The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-03-03

barraSSment o. our trade relationship
abroad.
The recommendation OF today is
based wholly on this commendable
intent OF congress. The proposa I'd
aid of the government TO its merchant
marine is 10 have its chief source in
the duties collected on imports.
Instead OF applying the discrimina
ting duty 10 the SPECIFIC cargo, and
thus encouraging only the inbound
shipment, | propose that We shall
collect all import duties without dis
elimination as between American and
foreign bottoms, and apply the here
tofore proposed reduction to create q
fund for the governments aid to our
merchant marine. BY such a pro
gram we shall encourage not alone the
carrying of inbound cargoeS subject to
our tariffs but We shall strengthen
American ships in the carrying OF
that greater inbound tonnage on
which no duties are levied and, more
important than these. we shall equip
our merchant marine to serve out
bound commerce, which is the mea
sure of our eminance in foreign trade.
raoc must be HeCtproCaI
Continued trade must DE reciprocal
We cannot long maintain sales where
We do not buy. In the promotion of
these exchanges We should have as
much concern for the promotion OF
sales as for the fertilization of our
purchases. There is not record in
all history Of long maintained emf
hence in export trade, except as the
exporting nations developed their
own carrying capacity.
No story of national development
is more fascinating or so full of ro
nance as that OF developing capacity
for the exchanges OF commerce. Elk
banding civilization may be traced
over the venues of exchanging car
goes No matter how materialistic
il may sound nations have developed
for themselves and have Influenced
the world almost precisely as they
have promoted their commerce. We
need not refer TO the armed conflicts
which have been incident thereto.
When commerce has been destroyed
fading glorieS have attended.
The Aspiration Nation Wide
1t will avail nothing TO attempt CIV
en- the briefest resume OF our own eff
forts 10 reestabliSh that American
import auce in commerce carrying on
the high seas which was recorded in
the carrier days of the republic, Inc
aspiration is nation wide
Eighty years ago the aspiration
found expression in movement to
have the government sponsor an en-
terprise in which individual genius
seemingly had tailed. 1t would be
diticuit correctly TO appraise the pol
iCy. because the world war put an
end to all normal activities, before
we were involved. Our shipyardS
were turned to feverish and costly
activities by the call of the allied
powers for shipping without which
they could not hope to survive
\ people Indifferent to the vital
necessity of a merchant marine to
the national defense. ungrudgingly ex
pended at five times the cost of nor
nal construction and appropriated
billions where millions had been
denied before. We acquired vast
tonnage.
The war program and that compile
ton OF contracts which followed gave
Us something more than $4,000 900
gross tonnage. not counting the
folly of the wood construction at a
total outlay OF approximately three
and one half billions of dollars
Second Largest r ornage.
But We have our ships. the second
largest tonnage In the world, and We
have the aspiration, aye, let me say,
the determination to establish a mer-
chant marine commensurate with our
commercial Importance. Our problem
IS TO turn the ships and our expert
ence and aspirations INTO the effective
development of an ocean going ship
ping service without which there can
be no assurance of maintained COM
mercial eminence.
Nobody pretends any longer that
shipping is matter of concern only
to the ports involved. Commerce on
the seas is quite as vital to the great
interior as it is to our coast terri
tory east, south or west. Shipping is
no more a sectional interest than is
agriculture or manufacturing. No one
of them can be proSpered alone.
We have had a new manifestation
of this broadened vision in the en-
thusiasm of the great middlewest for
the proposed Great Lakes st. Law
renee waterway. by which it is intend
ed to connect the Great Lakes ports
with the parts Of the world. There is
far seeing vision in the proposal. and
this great and commendable enter
prise, deserving our favorable consid-
Grafton is inseparable from q great
merchant marine
Direct and Indirect Aid.
What, then, is our problem. / bring
TO you tine suggestions which have re-
suited from a comprehensive study
which are recommended to me by
every member of the United States
| shipping board. 1t is program of
direct and indirect aid to shipping to
be conducted by private enterprise
: 1t is proposed to apply generally the
| benefits which it was designed to de-
rive from discriminating duties to all
ships engaged in foreign commerce,
with such limitation on remuneration
as will challenge every charge of pro-
noting special interests at public cost
In lieu of discriminating duties on
imports brought to use in American
bottoms ii is proposed to take 10 per
cent of all duties collected on imports
l. brought to us in American or foreign
| bottoms, and create therefrom mer-
chant marine fund.
! Referred To Waterway Project
The president touched upon water
way project in the course of his dis
cussion of an awakened interest in
water transportation, declaring at
that point.
I'VE have had a new manifestation
! OF this broadened vision in the en-
thusiasm OF the great middlewest for
the proposed Great Lakes st Law
renee waterway by which 1t is in