The Washington times., 1922-11-24
UNITED. STATES
|, ASLEEP ON
! SUBSIDY
ADMIRAL FulIam Says Foreign
e. Nations, However, Are
, Wide Awake. -.
. BY REAR ADMIRAL w, +.
FULLAM, u. S. N. Retired.
Commander Of Pacific Fleet During
Y World War.


downright, 1922, by Cosmopolitan
. News Service.)
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. "a
While all foreign nations are
wide awake, battling for national
prosperity on the seas, the United
States is fast asleep or totally
indifferent to the fact that the
American flag is being driven
from the seas.
+ Instead Of encouraging the in.
yestment of capital in ships and
thus providing an American mer-
chant fleet to carry American
products to foreign countries, we
are blindly placing every possible
obstacle in the path Of this great
national accomplishment. Instead
Of hosting our flag at sea, we
are hauling it down.
Throwing Money Away.
Instead of keeping our money at
home by paying American ship own
ers to transport American goods we
are giving our money to foreign
steamship companies for them to de-
post in foreign banks and we are
surrendering the command Of the
sea.
You cannot have a fighting navy
without strong merchant marine.
Instead Of controlling freight rates
upon our own products exported we
are permitting foreigners to fix these
rates. We are inviting national
calamity instead Of promoting q ma
Gonal prosperity.
Any opposition to the ship subsidy
bill is unfair to the merchant ma
rine. Every business interest in the
United States has been and Is now
subsidized. The railroads were sub.
sidized with great land grants. The
farmer. the manufacturer. and the
laborer have been protected" in
competition with foreigners.
Why then this cry against a
small subsidy that will enable
American ships to live upon the sea
in the fierce rivalry with other coun.
tries? As a matter of fact, the
existence Of an American merchant
Industries and to men engaged in
every business and occupation.
Rivalry Big Factor.
The secret of our failure is found
In the fact that we are handling
the merchant marine as a local or
political question. without any con-
sideration of world wide competition
and rivalry on the sea. Our labor
organizations, unlike the French,
cannot see that in killing our
merchant marine they are killing
themselves by driving themselves
out of a job. In other words, we
are playing directly into the hands
of foreigners and sacrificing our
own interests.
A. Paris dispatch says: 1.-THE ship.
ping situation in France has been
greatly ameliorated through the de-
cision Of the striking seamen at
Marseilles to resume work"
The French sailors struck be-
cause the chamber Of deputies
passed a bill abolishing the eight.
hour law on ships. But these men
have now returned to work because
they realize enforcement Of the
eight-hour law would wreck the
French merchant MARINE" and thus
destroy their jobs.
French on the Job.
q, AS result of this awakening
french shipping has already taken
"a great boom; and the prosperity
and safety Of the French nation are
promoted.
I England. too. is feverishly active
lin efforts to meet her rivals on
I the sea. To prevent an increase
!, in idle ships and a further de
precision In her shipping industry
England Is moving to bring abou,