The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-05
Why We Are Afraid Of the Ship Pur-
chase Bill.


cratic, un-Republican, un.American
and purely soclalistic conception Of a
Government merchant marine. I'VE
are guilty Of it," says our neighbor in
substance. We did 1t in an editorial
article printed on August 2, 1914, in
which we said:
I'VE should regard such al enterprise
as a last resort, short OF paying out
rageous subsidies, but 1t Ia infinitely
preferable to present day conditions. 1t
would be far better than subsidies; for
II the American people are going to
spend public money on a merchant ma
rine they should control II and have
something to show for the investment
1t will be observed that in rating
the Government subsidy as a more
outrageous and dangerous thing than
even Government ownership and Gov
eminent competition with private CAPT
tai and enterprise our esteemed neigh.
Dor is at variance with the late Mr..
THOMAS JEFFERSON. That eminent
Democrat once declared that he would
like to see Congress devote the surplus
revenues of the Post Office to the "es-
tablishment' of line Of packets be
tween New York and Havre. Lest
the World should hastily assume from
this declaration that Mr.. JEFFERSON
had in mind II plan Of purchase and
operation by the Government. we call
| It's attention to the evidence In the
context that he meant by establish
ment " only Government assistance,
not Government ownership that is 10
siy. JEFFERSON meant plain outrageous
subsidy.
! We imagine that the Worlds as
sumption Of full responsibility for and
paternity and proprietOrship of this
. legislative measure may seem a little
tive WILLIAM GIBBS MCADoo, who was
reported yesterday as telegraphlng
| frantlcally Gin his capacity of party
leader and whip in both houses OF
/ CungreSs) TO absent Senators 10 has
ten back to Washington to save, II
possible. the life OF the Worlds ship
purchase hill. This, however, has
nothing To do with the following ques-
tion which our nelghbor directly ad-
dresses to The Sun:
What is there 80 terrifying about
such "A prospect? II the Government can
manage a navy that costs $40. 600, 900
a year, it can certainly manage a mer-
camille marine that costs $40,000.000 all
told. If 1t can build and operate a $780,
0OO. 900 canal at Panama, 1t can buy and
operate merchant ships. II 1t can own
and operate a steamship line for ten years
between New York and Panama with
admitted success, It can own and operate
other steamship lines successfully. What
is there to be afraid OFF,
Is the WOrid. in the first place, so
sure that the Government "can man
age navy that costs $140,00O,O0O q
year? We were under the impress
sion that our nelghbOr had been giving
much space and much intellectual
energy of late to proving the contrary
proposition. We have been admiring
its efforts to convince it's readers that
the Federal Government has shame
fully overtaXed the citizens for the
creation and mn ntenanCe of ships OF
war really worth only n fraction OF
the money that has been foolishly and
improvidently spent upon them.
Indeed. ii was not more than six OF
seven weeks ago that careful com
parison in The SUN of the naval ap
propriat of the United States anC
Germany, with reference TO the rela
tive efficiency of the two navies, drew
from our neighbor these approving
} remarks;
THE World has repeatedly called at
tention to the disconcerting fact tina
our naval expenditures exceed those o
/ Germany and Austria combined, ye
Admiral FIsKE has testified that +
would take FIVE years to get tn
American navy into a state OF efficiency
equal to that Of the German navy
, THE SUN has taken the trouble to com
, pile the naval appropriations of tn
, United States and Germany for the has
sixteen years. 1t finds that the tota
appropriations for the American nav!
during that time aggregate Sl,64b,
O0O,lS6. The total appropriation 70
the German navy during these siXtee
,, years was only S1,237,9l5,960 Sine
the Spanish-American war the Ameri
70 can people have spent 100000, 90
70 more on their navy than the German
p have spent and now We are told b
Y naval experts that our navy is inferio
\ In all respects to the German navy
o 1t IN plain that the America
?. people have not had a dollars worth 0
|. navy for a dollars worth of expendi
n ture."
g We have given considerable spac
p TO these remarks by our neighbor, 70