The Jones County news., 1922-12-05

erence TO things which nave unopened
in the past.
ihis year the friends of subsidy say
y y certain to win, lie opponents say
II j certain ta lose. Oi course nobody
knows what the end may be. but Il is
possible that ~ihe friends Of subsidy
have studied the past with lis rather
sharp lessons. and 10 spite " what
happened then may have received en-
couragemeut enough 10 give them
ground for their claims for victory.
ON the other hand IT seems likely
that The opponents OF subsidy also
have studied the past and % it have
found satisfying assurance that his
tory De- 70 repeat itself and that sub
sldy Is 70 lose.
The writer OF this has been In
Washington during several ship sub
sldy campaigns. Thirteen years ago
when President Taft's administration
WIS six months old II became known
that IN HIS December message 70 con
gress he Intended 10 ask for q sub
sldy for the American merchant ma.
rine. Al that time thls was said and
the quotation Is direct;
president Taft's open support Of a
measure which rs advocates think Will
build np our merchant marine may
have given the subsidy cause headway
enough TO carry il into the harbor u
passage"
Al The same time II was written:
There viii De maintained opposl-
tlon from the Middle West. and from
the South, TO subsidy. 10 subsidy In
ahatever form The legislation takes.
but nevertheless The feeling IN the
capital seems 10 be that the bill ls TO
go through"
Some Changes Of Sentiment
The friends ~ subsidy today say
that that opposition to subsidy from
the Middle West aud from the South
has 70 considerable extent been over
come. Opponents Of the legislation
say that while there is greater
friendllness today in the two sections
named for the legislation. there is a
grenter opposition 10 It In other sec
tions Of the country which at one time
were favorable.
President Harding has asked for
ship subsidy Legislation IN strong
words Theodore Roosevelt once asked
for IL, and then ia December, 1909
President Taft asked for II In terms
nearly as strong as those In which
The plea has been made this year,
Congress declined TO pass the sub
sldy Legislation at 'he session follow
Ing President Taft's message and at
that time congress was strongly Re
publican. II was hard for the friends
lf subsidy NJ that time to explain the
reasons for the lnnctlon Of the Repub-
lean majority IN congress. The oppo-
sitlon snid simply that the reason
here was inactlon was That the coun-i
ry did not like subsidy In whatever
'orm.
In 1910 President Taft returned to
he nttnck. He made n renewed plea
or subsidy legislation, but the plea.
sas without avail.
Wai hfHNeHtb an argument
The war came along later and the
government engaged In the ship sail
ng business for Itself. Now 1t wants
to get rid Of the business and II is
urged that II subsidy Is granted the
way 70 get rid OF 1t viii bd made enny
to travel.
What ls going to happen this year,
Of course, no one knows any better
than he knew IN 1909, 1910 and in the
years that went before. The friends
of the measure are depending largely
upon the absolute failure Of the United
States to make any money In the ship
business, TO prove their point that n
he flag IS to be restored TO the seas,
ir rather Is 10 be kept ON the seas,
'or Il already has been restored, III
must be nalled TO the mast with a
uhsdy hammer
Looking over the records OF former
attempts 10 enact subsidy legislation
/ can be said they show in a general
way that the opposing forces are con
itituted just about rs they were be-
ore.
This year the Republican minority
5 huge and Il may be that under the
recommendation of the President.
coupled with the fact that some Re-
luhucans haYe changed their views,
he legislation win pass. II should be
,orne IN mind. however, that the next
session Of congress is "A short ses-
sion and with the pressure for
prompt passage of the appropriation
bills the subsidy legislation may fail
20 get the right of way and II this
shall happen it must go over for an.
other year