New-York tribune., 1922-11-24
Harding Leaders Carry ON
Fight to Keep Flag at
Sea Through 6 Hours of
Sharp, rtisan Debate
Mills Challenges
British Argument
Bankllead TO Demand us.
Board Be Forced to OPP
rate Our Ships Direct


WASHINGTON, Nov. 23.-Lashed for
almost six hours with storm of
eratory, President Harding's ship sub
sidy bill had tonight completed the
first leg of it's voyage toward final
action by the Hoase Of Representatives.
The attacks of the opposition had ap-
rarentiy gained them nothing.
The debate was marked by several
f1are-ups in which the exchanges
ranked with bitterness for few min
utes. Supporters of Tie measure con-
fined themselves almost entirely, how
ever, to careful and deliberate dis
cussion of the intricacies of its pro-
visions, while the opponents for the
most part avoided direct discussions
and either resorted to partisanship or
fiighty references to special interests"
ship prohteers" and similar phrases.
Probably the most sensational attack
was delivered by Representative Will
liam B. Bankhead. Of Alabama, who
charged that the Standard Oil Com
pany, United States Steel and other
great corporations handling their own
transportation wound receive millions
of dollars year out of the Treasury
"for carrying their own products. He
| announced he would offer an amend
ment to the bill next week which would
provide direct government operation of
| the Shipping Board feet and abolition
Of its operating arm, the Emergency
Fleet Corporation, instead of the in
6irect operation through private COM
panies.
Majority of As Indicated
| The opponents of the bill were busy
to-day wedding out from among the
200 who voted for the rule yesterday
all whom they can count upon to vote
against the bill on the final vote. The
result Of their poll, they claimed,
shows that about half of hhe majority
disclosed by yesterdays vgts or from
45 to 80 members, will swiFg over with
contended the. dsisasn win ssjlose.
that the whole question of ITS passage
may hinge on the number of members
present when the roll is called, or it
even may narrow down so far as to
depend on whether or not the New
York and other big Eastern seaboard
delegations turn out in force. Admin
| istraton leaders had a majority of
90 on the first test vote in the House
yesterday and even cutting this in half
still would insure the bills passage by
AS votes.
Chairman William S. Greene of the
Merchant Marine Committee opened
the debate to-day on the bill
"The issue presented in this bill is
squarely one between American and
foreign nations" he declared. "There
is no middle ground, no possible COM
promise. Those who blindly oppose
this bill have confessedly no policy of
their own but one of do nothing and
drifting, which, as the experience of
sixty years has shown, is nothing but
a policy of defeat and surrender.
This bill," said Greene, ''is offered
platform pledges of the Republican
party to help upbuild the American
merchant marine. But it is offered
in no partisan spirit, because the
Democratic party also has repeatedly
pledged itself in it's national platform
to restore the American flag to the
high seas.
Tells of Foreign Hopes
"What Europe on the east and Japan
on the west dread, as their public men
| and journals have been admitting
openly, is the adoption by our national
lawmakers of the forward looking
tions of President Harding. What
these foreign interests desire is the
defeat of those recommendations and
the continuance of that same do-noth-
ing policy which in the past has given
foreign interest a monopoly in nine
tenths of our overseas carrying and
would most certainly give them a
| monopoly again"
Representative John M. Nelson, Re-
publican, of Wisconsin, precipitated a
clash with Representative Ogden Mills
and several members when he de-
clared:
when you study this bill you will
find that it is SO drawn that it provides
an assured return Of 121a per cent an
nually and over that to these shin
owners. Why, you know what the peo-
pie think of the Esch- Cummins bill
with its 5a or 6 per cent guaranty,
and that was only for time. This is
Tor ten years, an assured return of
127s per cent"
Mr.. Nelson stated that the British
Under Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, Mr.. Harmsworth, said "accord-
ing to the best available estimate, the
aid, direct and indirect, which the
United States ship owner would re-
ceive under President Harding's pro-
posai would amount each year to
rather more than 121a per cent on the
capital value of the vessel"
THE statement was attacked by Mr..
Mills, of New York, who said: ~ un-
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