The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1922-02-28
Text of Harding's
Message to Congress
On Merchant Marine

tfAiINth lNffAN liat NNts
be traced over the % eve
changing cutgocs. No matter how
m~ateriutis'lc 10 may sound. nations
have developed for thcmsclVcs and
have influenced the world almos,
precisely us they have promoted
their commerce.. We need In refer
SO ne armed conflicts which have
been incident thereto when CONF
ntercc has been destroyed. fadinr
glorics have attended.
o. will avail nothing to attempt
even the hricfcst OF our
own efforts 10 rc-establlsh that
American Importance in commerce
carrying ON ihc high seas which
WIS recorded ~ the earlier days
Of the republic. The aspiration ia
Nationwide The conflict between
two schools OF political thought
heretofore has defeated all efforts
to employ the governmental aid
which other nations found advan-
taEcous while We held aloof and
the terms subsidy and "suGvou-
flou' were made more or less hate
ful Co The American public. Buf
tho nationwide doslre Co restore
our merchant marine has outlivcd
an defeats and every costly fail
urc.
Built ExtraNngantly.
Eight yeurs ngo the aspiration
found expression On "a movement
90 have the government sponsor
ON enterprise in which Individual
genius seemingly had failed Il
would Doe difficult correctly 10 ap-
praise the policy because tho
world war put an end to all nor
NAL activities before we wore in
VOWED There wns tho call Tor
ships and ships. and yet more
-hlua. and We enlarged old yards
and established new ones without
counting fho cost We lulldcd
madly cNtruvnEautiy imurIc-
ucnlly and yet mirarulously. but
we met "a pressing need and per
formed n great service.
\ people indifferent tn the vital
l necessity Of 90 merchant marine fu
the national defense uugrudgInrIF
expended 10 five times the co-t OF
normal construction and npuro-
priatod billions whore millions had
been denied before We acquired
vast tonnage. some Of IL. much OF
lt o. suited 20 thv peace service
pf expanded commerce some of
h. much Of %. may be charged f0
the error and cNtrnvagauces OF
wartime anxiety and haste. The
wur program md that completion
uf contracts which followed gave
us something more than i- 900 900
gross tonnage. not counting tnf
folly uf "a, wood construction ul
"a total outlay % Approximately
three and unc-half billions OF dol
lars
We became possessed Of the ves.
. ..HM I'd ID sHWnnH HmAmmN.uHF HWH.wHrN
n0f nli OF % practical FOR use DO
the tranS-occanic trades: little oi
10 w1= built Tor the speed which
gives the coveted class 20 out,
standing service. But here wa
vast tonnage for cargo service. and
the government. In the eNceptiona
call Of commerce which immc.
diatcly followed the war. sought
the establishment OF shipping ilnc'
IN cvcry direction calculated Ia en-
nance our foreign trade and fur.
Their cement "a friendly relations
The movement lacked In mos
cases that inherent essential 3,
success which b. found in indivld'
ual Initiative. II was rather q
government experiment. where
lines were established in high hop'
and little assurance. because th'
public treasury "a 10 bear the
turden. I forhedr tho detalie.
recital The m-isaGycuture was sd
unfortunate that whom the pres
en- administration came into re-
sponsihility tho losses yer ap
proNimutely $4,000 0O0 q month
and 60 tho cost Of failure was add
ed the humiliation OF ships uhel,.
.n foreign ports
In spite Of an the later losags
operation. however, II De- quite boz.
yuud question that "A uhund4u.