Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-05-04

study OF OrelSn trade ana Aer-
chant Marine. As Editor Of Amer
lean Industries he paid special atten-
ton to these subjects.
Chairman Lasker Of the United
States Shipping Board revealed near
state secret, perhaps, in a recent pub
lie address, when he quoted President
Harding as having said to him prior
to election, "My great ambition is to
come into history as the President in
whose Administration the American
merchant marine was put back on the
seven seas"
All of Mr.. Harding's predecessors
Of recent years have cherished a SINH
lar ambition, possibly with lesser de-
gree of earnestness, and all of them
have failed of the accomp lishment.
Each and all of them have had to
meet from a large part of the country
and mostly from the inland sections
either general apathy towards the
purpose or actual hostility to it; sup
Iplemented in the seaboard states by
subtle propaganda against it that has
undoubtedly been inspired and back
ed by our chief maritime rivals. For
it is not gallantry on the part of the
great foreign trading nations that
causes them to be unwilling that the
United States should go to market
carrying her heavy exports in her
own market-basket.
Every nation that aspires to domi-
mating influence in the markets of the
world, and a control of those markets
in the interests of its own exporters,
has found it to be good national policy
to make the operation of ships under
its own flags attractive to private
operators through liberal Government
aids in the form of subsidies. We a.
lone, of all the great trading nations,
with our eyes heretofore turned to
the interior development of our re-
sources, and hitherto caring little for
the rest Of the world, have resolutely
and with fixed consistency of purpose
III our legislation of more than half
a century, pursued a course so exact
ly the opposite that we have virtually
penalized the operation of American
ships when engaged in overseas trade.
+ Under a Protective Tariff we have pro-
tected our farms from foreign compe-
tltion. Under prohibitive laws we
have protected our coastwise traffic
from the same. Our Great Lakes ship
ping has had the protection of natural
barriers. But when it comes to Amer
lean ships on the broad oceans. ex-
posed to the full force of competition
| from the cheaper-built, cheaper-operat
| ed and subsidized foreign ships, we
have not only left them unaided but
have actually handicapped them by
burdensome and restrictive legislation.
The Lesson OF the World War.
| IL President Harding's ambition is to
be achieved it will be because of the
lesson we have learned through the
World War. '1f the other fellow will
carry our freights cheaper than we
can carry them for ourselves, why not
let him do it," has been stock arg
ument for years against any Govern
ment policy towards our own ships
similar to that adopted by our sue
cessful rivals. To which the answer
really is that while this other fellow
can carry our freights cheaper than
we can do it proftably to ourselves
he does not and will not do so, save
when it suits his pleasure to kill off
American competition through rate
war. The past year has seen great
cargoes of American cereals going
aboard in ships flying foreign flags
while a great fleet of our own has
been lying idle and piling up an enor-
nous expense On all Of the people.
The owners Of these foreign ships
have been in a position to underbid
not only the United States Shipping
Boards rates but also those of private
American operators. During the war,
owing to conditions then existing, the
foreign owner was quick to make a
rate so high that American products
found their way to market only with
greatest difficulty, or not at ALL
The war taught us-all of us-that |
it was not. cheaper at any price to be
dependent upon our commercial riv-
ais for access to the markets of the |
world. It taught US that it was not |
cheaper at any price to depend for |
our outlet upon the Willingness or |
ability of those whose interests were |
not necessarily ours to give Us ocean |
transportation. Our exports rotted |
Or rusted at the piers because of the /
lack of ships. Rates that would have
been prohibitive under any other cir
cumstances were grudgingly paid by
us because we could do nothing else
We were not independent we were
in vassalage of our own supine crea-
ton
The Cost of Maritime Vassalage.
This vassalage, continuing through
a full century of time, has cost our
people an unimaginable sum of money,
which has been paid out of our own