The evening leader., 1918-08-20

l
structive suggestions, will always
have great interest for me.
1t may be helpful to you, in watch
| ing the news and commenting upon it,
to understand the general policy
which we are now endeavoring to
work out in connection with our mer-
chant marine.
Former neglect of American ship
ping was due to indifference and lack
| of information. on the subject by the
average American. If we are going
| to keep the flag flying over the worlds
ftrade routes, we must put ships and
the sea back into the daily thought of
every American, as they were in the
days of the Yankee clipper ship. Our
new merchant marine is to be vastly
bigger, and the interest must be cor
Irespondingly greater When "Old
Glory" flew ovc-- the Yankee clipper,
we were a ST beard nation, with no
igreat inland I'd strial centers, and
|
the west was wilderness. Today,
these new ships carry even greater
possibilities for inland states and in
dustries than for those on our coasts.
Ships are as important to the Kansas
grain former, the Iowa hog raiser, the
Wisconsin dairyman and the Arkan-
sas apple grower as to the New Eng
land cotton manufacturer or the Pa
Iclfic coast lumberman. They will not
only carry our goods to foreign Gus
toners, but will bring back raw ma
terlals for our industries, and COM
modltles for the consumer. We shall
have not only freight ships, but pass
enger liners, to bring customers from
other countries to our markets and
even more important, in my opinion
carry alert Americans sightseeing
and Understanding in other lands.
The sea will once more call American
youth, for we shall need thousands of
navigators and hundreds of thousands
|
Of. seamen.
| think it especially important to put
once more the sea into the imagina-
ton of the American boy. Our litera-
tllre is rich in the sea adventure Of
! yesterday. Many an American boy
would go to sea if he knew that there
are new opportunities. Our new mer-
Is chant marine affords those opportuni-
/ ties.
Our navy has, for generation. been
la thoroughly national institution,
drawing many of its officers and sail
ors from inland states. Our fresh
water sailors on the Great Lakes are
second to none in ability, and the
Great Lakes merchant marine, like
American railroads, surpass those of
other nations in efficiency and reason
able carrying rates.
! want to see our new merchant ma
rlne occupying the same place in ma
tlonai thought and the every dav af
fairs of all Americans that our navv
now occupies. want the whole Am
ercan people to think about it as oft
en-, and with the same pride. No
amount of money or tonnage will
maintain a mercantile marine unless
we can back it with American public
opinion.
| am a business man, and so this
looks to me like strait selling pro
position. 1t is not enough to build
and operate a big merchant marine.
We have got to SELL it to the great
American public and particularly the
farmer and workmen, who make up
the backbone of this country, and the
boys who must again be brought un-
der the spell of the sea. Selling is
nothing more than making people see
what your goods cando for them, so
our merchant fleet must be brought
home to Americans everywhere in
term of direct benefit.
Now, you gentlemen direct the pub
lie opinion. of this country Out of
the mass of news which comes to you
daily-local, national and International
you discern the dominant issues, hear
your readers silent question, marshal
the vital facts, and present them in
ways that tell people what they want
to know, and give them the material
for opinion and action.
| believe it viii be helpful to you in
your work to understand what we are
trying to accomplish here through in
telligent public opinion, and that if
you can see the possibilities in our
merchant marine for service, both to
this and other nations as we see them
here, it will aid you in rendering SER
vice to your public. For this reason.
| have ventured to write you,and If
there is any way in which may be
helpful to YOU. it will ba dac;dad