Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-16
SHIPPING BILL
81
. IS DENOUNCED
!: !: bYLAFOLLETTE
Progressive Bloc
in Fight on Admins
tration Marine Law.
Measure Designed to
Rob People,, Wisconsin
: Senator Ayers.

Washington, dec. Io.-OpenluS Inc
attack of the progressive bloc against
the administration shipping bill, Sena-
tor LaFollette, republican, Wisconsin,
declared in the senate Friday that
the measure contrary to the ex-
pressed will Of the American people
and that the action Of the president
and its sponsors in attempting to
force its passage at this time is an
open challenge to the people and vio-
lation of the trust reposed by the
people in their delegated representa-
~tives."
The Wisconsin senator denounced
the bill in bitter terms, criticized the
president and Chairman Lasker OF
the shipping board in sharp language,
challenged the arguments made by the
executive in his message to congress
urging enactment Of the legislation
and charged Mr.. Lasker with having
made "a highly improper %nroposaIR,
in order to obtain the support Of or
ganized labor.
Against Public Policy
II do not believe that a worse bill
than this ever came before the SEN
ate of the United States for it's con-
sideration." he asserted. 1T repre-
sents a policy that has been repeat
eddy rejected by the people of this
country. The public opinion Of the
country is overwhelmingly opposed to
it today.
1T simply means turning over the
peoples property to favored inter
ests for a few cents on the dollar
and a tax of millions of dollars levied
annually in order to pay a subsidy
to those who take the ships practi-
cally as a gift. It means millions of
dollars of tax refunds to the shipping
interests. 1t does not even promise,
much less guarantee, cheaper rates
for ocean commerce. 1t proposes to
destroy our army and naval transports
and turn this great agency of potential
defense over to private ownership.
It does not guarantee the building of
a single new ship or the maintenance
of those we have. 1t is wholly bad,
and the attempt to force it upon an
unwilling country cannot be too
strongly condemned"
Labor Against Measure
The senator enumerated a long list
of farmer and labor organizations op-
posing the bill and declared he was
prepared to make the statement that
three-fourths Of the American people
had gone on record as opposed to a
ship subsidy, and more particularly
to the terms of this bill.
He added that the farmers were
opposed to it,.
Il content myself" said the senator,
with the statement that Chairman
Lasker sought a conference with Sam
uel Gompers, president of the Ameri-
can Federation OF Labor, and made a
highly improper proposal to a group
of labor officials that they disregard
the will and the interests Of their
membership and support the pending
"This conference took place on April
6 and Z in the headquarters Of the
American Federation of Labor in the
city of Washington. Chairman Lasker
Their and there, l am informed, offered
to withdraw certain provisions in the
pending bill dealing with labor if he
could thereby induce the labor Organi-
cations to withdraw their opposition
to the bill.
let it be said to the everlasting
credit of the representatives of the
workingmen of this country that they
spurned this barefaced proposal.
Chairman Lasker found he could not
buy American labor
Passage of the measure at this time,
he stated, would be a gross violation
Of the very spirit and letter of the
principles of representative govern
ment."
Attacks Harding Speech
The plea of the president in his
message to the recent special session
that members of congress disregard
"the too hasty impressions of a con-
stituency' in the interest of the larger
national good, particularly drew the
fire of the senator, who declared the
appeal represented "the madness of
the present administration, and would
not be tolerated in any other repre-
sentative government of the world.
He challenged the presidents state
ment that enactment of the bill would
relieve the treasury of losses now
sustained by reason of shipping board
operation of government tonnage and
asserted the plan embodied in the bill
would plumber and rob" the American
people"
Chairman Lasker was attacked by
the senator as a man appointed to
public office, mot to operate ships,
but to sell ship subsidy to the Ameri-
can people" He accused the shipping
board chairman of refusing to give
information to congress as to the cause
of losses in government operation of
ships and charged that he had "acted
in a manner to make government op-
Grafton a failure"