Der Sonntagsbote und der Seebote. (Milwaukee, Wis.) 1912-1922, 1917-10-28

even the most carefully drawn
figures unreliable, and even
stupendous war appropriations
sometimes prove but the vesti-
bule of other and still larger
drains on the national treasury.
Yet the outstanding fact is
that the United States Govern
ment's new policy of building
up a vast merchant marine is
a policy that has come to stay
for economic reasons in which
the present eXigencies of war
are only an incident.
The United States Of America
has become a world Power in
spite of the blunders of former
statesmen who allowed its flag
to be swept from the high seas
by the operation of economic
laws.
We cannot be really great
nation, either economically or
politically, without taking into
account that we are one of a
family of nations, and that our
place as a world Power is to be
regulated and established by
ourselves with high and human
itarian regard for the rights Of
others.
When this great war is over
the freedom of the seas will be
established, and all the chief
ports of the world will be an
open market place.
The "open door," that we
fought for in the case of weak
nations like China, will be the
universal rule for all nations,
weak or strong, subject only to
such internal policies of tariff
protection as local exigencies
may render desirable.
Americas merchant marine
policy is coming at an opportune
time to solve for the American
people the problems of distribu-
ton in as intelligent a way as
they have learned to solve Tor
themselves the problems of
production.
The distribution of American
products to the four quarters of
the globe will be in American
ships, built in American ship
yards.
1t means that when the last
war cloud is blown away the
products OF American factories
and the organized genius Of
American brains and capital will
have fair field iii the cultiva-
ton of world markets.
AS we have said. this transi-
ton from no merchant marine
at all to the possession of one of
the greatest owned by any world
Power will have taken place
within comparatively few
years, and with a speed and
thoroughness possible only in
the United States.
President Wilson showed wis
dom and prescience in placing
at the head of our new National
Shipping Board a phenomenon
of efficiency and strength like
Edward N. Hurley.
This nation has the resources
that have long been unharness-
ed, but are now being swiftly
and smoothly modified.
The shipping programme is
like an awakened Titan, stretch
ing his limbs in preparation for
world conquest.
And this shipping programme
means that there will be new
shipbuilding plants ali over the
United States coast lines, and
on the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes shipbuilding
industry will come into its own
at last. In this great interior
centre Of production and distri-
button, where raw materials and
labor are most easily available,
the work of turning out new
ships for Americas merchant
marine will once more show the
intrinsic value OF interior water
ways.
We may well go further and
say that the mobilization Of
present and future shipbuilding
industries in the Great Lakes
region will compel the Govern
ment at once to take aggressive
steps toward the development
Of interior waterways.
There are no obstacles, en-
gineering or otherwise, to the
development Of waterways be-
tween Chicago and New Or
leans, and between Buffalo and
Atlantic tidewater, that will al
low ocean-going vessels to be
built on the Great Lakes. Some
day such ocean-going vessels
will be loaded ard discharged
at Chicago and other lake ports.
Then viii the Panama Canal,
built with American money, re-
pay It's builders thousand
times and prove an economic