Evening star., 1919-04-22

last Congress-. addressing a victory
loan mass meeting under the auspices
of the United States Shipping Board
in the National Theater yesterday aft
ernoon- "All we have done in the
past will fade out of sight and mem
ory if We let this loan fail" he said.
1T would be q disgrace. and it would
lower US in the estimation of the
world. 1t is the plain duty of the
American people to take these victory
notes. The American people will take
them, for the American people always
do their duty"
The theater was crowded with ship
ping board workers and citizens of
Washington, who gave Mr.. Clark an
Stevens of the shipping board pre-
sided and introduced Me- Clark. The
Marine Band. under the leadership of
Lieut. Santelmann. played patriotic
airs, in which the entire audience
joined vocally. under the direction of
Peter W. Dykema Of the War Camp
Community Service.
Mr.. Clark's Appeal.
at ought not be necessary to have
to call on single speaker to make
addresses for this loan." said Mr..
Clark
He told of the work of the war Con-
gress and took a shot at the people
who below around that Congress is
slow
Not a man in the House who didn't
do his whole duty according to his
lights" continued the Speaker Some
were dim and flishty. but they did
their best A stranger sitting in the
House gallery couldn't have told
which was the democratic side and
which the republican-ail did their
duty.
Il thank God that the American
boys are coming back from France. l
started the row in the House to bring
them back"
Mr.. Clark said the money from the
loan was needed to bring them back.
He said it was needed. too, to help
construct the rest of the big merchant
marine program which has been laid
out by the government and pointed
to the need of such a merchant ma
rine- He said. too. that he was strong
~ IN favor of doing something for the
American soldiers and sailors after
they got back from the war area. and
declared his support of the Lane bill.
winch would appropriate 100000, 900
70 AID IN putting the men on farms
logged overlands of today. He said
ne had always been in favor of a
policy of reclaiming these lands.
Actions speak louder than words"
saio tne veteran Speaker, in conclu-
SION, and when l get through with
this speech 1 am going to buy $4,000
worth of these bonds. though 1 have
to borrow the money to pay for them"
Speaks for Merchant Marine.
Mr. Stevens, before he presented
Mr.. Clark, told the audience how
necessary it was that the merchant
marine program now under way
should be completed.
Every great war, he said, "1eaves
behind it problems that are more
dimcult to settle than winning the
war itself. This is true of this war.
These problems sometimes require
large sums of money in their solu-
tion. The net loss to the tonnage of
the world during the war is 5,000 900
deadweight tons. The world, also.
has been deprived of the normal in
crease in tonnage during the war,
which would have amounted. to TO-
100000 deadwefght tons. This means
that the world is 15,009,OOa dead
weight tons short of>the shipping re-
quired to serve the ends of the world.
We have 4,000,a0G tons which the
shipping board has constructed and
placed in service. and we have S,0e0,-
0oe tons on the ways 1t will require
about $1,5oe.000,000 to complete these
vessels"