The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-28

ident Harding's address to congress today
on government aid for the american mer-
chant marine was:
Members Of congress.
When addressinT tbe CONGRESS- last No.
ceTnber. I renoTteS 70 Won me faiinra of
the executfves 10 eorrv on+ tha intant nj
certain features Of tbe merchant marine
treaties which hindered our az grant of dis.
eliminating duties on imports brought to
our shores in American ships. There was
no doubt about the high purpose of CON
gress to apply this proven practice to the
up9ulldlhg OF our merchant marine II
hau proven most ef1ectlve IN the earlier
days of American shipping: it had, at vari
GUS times, demonstrated its effectiveness
IN the upbuiiding of commercial shipping
for other nations.
The success of the earlier practice for
TINS repuohc came at time when We had
t tf , orsdties, "heh our commerce was ht-
tie deNelopeo-
Must Not Renounce Treaty"
IT'S sunersedure NV racJnrocitv in shin
ping regulations and the adoption of other
methods of upbuilding merchant marines
thru various forms of government aid and
the century of negotiation of commercial
treaties all combined to develop a situation
, which should lead to endless embarrass-
ment if we renowned our treaty.
We should not only be quite alone in
supporting a policy long since superseded
thru the growing intimacy of international
relationships, but We should invite dis
t turnnnoe u tnose coIgIat coLninerclal re-
o;n NJ ~ az tme b 70 IHe
On b+ me, uu1s
ian ~ Poftoms 50 focina H. e,d III
. incaueat 70 rG.tuJ i o. az
~ fiSd f ~ ia ~
our sbipning ,ybtcI1 consress ieoriT- in
aentdea, anu at me same tl1ne ayoia me
ehrnn,i u Ouf 'i"ue
aOIodu-
"honS on congress intent
The recommendation of today is based
wholly on this commenda6le intent of con-
gress. The proposed aid of the govern
ment to its merchant marine is to have
its chief source in the duties collected on
III Instesd of onnlviro Tho d,scri,nir.+i,
dnty TO the snecifir carpo ana Tins en-
tour,ginr on1y the inhonnd shinmant r
Gronosn fbot W hoiI oiiot III inI1ot
futios ,,-itbont discrin,inotio, o. hato1
American Md foreign boftoms and anpIV
th beretoSr ,eI,,sod anu ppls
re f,,nd f th 1arn'nt id - ~
NJ, ,terb 1nHu LII me government anu 10 our
ieiendnt lhhllne'
Strengthen All commerce.
BY such a program we shall encourage
not alone the carrying of inbound cargoes,
subject to our tariffs, but We shall
strengthen American ships in the carrying
Oh t1at greater INBOUND tonnage on which
no, uu LES are leNieg' anu more lnporIaht
unun ehese we Shaik equIp our merchant
forail1, - 4rsI measure VI our enllnence IL
| Aorelsh traue-
Tonnage Is Significant
1t is interesting TO note iii connection
with the heretofore proposed plan of dis
eliminating tariffs on imports carried to
our shores in American bottoms that the
value of all dutiable imports for 1920 in all
vessels was $1,JS5. $4,000, while the cargoes
admitted free of duty. on which no dis
Srli4lh 3Il was possible, were valued at
mo octW. .o,r,o,.o ,c,,,,,r;,,, l., -
car ro cnTrvinsr haramse tn 1utftI Iin ol
goes measured in roma numbers tnT nj
lion ton and the non-dntisbIts carG o..
were % OOO OOO IONS The Jarryor e,nitI"r
mem nv tv-o ana . bolf fines e. IN @
dutiabIe shiDments --''-- 'i--i'0' vas l" nun
Trade Must Be Reciprocal.
continued trade must be reciprocal. We
cannot long maintain sales where we do
for the facilitation of our purchases there
is not record in all history of long main
tanned eminenee in export trade. except
as the exporting nations developed their
own carrying capacity:
No story Of national nal development is more
Of devein6inp canacjtv For Ia a. tnat
of commerce. Exnandinae ciyiIizefion ~ II5,
c De soaeeu over the avenues OF exchanging
Coror,o-oa Hr,, r,o.a
commerce Means Prosress.
no matter now materlahstlc 1t may
! sound nations nave developed Tor them
selves and have influenced the world al
commerce. We need not refer to the
armed conflicts which have been incident
thereto When commerce has been de-
stroyed fading. glorles have attended.
1t will avail nothing to attempt even
the briefest resume of our own efforts to
re-estabIish that American importance in
commerce carrying on the high seas which
was recorded In the earlier days of the
iepupllc.
Wrong Meaning Given Subsidy"
EFT The aspiratiops is nationwide The CON
thought heretofore has defeated ali efforts
to employ the governmental aid which
other nations found advantageous while
we held aloof and the terms subsidy
and "subvention'' were made more or less
hateful to the American public
But the nation-wide. desire to restore
our merchant marine has outlived all de-
feats and every cosaIv failure Eight
years ago the aspiration found expression
in move to have the government sponsor
| an enterprise in which Individual genius
seemingly had tailed. It would be dlff1-
cult correctly to appralse the poIlcy, ne
cause the world war put an END TO all
normal actiVltles-
Activity Was Feverish.
Refora NO wore involved our shiDvaris
-