TaÌˆgliche Omaha tribuÌˆne. [volume] (Omaha, Nebr.) 1912-1926, 1917-11-01
OUR MERCHANT MARIN
viii be The Republics BulwarA
in the future.

AiAE ~ LII - $3.50 NHAAA
our ante-war statesmen neglect
ed to dot is providing a mer-
chant marine that will be one
Of this Republics most important
and valuable assets when the
war is over.
By 1919, if present plans car
ry, the people OF the United
States will own nearly one
third Of the entire overseas ton
mage Of the worldl
In round figures, the total
tonnage of the world available
for trading on the high seas
approximates 45,0U0,00O. The
l9l8-l9l9 programme of the
United States Shipping Board
and Emergency Fleet Corpora
ton provides for 14,50l, 900 dead
weight tons, or nearly one-third
Of present world tonnage.
With the passage OF the pend
ing Shipping bill, Congress will
have authorized 81, 799,000,000
to carry out this programme,
and the actual appropriations
made reach a total OF $I,085,-
100000.
Whether this great war is to
be long drawn out or will come
to a speedy end cuts only an
incidental figure in the prepare
tons now being made to give
the American people a merchant
marine large enough to meet
the new world trade problems
that will arise when the war
is over.
And this mighty fleet of
American sea-going vessels will
be built in American shipyards.
The United States Govern
ment will have plenty of ships
ready to transport its new army
to France, and to keep on sup
plying its allies with all the
munitions and other supplies
contracted for by them.
We have used these figures
solely as illustrating one phase
and one incentive for our pres
ent extraordinary activities in
building, communicating and
equipping shiDs.
The exigencies Of war make
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 wal
are only an incident.
The United States Of America
has become a world Power in
spite of the plumbers of former
statesmen who allowed its flag
to be swept from the high seas
by the operation of economic
laws.
We cannot be a 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
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 oi
the globe will be in American
ships, built in American ship.
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 a fair field in the cultiya-
49, ~ ,ro~1J r,,-trafs