The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-04-21

pRESlDHNT MARDlNG'S AMblTION
i DECLARED TO Blc THE RESTOR
ALTON or THE AMERICAN FLAG
ON THE SEVEN SEAS OF COM
MERGE.
Nv ATHERTON BkowNELL.
Editors Note.-Atherton Brownell
the author of the following article, II
q journalist and author Of wide repu
tation. who has, fer many years, mad'
a study of foreign trade ana merchah'
marine. As editor Of American indus
tries he paid special attention to tnes'
subjects.
chairman I.asker of the United
States shipping board revealed nea'
state secret, perhaps, in q recent puo'
tic address,. when he Quted PreslGen'
Harding as having said to him prior
to election, "My great ambition is g
come into history as the president N
whose administration the American
merchant marine was put back on the
seven seas"
All of Mr.. Harding's predecessors OF
recent years have cherished similar
ambition, possibly with lesser de-
gree Of earnestness. and all CT them
have failed Of the Accomplishment
zach and all Of them have hal to
meet from a large part of the country
and mostly from the inland sections
either general apathy towards the
purpose CT actual hostility to 1t; sup
Dlemented in the seaboard states by
a subtle propaganda against 1t that
has undoubtedly been inspired and
.backed by our chief maritime rivals.
For it is not gallantry on the part OF
the great foreign trading nations that
causes them to be unwilling that the
United States should &C to market
carrying her heavy exports in her own
market basket.
Every nation that aspires to COM
mating influence in the markets OF the
world, and a control of those markets
in the interests of it's cwn exporters.
has found 1t to be good national pol
icy to make the operation OF ships
under its own flags attractive to pri-
vate operators through liberal govern
ment aids in the form OF subsidies.
We alone, Of all the great trading ma
lions. with our eyes heretofore turned
tn the interior development of our re-
sources, and hitherto caring little Tor
the rest of the world. have resoluteiy
and with fixed consistency OF purpose
in our legislation of more than hair
a century, pursued course SO exact
ly the opposite that We have virtually
penalized the operation of American
ships when engaged in overseas trade.
Under a protective tariff we have pro-
tected our farms from foreign compe-
tition. Under rrohibitive laws we
have protected our coastwtse traffic
from the same. Our Great Lakes ship
ping has had the protection of natural
barriers. But when it comes to Amer
lean ships on the broad oceans. ex-
posed to the full force of competition
from the cheaper-built, cheaper-oper-
ated and subsidized foreign ships, we
have not only left them unaided but
have actually handicapped them by
burdensome and restrictive legislation.
II President Harding's ambition is
tc. be achieved 1t will be because OF
the lesson we have learned through
the World War. "If the other fellow
will carry our freights cheaper than
we can carry them for ourselves, why
not let him do it," has been a stock
argument for years against any gcv-
eminent policy towards our own ships
similar to that adopted by our sue
cessful rivals. To which the answer
really is that while this other fellow
can carry our freights cheaper than
we can de- 1t probably to ourselves, he
does not and will not do so. save
when 1t suits his pleasure to kill off
American competition through rate
war. The past year has seen great
cargoes Of American cereals gsing
aboard in ships flying foreign flags
0f nAY~ a
been lyin idle and piling up an .nor-
nous expense on all of the people.
The owners of these foreign ships
have been in a position to underbid
not only the United States shipping
boards rates but also those Of private
American operators. During the war
owing &c, conditions then existing. the
foreign owner was quick to make a
rate SO high that American products
found their way to market only with
greatest difficulty. or not at all.
The war taught us-all of us-that
1t was net cheaper at any price t.. be
dependent upon our commercial rivals
for access to the markets Of the
world. 1t taught us that 1t was not
cheaper at any price depend for oui
outlet upon the willingness or ability
necessarily ours to give US ocear
transportation. Our exports rotted CT
rusted at the piers because of the
lack Of ships. Rates that would have
been prohibstive under any other cir
cumstances were grudgingly paid b,
US because we could do nothing else
We were net independent; we were IL
a yassalage Of our own suptne crea
ton.
This vassalage.. continuing through
a full century of time. has cost oul
: people an unimaginable sum OF money
which has been paid cut Of our owl
pockets into the opchets OF others TO
doing for US what we might vel
have done for ourselves. During Thu
period we have paid te. foreign oceal
carriers for taking our goods to mar
ket q sum equivalent to more thai
seS for every minute that has elapse,
since the beginning Of the Chrietia,