200: 1877. II. Ss5.-
ONo
We see in the above figures a rapid
decline in cur merchant marine tonnage
for while in. 1870 Great Britain's tonnage
was only about three times greater than
our own. in 1872 it is twelve times greater
And it is most significant that during
~ al
decreased from 1,5II 600 to 90. 600, falling
off of 80 per cent. Until the outbreak of
the European war. when. after a large
percentage of the foreign bottoms that
carried our commerce were sunk, in
termed or withdrawn for use as war
transports. the people of the United
States did not realize their helpless stu
alton on the ocean. Now it is seen that
our products of factory and farm are
choked in our ports. awaiting transporta-
ton that does not come. while our labor
is idle in obedience to the same condi-
tons. II Is because of the critical labor
and commercial situation that President
Wilson is urging the passage of the ship
ping bill. 1t seems almost unbelievable
that a Congressman or Senator. what
ever may be his fundamental concep-
tons OF government and its relations to
the people governed. SHOULD oppose the
of commercial crisis suddenly brought
upon us by the great war i'm Europe
The objection. namely. fear OF foreign
complications. that have been urged by
Senators OF great reputation. as. for ex-
ample. Senators Lodge and Root. are
really puerile. and such reaconing can
only mislead the most superficial. II
private capital has stood by and seen our
oversee tonnage actually fan OF 10 per
cent in the last fifty years. when meas
ured by Great Britain's tonnage 1t
should have increased 40 per cent what
guarantee has the American people for
relief through the efforts of private capt.
tall There is no guarantee. not even II
subsidies be resorted to. for the same
parties now who reap the privilege of
the monopoly OF oversee transportation.
aided also by their same foreign allies. !
would receive these subsidies and con- |
tinue the same methods that have opcr- |
atcd SO disastrously to the growth Of