New-York tribune., 1922-12-14
The National Viewpoint

lhe Ndtlonai NtS"Poii~
Each maneuver Of the farni-bloc
Senators against the shipping bill
throws into higher relief the broad
minded and patriotic stand Of Mr..
Harding in face Of those local
groups Of which every legislature Is
necessarily composed.
In their demand for further farm
credit legislation the Senator'S from
the Middle West are performing
their duty in representing their con-
stituents. Their demands are largely
fair and reasonable and for the good
Of the whole nation. They are act
ing wisely and properly. But when
they couple with their plea for aid
for their communities a denial OF
aid to another basic industry, ship
ping. they expose themselves to a
charge Of grave inconsistency and
near-sightedness.
Il is Mr.. Harding's bounden duty
urser the Constitution TO represent
II. whole United States, and he is
I'4eng up to his duty with stalwart
q rage and fairness. He himself
comes from the Middle West. He is
"A no sense an fastener. But ne
.sas seen the shipping problem in its
national aspects and he is speaking
for the whole people Of the United
States when he insists that Congress
place this legislation before the
other items upon the legislative pro-
cram. For the America Of to-day,
s'hieh cannot prosper without It's
foreign trade, a national merchant
marine, designed for and directed to
.he upbuilding Of American com
meroe, must be ranked with the most
fundamental Of all industries.
There are the soundest economic
reasons for comparing farming and
shipping. Both are basic industries.
Since the war the nation is more
alive than ever 10 the necessity Of
upbuilding a prosperous and con-
tented farming population. 1t was
equally the lessons Of the war which
convinced the nation that America
could not be either secure or efficient
in its foreign trade unless it pos
sessed a large merchant marine.
It is popular in certain quarters
10 speak Of legislation extending
governmental aid TO farmers or ship
ping lines as legislation for special
interests" The Democratic party
has long attacked the whole protec-
tive theory on this exact ground.
The Republican party has, to the
contrary, consistently supported
such fostering aid upon the theory
that 1t was the prime duty Of mod
ern nation to lend every facility to
the development Of a rounded and
correlated industry-that a nation
specializing in a few activities could
be neither independent nor great.
Upon this Republican theory the
America Of to-day is founded. As
Il happens, the two industries To-
ward which Mr.. Harding would now
direct Federal aid, farming and
shipping, are closely correlated. The
farmer needs American vessels in
which to export his grain or he can
not hope that his grain will compete
with the grain Of other nations upon
an equality. II is upon a prosper
Gus farming population, adequately
financed, that American ships must
look largely for their cargoes.
Thus, in a fair view, neither the
shipping bin nor the rural credits
law favors a special interest. Each
Is an integral part Of that national
machinery upon the functioning Of
which the welfare Of the entire ma
tion depends. Mr.. Harding fights
for the whole nation in demanding
both laws. The farm-bloc Senators
will write themselves down as legis-
lators Of a small and limited horizon
If they demand just laws for the
farmer and deny just laws for the
ships of an America.