The Colorado statesman., 1922-05-06
SHIP SUBSIDY IS
URGENTLY PUSHED
BILLS CHANCES INCREASED BY
EFFORTS OF THE "LiTTLE
NAVY" MEN IN CONGRESS.
NAVAL MEN WANT 1T PASSED
Merchant Vessels Would Be Most
Useful in Event Of War-President
Harding and Lasker Working Hard
for the Measure.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

WdSnlnStOn.-lf congress III lis WiS-
dom, or more likely unwisdom, shall
cut the United States navy way below
the strength allowed to it by the inter-
national conference, the chances for
success of the merchant marine sub
sidy bill are increased. The merchant
ships are good for something besides
the carrying trade. They can be used
for certain purposes in time of war.
If Warren G. Harding and Albert D.
Lasker can have their way, and they
are working hard to get 1t, the ship
subsidy bill will be passed ut the pres
ent session of congress. Mr.. Lasker
has been propagandizing In behalf OF
the measure, and so has President
Harding. "Propagandizing" in this
case is an affair of the heart and. as
such, probably can be considered with
In the proprietles.
A good many years of watching
things from the galleries of congress
and of hearing things in the corridors
of congress confessedly make one
skeptical of the success at the present
session of the effort of the Marion man
and the Chicago man, but there seems
to be something more than an even
chance that subsidy for the shipping
interests will be provided by the con-
gress of the United States which now
is sitting. Next winter is not far Off,
as time is counted.
OF course limitation Is set upon
the building of merchant ships with
view to converting them into war
iC
prevent the merchant fleet when war
breaks out from becoming an auxiliary
of such warships as there may be
afloat. They are Indispensable for the
purpose of transporting troops, for
the carrying of shot, shell and high ex-
plosives and other material of war
fare
Navy Men for the Subsidy.
1t is apparent from what navy men
say that they will rejoice If the ship
subsidy bill shall become law of the
land. They never can look with
equanimity upon the depletion of the
crews of the warships and on the pass
ing of the major men of war, but they
can look on it more placidly If they
the country's carriers of peace-time
products can be used to help out such
a navy as Uncle Sam may have.
The United States, in a way, has
tried to run its own merchant marine
Everybody knows what a mess has
been made of things. Congress is be-
ing told that if subsidy is not grant
ed there will be no merchant marine
at all worthy the name, unless actual
government ownership comes into op-
eration-and this neither the admins
tration nor congress wants to have
come to pass.
There has been some little surprise
In Washington because of the seeming
ly intense interest which the President
has taken and is taking in the subsidy
proposal. Originally he belonged to
the school of politicians and econo-
mists which did not believe in subsi-
dies of any kind, although personally
he may have held something of the
views which he holds today.
Why Harding Wants It.
The fact is that the President at
this time believes that if the country
does not grant n subsidy we will have
no merchant marine worthy of the
name; that 1t will be impossible to
open new markets and that other coun-
tries which are not hampered by laws
regulating the kind of crews that they
shall employ, the kind of quarters that
they give them and some other things,
will continue to have the cream of the
trade.
1t would be interesting today If one
could determine definitely just how
much progress has been made in con-
yerting individual Middle Westerners
and Southerners to the cause of the
proposed legislation. Naturally men
whose cities and states will profit di-
rectly and, so to speak, visually, by
subsidy are in favor of the measure,
but there are others from the South
and from the Middle West who still
seem to hold that subsidy legislation