Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-11-22
ADMINISTRATION MARINE
BILL SHOULD BE PASSED,
HARDING TO CONGRESS
Continued from Page one.


rush to build in establishing ship
yards wherever men would organ"
ize to expend government money
when we made ship builders over
night quite without regard to pre-
vious occupations or pursults w. w.
builded poorly often very poorly
Moreover, We constructed "ltl'ou'
any formulated program IoF a
merchant marine. The war emit
gency impelled and the cry wa wa
for ships, any kind of ships Iue
error Is recalled In regret :athef
than criticism. The point IS til9.
our fleet costing approXlmatelS
three billions, is worth only a Irac-
tion of that cost today.
Whatever that fraction may De,
the truth remains that we nave
no market in which TO sell the
ahips under our present policy, ana
a nrngram OF surrender ana sacfl-
flee and the liquidation when Is
inevitable unless the pending les.
islation is sanctioned, with eost
scores Of millions more -, ,r
When the question Is asked, why
tha inslstence cor the nerchant
,,arine net now, the answer Is ap-
narent. Waving every inspiration
which lies in q constructive pan
for maintaining our flag on the
oo,nn,ercial highways OF the seas
waving the prudence N d saieg 6an uaaS AZ
ing against another S5'Ooo'oVV,ovV
madness IL war ever again lHlpeiss
we have the unavoidable TASK "
wiping out a $50,OO0,e"o annual
loss in operation and losses agsre-
eating many hundreds OK mllIloli9
in worn out, sacrificed or scrappeu
shipping, Then the supreme nu- M
initiation, the admission that lile
TTnited States--our America once
eminent among the maritime ha,
tiors ~ the worlds Incapable OF
asserting itseN in the peace tti-
mnphs on the seas Of the word; II
n,oii1d seem to me doubly humlH--
ating when we own the ships ana
fail in the genius and capaeltS ~
+urr their prows toward the lnarts
of the world -,
Can't Ignore Problem Ia
This nroblem can not longer pe
ignored. its attempted solution can
not longer be postponed. Inc loii-
ire of congress to act declslNSiS
will be no less disastrous thah au-
verse action, H.. ,re ms
sible and the choice amohs 'i'0l''
is no longer to be aVolagu. .noct
The first is construeIlV'o,I.1L,leaih,AeII !
the pending bill under Whirn
firmly believe an American nc "a
chant marine, privately oWneu "liu III
nr.ivately operated, but serVltP e. ~
the people and always ayanocy ayallaplo "
The eoyernmens in any smersency1' -.1
nav he established anu malh'aIliUn'
The second is obstructive I'm
+irua government operations any
attending government losses "IV hV
discoIlrage private e9terpElse ~
sll,Sternnent competitiois ul,uVl
Sbich losses are met by the pupl1I
t,naer,,v and witness the continuSu
iaSsog and deterioration nnll tlle
rcloseal failure ends in sheet Ia
haustlon. -..,,.i,.o--involv-
;,g tba sacrifice of our shlps
abroad. or the scrappinb 0l Lhei"
g. home the surrender of our as
nirations and the confession OIL our
TO the world in genera,
and our humiliation @Dei2re before 'n'
world in pdrtlcutai /. in.
a choice among the thrsg IL that
eyitable. 1T is unhelleVaple ttia
the American people or the cunr
gress which expresses thelr poMgi
viii consent 10 surrender ana az
structiou. 1t is equally unpelieE-
! HE that our people and the con
gress which translates their Nisllea
into action will longer sustain
nrogram Of obstruction ana attehu-
ing losses to the treasury.
have come to urge the con
alternative. to reassert an
q roerican 1--WE will.' have come
io ASK YOU to relieve the, respoh-
sib1e administrative branch or the
from a program upon
1,hich failure and hopeie ssness anu
losses are written Lor
ovprv mage. and let us turn TO
nrogram OF assured shipping 10
serye us in war and to give guar
anty to our commercial lhdepehu-
anee in peace. ,.nt4.. T.,
know full we'll the hostility N
he popular mind to the. Wora
II is stressed by lne op-
position and associated with spec
al privilege" by those who are un.
falling advocates of government
lid whenever vast numbers are d.
,ectlv concerned. "Government
lid" would be a fairer term thah
Subsidy" In defining what we arc
seeking to do for our merchant
marine, and the interests are those
of all the people, even though tue
aid goes to the few who sef'e.
If government aid is a fair term
and | think 1t is-to Apply 10
authorization aggregating Sio'UVo,-
700 TO promote good roads for mar
ket highways it is equally tit 10 pe
applied to the establishment ana
Of American market
highways on the salted seas IL
aid is the proper det-
Inition for fifteen to forty mllllol,
expended to improve anu
maintain inland water ways III alu
Of commerce, it Is a proper oesls
nation for a needed assistance TO
establish and maintain ocean hlgh-
ways where there Is actual COM
merce to be carried.
But call it subsidy" since there
are those who prefer to appeal to
mistaken prejudice rather than
make frank and Logical arguments
we might so call the annual loss
Of fifty millions which we are pay
ing now without protest by those
who most abhor, we might as well
call that a subsidy" IL so, am
to cut in half, approXi-
mately, and to the saving thus ef-
fected there would he added mill
ions upon millions of further saw
'ngs through ending losses ON cap
.tal account--goVernment capliai