The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-22
THE LOST AMERICAN MER.
CHANT MARINE.
Senator Galllnger Arraiens the Demo.
cratic Party and Secretary McAdoo.

I lthutTS comes
TOO late. 1t has too much suggestion
OF deathbed repentance about IL,
Where was the Democratic marty
wheh the night was being made in
congress during the past ten years
ior our W steamship lines to South
america. Australasia and the Orient?
The pages OF the Congressional Record
snow the Democracy in Senate and
House aligned in almost solid. stub
born opposition. A few Courageous
Democrats did attempt to put patriot
ism above party. but most of them
were quickly cowed by the party whip
On one occasion, after a shipping bin
had passed the Senate and with
amendments which the Senate would
have c%oncurrcd in had also passed the
House 1t was fillbustered to death
In the Senate Chamber, under the lead
ership of the late Senator Carmack of
tennessee, with the enthusiastic an
proval of nearly all of his Democratic
colleagues.
But for that Democratic %fllbuster.
the sole beneficiaries of which were
the European steamship combinations
That shortly after were under investl-
cation by n Democratic House COM
mittee and prosecution by the Federal
courts, there would now be first class
American steamship services to Bra
I'll. Argentina, Chile ana Peru. and
European maritime monopoly would
have lost its power to strange the
commerce of the American people. In
the crisis OF that contest between
American interests and European in
fnFngfa % Nsn. a.. a-.. - -. .
Wilson. OF Secretary McAdoo. of the
late Senator Carmack, that gave the
victory to Europe.
The present Secretary of the Treas
ury was not al that time conspicuous
in our national public life, but he
ought not to be W of recent
Democratic history. Not only did. the
Democratic party as a whole In Con-
gress fight with true Bourbon faulty
every remedial shipping measure pro-
posed by the Republicans, but even
when h Democratic national plat
form on which President Wilson was
elected in 1912 declared for "a return
to the constitutional regulation" of
preferential duties and his policy of
the fathers OF the republic was actu-
ally embodied in the Democratic tariff
law of 1913 hat platform pledge was
broken and the legislation nullified by
Executive direction. on the command
OF Secretary MCAdoo himself, at h
first sign Of displeasure from Euro
pean Governments.
In view OF his own party's record OF
hostility out OF power and of impo-
tence in power it scarcely behooves
the present Secretary Of the Treasury
to accuse the Republicans of RESPONSE
bility for the d~eplorable weakness of
our merchant marine. We AT least
made vigorous me persistent efforts
TO save the situation, and were baiiled
in small part by the detection OF a
few middle Western men Of our own
party. but in chief part by a blind
Democratic opposition from North,
South, East and West alike.
Now the Democratic Administration,
with this black party ecord behind II.
again proposes the quack nostrum OF
Government ownership in "A desperate
effort to escape the consequences OF
its own Grass laundering. Secretary
McAdoo the other day in n letter to
q Southern commercial organization
declared hat I'VE cannot afford TO
enter upon the scandalous policy OF
Substituting private corporations and
individuals" Mr.. McAdoo expressed
n similar view some months ago in
advocating his Government ownership
scheme at the annual meeting in
Washington OF the Chamber Of Com
merce Of the United States, There
upon this great national chamber IN
stituted a referendum among the local
boards of trade and chambers OF COM
merce OF the entire country, with the
illuminating result that the boards
and chambers of h Democratic
South, Mr.. McAdoo's own section.
voted more than 50 per cent. against
Government ownership and 90 per
cent. In favor Of subsidies. Verify Is
this prophet without honor among his
own people.
A subsidy has been sought 10y Re-
p|ublicans for two purposes-hrst. to
offset foreign subsidies. as on mail
Ines: second. to offset lower foreign
wages and standards OF living. Mr..
McAdoo's own Government ownership
scheme calls for a corporation with
$50, 0O0, 900 of Federal money to buy
or charter ships and $40, 600 900
as capital To operate them. Though
Mr.. MCAdoo may not realize II, this
is "a subsidy and nothing else. The
American ships Of this Government
corporation, meeting foreign ships OPP
Grated at less cost because of foreign
subsidies or low wages, or of both
combined. will inevitably bc operated
at "A loss, which AZ the end Of the year
Will be made up out of the national
Treasury. Thus these Government
owned American ships at least will
I've subsidized in fact II not in form,
They will lie encouraged and assisted
10y the Government, while private
owned American ships will not be.
Here is arrant discrimination, scan
dalous" faVuritism. The MCAdoo bill
provides that 81 per cent, OF the stock
In this Government shipping corpora
ton shall be held 10y the United States,
"and the remainder thereof shall he
offered for public subscription Forty
nine per cent, of the value of these
Government subsidized ships may,
therefore, be owned 10y capitalists, per
haps by German American bankers vi
tally Interested in the success of the
Iamburg-AmeriCan and North German
LLOYD steamship companies, These
CAPITALISTS would he recipients of 40
per cent of any dividends that might
accrue from the operation of Govern
ment owned steamship services. In
other words, the McAdoo plan would