The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-07-29
Chairman Lasker Has
Converted Govern
ment Organization
Into a Republican
Political Machine
BY GRATTAN KERANs
Especial Correspondence I.

obstacles to the plain sailing Of the
presidents pet measure take the
form OF. facts. figures and argu-
ments urged against it by Senator
Fletcher Democrat, Florida), gem
orally regarded as one of the high
est authorities on American ship
ping.
Senator Fletcher aseribed the
failure of the nations merchant
feet to operate successfully and
economically to Chairman Lasker
of the shipping board, who, he
h ar.g d ha6 converted tthe
board into political machine and
who spent his time on political
propaganda instead Of attending to
; his official duties as chairman.
Experts. some Of them owners
and operators of ships, have esti-
mated that President Hardings
proposed, present to the private in
terests which are pressing for the
passage of the ship subsidy bill
would take from the rank and file
Of taxpayers not less than S50,000,-
! 600 a year. The advocates Of this
annual bonus" to powerful cor
| porations have been flooding the
country with their propaganda.
| Chief among these press agents
! for the measure is Chairman A. D.
( Lasker of the United States Ship
ping Board, one of the puiative
authors of the. bill with Winthrop
Marvin, vice president and gener-
! al manager of the American
Steamship Owners Association.
Part of the campaign for pro-
noting the adoption OF the bill
which President Harding has made
! his fayorite child among the leg
/ islative proposals now pending,
next to the tariff, is the jealous ef-
. fort to discredit the merchant ma
: rine established by the Wilson ad-
! nrinistra:ion. These ships are de-
! scribed in Chairman Lasker's ap-
peals for subsidies as "a costly her
..itage."
Referring to this slur on the
peoples vast and valuable invest
ment in serviceable ships. Senator
Fletcher said, in his speech in the
senate:
Think of it! The finest feet
owned or controlled by any mari
time power in the world, or by any
!; organization, denominated "a cost
| lyl heritage These people claim
f; to want an adequate American Mer-
chant Marine-American owned
and American operated-for the
benefit of American commerce and
American industry, and yet the
first essential to such a merchant
marine is ships, which they COM
plain of as "a costly heritage.
s.If we could Only get rid Of the
ships. the Shipping Board would be
relieved OF annoyance and the
friends of this measure would be
HAPPY. Their main purpose would
be accomplished.
II must confess to being glad we
have the ships, and 1 value them as
a distinctive asset. which I would
not like 20 see disSipated and vast
ed. I want to see them taken care
] of and properly employed. They
constitute the first essential require
ment to a merchant marine, and in
stead Of giving them away or sink
/! ing them, or paying people to re-
lieve us of them, 1 would put them
I in service and operate them as our
needs demand and our interests call
| for until such time as they are
wanted by those who will keep
/, them under our Tag. who will take
pride in their country's status on
the seas, who understand the busi-
ness they would engage in, and who
! will see that they render the ser
vice the people OF this country are
entitled TO have and must have
The nation is numbered by a
j great fleet of merchant vessels.
they say. 1t is like saying to man
wanting to open u bank he is cum
bered by capital. Or to Mer-
chant who would like TO engage in
foreign trade ne is numbered nS
/, goods or other assets.
The failure of the nations ner-
chant marine fleet to operate sue
ceSsfully and economically is the
fault of the present Shipping Board
! Senator Fletcher declared.
IF the chairman Of the board
instead of furnishing arguments te
Congressman and spending money
on a publicity campaign to persuade
the voters of the country to favor
this bill, would spend his time and
/, devote his energies 10 persuade
American ship owners that they
ought to patronize their own ship
yards: and American merchants
that taey ought 10 give their busl-
ness to American ships: and Amer
lean bankers that they ought to en-
courage American shipping. that
would be much more helpful IN es-
tabliShins an American merchant
marine.
/ Senator Fletcher declared that
the Shipping Board under Chairman
I.asker's auspices had become the
notorious resort of political place
hunters. and has been used to dis
custing and scs,udalous extent as a
political machine" In the same
breath Wits deprecations OF the bls
American feet under his contro
and pleas for its sale or donation