The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-21

OI VlCdlIy COuTS1lS tuIoO6A IH1t Oo- taiblishment or body and maintaining it's dynamic energies.
 ''Now, the questions before us are these: At what stage of it's develop ment had Bridgeport arrived?' Does it need more protection in the matter of selling its manufactured products or still further protection in the art of making them?'
 "If your experience is the same as that of the greatest industrial corpor- alton in the world, to wit: The United States Steel Corporation, you will conclude that the selling end of your industry needs more protection than the making end. The highly distin- guished gentleman who is now tho president of the United States Steel Corporation was elected to that po- sition not because he excelled in the art of making steel but because he was the most skilful man in the art of selling steel products. It is almost a platitude to say: As goes the steel industry so go all industries.'
 'T need not remind you how aibso- lutely necessary an American mer- chant marine is to the continuance of the 'country's industrial prosperity You know perfectly we'll that if 8 manufacturing plant can in six months produce as much as 1t can sell in 12 months, it's sales must be doqIbled in order to maintain the property ass an asset; otherwise 1t rapidly becomes liability.
 ''In the disposition of our products, it is very evident that the most inn portant consideration is the control of the ocean transportation of those pro- ducts. We must remember that ex- cepting what we sell to Mexico and Canada, everything sold out of the United States must go in a ship.
 At the present time, we can, and are. making good ships cheaper than they can be made abroad, as Is proven by the fact that about 40 per cent. of the high seas tonnage now being con- structed in American yards is for for, eign account Therefore, from now on there is never likely to be any very serious difference between the cost of construction of ocean going vessels in American shipyards and European shipyards- In fact, the probabilities are that in the course of time we shall make steel ships cheaper here than they can be made abroad. Standard lLlu4S dIl0 CuC21D SIOSl SlLCCI ulTSCl0S.
 The one great thing that stares us in the face is the absolute certainty that unless theer is great change of public opinion throughout the middle west. the cost of running and main- taining sips under the American flag will be so very much greater than un- der foreign flags that American ships will again disappear as it did SO years ago.
 ''The other day, gentleman un- dertook to say that legislation had nothing to do with business in Amer
 ica and That 1t all depended upon the law of demand and supply and upon the intelligence and efficiency of those who were engaged in the business. Here again is another instance of a two-thirds truth. which, however, works as falsehood because the gen. tlemen did not take into considera- ton all of the factors that make up the question. He did not have the l engineers eye.' As a matter of fact.
 look at the liquor business and tell me if legislation had anything to do with the profitable transaction of that particular business. Of course. it goes without saying, that no matter how great the law of demand and ! supply might be. nor how great the energy and intelligence of one who might engage in that business. leets- l ation, in most of the states of the 1 Union, has created conditions which l make it unprohtable for American | citizens to engage in that particular l line of business.
 l Now this is exactly the case with 1 the shipping business. Certain con- ditions are necessary to make 1t
 pleasant and profitable for American citizens to engage in the overseas
 shipping business Those conditions
 are very largely affected by wise or foolish legislation, as the case, may be. There is no possible argument on
 that point.
 ''Very well, we como to the next
 step. From whom are you going to
 obtain wise legislation on maritime
 affairs7 Are you going to get it from
 the people who live in Brigeport. or
 Boston. or New York7 Why. gentle.
 men. your political potentially is g
 joke. 1t doesn't matter how rich you
 are, or how intelligent, you haven't got the voting strength. You know
 perfectly well that if you wished to
 control the business of corporation you must have b1 per cent, of the
 voting strength thereof, It is the
 same thing in politics, Now. 51 per
 cent, of the voting strength in Con.
 gross is held by the representatives
 of American citizens living in the Mississippi basin. It is entirely in
 their power te give us wise or foolish
 legislation on this important subject. 1 New, are you going te get their help 2
 De you think that delegations from New York city, OF Bridgeport or San
 Francisco CT Boston are going te have