Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-12-29
SENATORS SEE
DOOM OF BIG
BUSINESS BONUS

IL International labor News Service.
Washington. D. {. Dec. ss-rhe
eenstitutionslity Of TIE ship subsidy
bill before the [. $ Senate vii BE
attacked on the floor Of the Senate
shortly in a manner that viii make
short shift Of the elaborate prepara-
ions made BY the proponents Of the
measure to put il over.
The basis for the attack is the fol-
lowing provision Of the L. 5. Con
stitation: NE preference shall BE-
given by any regulation of commerce
OF revenue TO the ports Of one State
over those OF another"
One Of the striking features Of the
ship subsidy bill is the great number
Of provisions fer preference 10 ports
Of one State over those OF another By
regulations Of commerce or revenue
A greater evil. considering the
spirit OF. the Constitution, is the fact
that Congress by this bill would dele
gate TO the I. :. Shipping Board the
power to make almost any disefim-
inatlons It chose in favor OF enc port
against another.
The bill as Illustrated by the fol-
lowing clause. admits that diScrimina-
tons will result and purposes to
remedy the evil by empowering the
L. 5. Shipping Board to establish new
preferences:
Whenever the Board and the Com
mission are both of opinion. and
certify that putting into effect or
keeping in effect the provisions of
this section will result in unjust dis
elimination between ports of the
United States on commerce accas-
toned to move through such ports,
or in materially changing the chan
nels of transportation within the
United States, or in unduly eongest-
ing one of more of the ports of the
United States, the Commission shall,
by order, suspend the operation Of
said provisions until such time as IL
and the Board reach contrary eon-
clusion in the premises, whefeupon
such Suspension shall, by order, be
terminated by the commission upon
30 days notice as hereinbefore pro
vided for the termination of other
suspensions"
Citizens of certain ports in the
United States that are likely to be
Disseminated against in the admin
istration Of the subsidy bill are call
ing the attention of their Senators TO
the unconstitutional provisions of the
measure They assert that il is un,
constitutional from the standpoint of
the commerce clause because the L.
$. Shipping Board is given power to
route from one port and not 10 ships
sailing the same route from another
port. They also assert that the
measure is unconstitutional from the
standpoint of the revenue clause for
two reasons; first, because Of the in
come tax exemption, and second, be-
cause Of the 10 per cent reduction of
duties on oargoes allowed to vessels
operating from ports favored by the
u. S. Shipping Board.
No prudent business man woatd y
risk making a subsidy contract
with the U. $. Shipping Board
knowing that suit to annul the
Subsidy was inevitable.
"What is the Constitution among
friends 2" has long been maxim of
big business. Somebody has made
the mistake of taking that liter . 'ly.
Many acts passed by Congress would
probably be declared unconstitutional
If referred to the U. S. Supreme
court. Nobody bothers to raise the
issue in many instances. For in
stance, nobody has yet had nerve to
question the constitutionality of the
Mann White Slave law although law
yers will admit readily that a good
case could be built up attacking il.
Not so with the Ship Subsidy bill.
The question will arise. That is not
the point, however. 1t will be inter
esting to know how many senators
will ignore the constitution in their
desire TO sreve proponents of the
Ship Subsidy bill.
If--and this is pertinent question
members of the House and eSnate
have waited until this late day with
out raising such an obvious question
about the constitutionality of the
measure, how many of them under
stand even a little of the ramifica-
tions of the thousand and one other
curious provisions of the bill?
oil. TRUST GRAB IN