The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-25
NATIONS NEED IS
 NEW PARTY, SAYS
 PRESIDENT ROSS
Head Marine League Urges Inland Waterways Party as Means to Further
 Foreign Trade

A large number of the leading men and women of Birmingham turned out last night to hear the address of P. H. w. Ross, president of the National Marine league, who arrived in the city yesterday to discuss the development of the War rior river project. The meeting was held at the Civic association headquar ters and was well attended, despite the indictment weather.
 The subject of MT. Ross talk was Keep the Flag Flying and was mainly on the development of a great national mer- chant marine, and the methods of getting this marine-by increasing the efficiency of our inland waterways.
 One of our congressman" said MT. Ross, 'once spoke of Birmingham as a republican oasis in the desert of democ- racy.' He did not necessarily imply by this statement that Birmingham was solid behind the republican ticket. He referred to the fact that this town is made up of manufacturers. You know that manufacturers are protected by the tariff laws, and are of republican origin.
 PLATFORM AND METHODS Y ''You may have wondered sometime why it is that for a considerate period we will have a democratic government, and then, at another time, republican. The reason for this is that the party whose pla9Sprm methods fit in with the needs of thA time is always chosen.
 You remember. several of you, how, several years ago, the populist party rose to heights of national magnitude, held sway for time, and then col lapsed. The populist party was organ ized by and for the benefit of the farmers of the country. They were content with the way things were running for some time, but when they began to run con- trary to their interests. they established a party which, when in control, granted them what they wanted. When they got this, they naturally lost interest in the organized faction, and it went to pieces. But not until it had served the purpose for which it had been created. So it has been with many other parties and factions.
 Never in the nations history has there been so much contention among the op- posing factions as there is at present among the two parties now in power. No sooner does a democrat introduce a resolution in the House. no matter how harmless or philanthropic it be, than the republicans immediately riddle it, and it sometimes fails of passage because the parties are equally divided. And the same thing happens when republican introduces resolution.
 NEED NEW PARTY
 What we need at this time is a new party. You can see that for yourselves, without any outside illumination. The next question that naturally rises in the mind is, What class of people is most in need of this new party?' And I say all of us who are interested in the de- velopment of inland waterways, a great CT merchant marine, and the commercial supremacy of the seas.
 "Now, our country is divided into three main systems of inland waterways, that of the Pacific slope, the east Appalachian system, and the Mississippi basin. know for fact that our nelghbors on the Mississippi are willing and eager to join force with us. We have but to say the word, and we shall be united, with sufficient power to establish party of our own, in the interests of inland waterways. We don't want to rebel against the republicans or the remocrats, we consider them as a sort of father and mother to us, and when the proposed party has served it's purpose we would merge it back into the old channels, as heretofore. That we must resort to such methods to gain our ends is apparent That is our crying need. The want of the hour.
 FOREIGN TRADE
 Before this war, of all our huge prod ucts, only>5 per cent sold to foreign countries. And why was this? Because we had no ships, and no waterways to the sea. The reason this league does not go to the big shipbuilders is for the very simple fact that the shipbuilder is merely the tool of those whose goods are to be shipped. We want to strike rock bottom and build up
 But even of this pitiful per cent of foreign shipping, nine-tenths was car ried by ships of other nationalities. Eng land, prior to the war, sold 55 per cent of her products, Germany 40 per cent. Japan, 8 per cent, France, about the same, and we sold 5 per cent. But this |5 per cent was twice as great as the shipping of any of the others, so, if we can ship the same relative percentage as these other countries are doing, the in crease of our income is apparent. It is incalculable.
 "I have already told you what we need to accomplish this, and all that is needed is cooperation and goodwill. We are bound to become, in the near future, the greatest commercial nation in the world and our efforts merely hasten the day.