The Lake County times., 1922-11-21
DEALS WITH
PRESSING
PROBLEMS
Says That Never Was Need
of Decisive Action So
Evident Before
BY GEORGE r. HOLMES
IsTAFF CORRESPONDENT I. N. SERVICE

lSiAfr CORRESPONDENT !. N. SERVICE1
WASHINGTON. Nov. 21.-Frankly
recognizing at the outset the for
midable opposition to the admins
tration's ship program. President
Harding went IN person before a
Joint session OF congress this after
| noon and sought, by the sheer force
OF business logic and patriotic ap-
peal to impress upon the nations
lawmakers the urgent need for en-
acting the ng-Lasker ship sub
sidy bin without further delay.
The presi1en induIged in very
little rhetorical flag waving" al
though he did say IT was the patri-
otic duty Of congress to provide d
strong American merchant marine.
and he observed also that foreign
nations are In complete accord with
the opposition here 10 the pending
bill"
But for the most part. President
Harding laid before congress a cold
dollars-and-cents argument
He told the congress that tho
American feet OF ships is now cost
ing the taxpayers OF the country
$50. 600 900 q year ana the ships are
rotting at ,heir wharves. SO that
ultimately the great fleet built 1t
such enormous cost during the war
Will represent a total loss
The subsidy provisions OF the new
bill. he declared. will reduce this an
nual expenditure by half, in other
words. save S25.ooo.0 900. and instead
OF the ships rotting an anchor they
will be carrying American commerce
to tho four parts Of the earth. ulti-
mately becoming altogether self
supporting. and finally provide the
nation with = strong. capable mer-
chant marins-the dream OF years
IT am not asking your authorira-
ton of a new and added draw upon
tho treasury" said tho president Z
am appealing for program to o.
uinish the burden we are already
bearing.
when your executive government
knows Of public expsendieures aggre-
eating sBe, 900. 900 annually. which
Il believes could be reduced By half
through q change OF policy. your
public trust If such change were
not commended. nay. IL it were not
insistently 'irged."
when the question In ASKED why
the insistence for the merchant
marine act nowf The answer is ap-
parent. waving every inspiration
which lies in q constructive plan
for maintaining our flag On the
commercial highways OF the seas
waving the prudence in safeguard
ing against another $4,000. 100000
madness II war ever again impels.
we have the unavoidable task OF
wipinx out sBo.ooo.ooo annual
loss In operation, and losses aggre-
eating many hundreds of millions
in worn out. sacrificed. or scrapped
shipping. Then the supreme humil-
itation. the admission that the
United states-our America. once
eminent among the maritime ma
tions OF tho world is incapable OF
asserting itself IN the peace tri-
umphs on the seas OF the world
This problem cannot longer ha
ignored, it's attempted solution can
not longer be postponed The fall
ure of congress- to act deoisively
will be no less disastrous that ac-
verse action.
Three courses OF action are possi-
BILE. and the choice among them Is
no longer TO be avoided.
..The first is constructive-enact
the pending bill, under which. I
firmly believe. an American mer-
chant marine privately owned and
operated. but serving all
the people and always available to
the government in any emergency.
NAV be established and maintained
..The second is obstructive-con-
t,nue government operations and
attending government losses and
discourage private enterprise by
competition. under
which losses are met by the public
treasury and witness the continued
losses and deterioration until the
Colossal failure ends in sheer ex-
haustion.
THE third is destructive--Invoiv-
Ing the sacrifice OF our ships abroad
or the scrapping OF them at home.
The surend II of our aspirations and
the confession OF our impotence to
the world IN general and our hu-
initiation before the competing
world in particular.
"A choice among the three IL in
evitable II is unbelievable that the
American people or the congress
which expresses their power will
consent to surrender and destruc-
ion. It IS equally unbelievable
hat our people and the congress
which translates their wishes into
action will longer sustain pro-
gram or obstruction and attending
osses to the treasury.