The Colorado statesman., 1922-07-15

If the country will buckle dowr
to study of the proposed shiI
! subsidy legislation for period of
four or five weeks, congress Will not
hesitate to pass II subsidy bill. Mem.
| bers Of congress who favor the leglsla.
tion agree with the spokesmen for the
administration, while senators and
representatives who are opposed to
the legislation believe that full and
free discussion throughout the coun.
try Will result in congress- refusing to
pass the administration subsidy bill
or any other subsidy bill at this time,
On one thing everybody agrees and 1t
is that nothing but good can come
from public discussion of the bill.
The decision of the administration
to let the subsidy bill rest in the house
of representatives for at least a month
while the folks back home are con-
suited means, of course, that the legts-
lators have some serious misgivings
about the advisability of rushing sub
sidy legislation through at this time.
Even If the house, after having sound
ed out public sentiment, should pass
the administration bill there would
be no assurance that the senate
would accept 1t. There will be no op-
portunlty for senators to go home in
order to sound out public sentiment;
they must stay around and deal with
the tariff and the bonus.
Must Consider II, Says President.
Congress is now fully informed as
to the Presidents desires in regard to
0 tI, ., .At
intend to use a club to get the legisla-
ton through, but he is determined, and
has SO informed the congressional
leaders, that this congress must deal
with the subject at this session. The
| President has never said and appar
emily has no thought Of saying that
he would call an extra session of
the present congress If it should fail
] to enact subsidy legislation after hav-
ing considered the subject. What he
has said and what he continues to say
| with some emphasis is that If con-
gress should adjourn without taking
up the subject he would call 1t back.
The members of the house are cud-
Ceiling their brains for the right thing
to say about subsidy when they get
DuNh SuDJtIl hCNCi
been particularly popular in the CEN
trail west and indeed outside Of the
coast states has never appealed in a
large way to voters. 1t is brought
| forward this year with some complica-
tiOns that have not accompanied it on
former appearances. 1t is impossible,
for instance, to consider it without
taking into account the pending tariff
| legislation as well as the proposed
bonus legislation. Representatives
realize that when they face their con-
stituents and attempt to convince
them that ship subsidy would be a
good thing, they will be called on to
explain why congress seems deter
mined to enact tariff legislation that
would seemingly make the mainte
nance of a large merchant marine UNI
necessary.
Representatives also realize that
their constituents are likely to ex-
press the view that If congress is to
authorize the payment of a large
bonus to the men who served in the
World war, that will be about enough
drain on the public treasury, without
reaching in for some $40,000,000 or
| S5O,O0O,OOO for the benefit of ship
owners.
Tariff May Block 1t.
1t may turn out that the tariff wall
which congress seems determined to
put up will be the greatest obstacle
in the way of ship subsidy legisla-
ton. The position of the United
States as a debtor nation was far
different from what 1t is today as a
creditor nation. Many persons say
congress in making Al tariff has not
taken this changed situation into ac
count
President Wilson in his message to
congress in December, 1919, reminded
| the legislators that anything which
would tend to prevent foreign coun
| tries from settling for our exports by
shipments of goods into this country
could only have the effect of prevent
ing them from paying for our eX-
ports and therefore of preventing the
exports from being made. The pro-
ductivity of the country, greatly stimu-
lated by the war, must find an outlet
by exports to foreign countries, and
any measures taken to prevent i'm
ports will inevitably curtail the eX-
ports, force curtailment of produc-
ton, load the banking machinery of
the country with credits to carry
unsold products, and produce indus
trial stagnation and unemployment"
There is no prospect of tariff legis-
lation being sidetracked. Sooner or
later-before the end of this session
the President will sign tariff bill,
and so the senators and representa-.
tives who are pledged to vote for
ship subsidy legislation have got to
explain to their constituents why II
| iS that thev are uniting IN n tariff