Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1922-11-02
SENATOR
CHAMBERLAIN Sees
NEED j. S. MARINE
Says, Though a Democrat, op-
position by His Parry to Ship
Subsidy Sill Is Wrong Atti-
tude; America Needs Own
Ships.

Washington, Oct. 29-(Special Cor
respondence-'1 am a democrat, but
by thorough study OF this subject has
convinced me that my party is wrong
in is opposition to shipping sub.
sidy," exclaimed former Senator Geo.
K. Chamberlain, Of Oregon, in an ad-
dress before the City Club of Washing
ton few days ago. And he support
ed his views by convincing array of
facts and arguments that show the
soundness of the republican attitude.
That the most important reason for
the building and maintenance Of an
American merchant marine is related
to the national defense, was the first
assertion of the speaker. He recalled
the fact that during the Spanish Amer
can war we were dependent upon for
eign transports for the carrying OF our
men and supplies across the Pacific,
and also asserted that when President
Roosevelt sent the American. fleet
around the world, the batheships
could not have gone even as far as
Honolulu without the aid of ccll!ers
and supply ships operated under for
egn flags and employed by the Unit
ed States government. IL those auXil-
aries had deserted the fleet abroad, 1t
could not have returned home. At the
beginning Of our participation In the
war in Europe, we were dependent
upon foreign ships or commandeered
foreign ships for transportation OF our
men and supplies.
Discussing the subject from the
standpoint of finances Senator
Chamberlain said that in the last 100
years we have expended only a billion
dollars on the improvement Of rivers
and harbors rs aids to our commerce
while in the same time we have paid
foreign ships twenty eight billion dol
lars to carry our foreign commerce
yet there are some people who vii
condemn congress for extravaganza IL
river and harbor appropriations" Hi
exposure of the greater expenditures
'iof American money for the suppor
lof foreign ships was greeted will
hearty applause.
AS another means Of illustrating thu
unsoundness OF employing foreigI
ships to carry our goods, he said tina
in the past seven years we have pal,
out $S, 900 900, 900 for the carrying o
our foreign commerce. sum nearly
equal to the debts foreign countrie:
owe US.
Senator Chamberlain expressed thu
kindliest feeling toward the British
people and said that the test of bloot
relationship ought to make impossible
any war between them and the peo
pie of the United States, but this II
no reason why we should hesitate t.
adopt plans that will insure the carry
ing Of the major portion Of American
commerce in American ships. I'VE dt
mot aspire to carry the major portion
of the commerce Of the world. We dt
not envy Great Britain her predomin
ance in world commerce. But We
should aspire to carry major por
ton of that part Of world commerce
that flows in and out of our owl
ports" That we are in no danger ol
approaching Great Britain's position
in world commerce he indicated BY
saying that our effective merchant
ships have a carrying capaciy only
about 20 per cent of that of the ships
that sail under the British flag.
Statistics were presented showing
the lower cost Of operating ships und
Ter German, Japanese and other for
eign flags, and the assertion was
made that unless the United States Is
willing to retire entirely from the
seas and leave the carrying OF heI
goods to her competitors, this coun
try must either go down 20 the foreign
standard of wages and living or must
adopt the policy of aiding our shipping
by some sort of subsidy. He insisted
that the policy of protection which
has been applied to our industries
agriculture, manufacturing, etc, must
also be extended to the merchant ma
rine, which he asserted is one Of the
most important Of all.
|