Evening star., 1922-11-30
Editors Hold Widely Different
Views on Ship Subsidy Plan. =

President Harding's message to the
special session of Congress urging
the passage of the ship subsidy bill
the existing system has been received
with varying opinions by editors The
dissension in Congress over the bill
is reflected in the views expressed
concerning the merits OF the legisla-
ton generally.
1.-The truth Is" says the Newark
News independently. that American
labor and American capital find more
profitable employment ashore than
af1oat. and any effort to lure them.
petition. Of their free voltion. is arti-
flcial and bound to prove abortive
in the long run. The policies of high
tariff walls and ship subsidies are
the opposite poles of the economics
Boltimore Sun (democratic) that 'the
trouble with Mr.. Hardings logic is
that the course he advises is largely
experimental. And if Mr.. Harding
is beaten in the Senate on his subsidy
policy by a combination of democrats
and progressive republicans he
should Ger tainly. on his own show
ing. call an extra session of Congress
after March to deal with this per-
picking problem in it's own way
cratic) likewise inquiries whether the
President has stopped to consider
that some of the 'resolute hostility
against a ship subsidy may come
from a public capable of seeing that.
granting the genuineness Of the ship
problem, the Fordney-McCumber
tariff and the Harding foreign policy
of isolation form discouraging COM
'bination against American ships seek
ing goods to carry sharp opposition
(democratic). which believes lit is
better for the American people to
bear the ills of the shipping situation
they have than fly to certainty OF
greater ills they are sure to expert
ence if placed at the mercy Of the
ship subsidy leeches. They know
what it costs them for their govern
ment to run the ships. They will
never know from one Congress to an
other what it will cost them for the
private interests to run them at the
government expense"
The position Of the President, the
Syracuse Herald independently be-
lieves, is strong in points, but weak
in the sense that his appeal for gov
ernment aid comes on the heels of
tariff enactment that struck damag-
ing blow at ur whole foreign trade"
It is the opinion of the Boston Tran
script independent republican,. how
ever. that the choice is between gov
ship" and it favors the former.
The Petersburg Progress (independent)
characterizes the proposal as "funda-
mentally unsound." while the Norfolk
Ledger Dispatch. assuming direct
ly opposite position cites the letter ter
American Farm Bureau Federation,
arguing that the farmer "will benefit
by the proposed subsidy" as proper
reply to the farm bloc opposition IN
Congress The faets sei,1a eited snv Dy sne ar
guments in opposition" in the opinion
Of the Albany News independent re-
publican), which says three courses
are open to Congress. "one construc-
tive, one obstructive and 3, one destrmet
be Of any use. the Buffalo Times
democratic), says. as 'the subsidy plan.
while Volsteadism persists. is not
even an experiment with q chance OF
success It is sheer waste: 1t is
sinkhole Of Volsteadism."
AS the Rochester Times Union lin
dependent) sees the proposal, 'it lacks
popular support: Is q measure for
which there is no demand; would be
confidence and ought certainly to be
defeated" Unless the opponents have
a "better plan," the Chicago News
Independently holds that "the alter
native Is either destruction Of the
great merchant marine. acquired by
this nation at prodigious cost. or con-
tinuation of government operation OF
some of its ships In uneconomic and
unfair competition with private ves-
sells to the detriment Of both. so that
Congress can hardly hesitate as to the
choice and its plain duty" This is the
Telegraph Independently, which says
"the question to be decided Is whether
the government shall abandon the
ships entirely. keep them going at
loss Of $60.000.000 q year less mail
service and other charges saved. But
dispassionately from a purely pa
triotic and business standpoint, for
the simple reason that Congress isn't
built that way" The Presidents plan
lis characterized by the Pittsburgh
Leader progressive republican, as