Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-11-27

America for the first time, and l saw
that conditions there were entirely diff
ferent. One year ago l went again,
taking route through the Panama
Canal, down the West Coast to the
Straits of Magellan, and up the entire
East Coast. / came back an ardent sup
porter of the McAdoo plan for q gov
ernment-owned merchant marine.
"The great difficulty with the people
today in speaking of government owner.
ship is that they think only of shipping
between here and Europe, where lines
are already established Now, the
function of the government is not to
do what people are doing, but to help
them to do it. The government should
bear the same relation to the nation
that father bears to his home. A
father does not do for boy what the
boy can do for himself, but he does a
great many things for the boy in his
teens in order to prepare him to do
it for himself later.
"0ur relations with South America
at present are just the same as the re-
lations between a farmers boy who
has garden, and the distant city. To
give the boy start the farmer pro-
vides transportation to market for the
boys goods; otherwise the boy would
have to give up the garden. 1t is all
important that our manufacturers be
aided in getting our goods to this
market.
"fNow the question-why not sub
sidies2
"Tbe answer is very simple. The
subsidy is a fine thing provided we can
be the only country to give subsidies.
The reason that England, Germany and
other countries have used subsidies to
such advantage is that they were a
unit and alone in the field. Moreover,
now that they are already 80 well in
trenched, it would take $100,000,00 and
a generation of time for us to secure a
footing by their methods. As fast as
we gave subsidy they would add a
similar amount to their present sub.
sidy, and they would continue to be
just so much ahead Of us.
"Competition in subsidies is the same
as competition in armaments: at the
conclusion both sides bear the same re-
lation to each other as they did at the
first, but both are greatly burdened
with both debt and corruption.
"Congressmen who have never been
to South America fail to realize that
most of the shipping there is already
done in coastwise ships. II is true that
the lines between European and South
American ports are operated by private
corporations. But a. large proportion Of
the business between North America
and South America is at the present
time in government owned ships.
"'The Brazilian government, the
Chilean government and the Peruvian
government are interested in the steam
ship business. If these poor and strug-
Cling governments are willing to make
the sacrifice to help bridge tho chasm
between North and South America,
shouldn't big and rich government
like our own be willing to do something
along the same line Of government
owned shipsi
"I say 'along the same line because
/ believe that some Of these govern
ments would consider IL very un-
friendly act on the part Of our country
to subsidize a privately owned line in
competition with their government
owned lines. This was brought out
very clearly In talks which ] had with
prominent officials while in South
America. They would feel alright TO
have our government build ships Of its
own. Then all would be on the same
footing, and operating on the same
policy for mutual advancement and
development.
"Another reason why ! am in favor
Of government owned ships Is because ]
believe that is the only arrangement
which will enable US to break up the
steamship pool which at present has
our manufacturers In it's grip No
private corporation, with or without
subsidy, could resist the temptation 10
become part Of this pool, which is con
trollef abroad and whose rates are be-
yond the regulating power Of our laws.
But government owned ships could no
more join the pool than the Post Office
Department could make deal with
the express companies TO hold up the
people.
"No private shipping corporation
could break up these pools; IL would
cost too much money and the stock
holders wouldn't stand for IL. These