The Columbia evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1920-1923, 1922-11-30
EUROPE HOPES
FOR DEFEAT OF
SHIP SUBSIDY
Message Says Expected Defeat
of the Bill in Congress Is
Affecting London
Shares Prices.
HARDING MAKES ADDRESS
President Says the Maritime
Nations Are in Complete
Accord in Opposing
Our Policy.
By DAVID LAWRENCE
downright. 1927

tCopynghf, l922.)
WASHINGTON, D. C.. Nov. 30.-Europe
hopes for the defeat of ship subsidy.
Administration officials pointed signifi-
cantly to brief dispatch which follows:
LoNDoN.-Expected defeat of ship
subsidy bill in the United States is hav-
ing marked effect on shipping shares
here. Peninsular and Oriental S. S. Co.
rose five points yesterday, Royal Mail
three and one-half points and Cunard
one and one-half points.
This is not a new viewpoint with for
eign interests. For many years before
the war the Germans maintained lobby
in. Washington to prevent ship subsidy
legislation. The importance of the Brit
ish attitude at present is that it demon
strates how fearful their shipping inter
esis are of American merchant marine
privately managed as contrasted with
government operation which they do not
fear at all because they regard it as inef-
ficient and ineffective.
President Harding, by reason Of the
delicacy Of his position, has been unable
to hit very hard at the strength Of the for
eign opposition to the ship subsidy bill,
but in his address TO Congress he took
cognizance of the situation with this
guarded comment:
The American development will have
10 overcome every obstacle which may
be put in our path, except as information
al comfy fOrbids. Concern about our
policy is not limited TO our own domain.
though the interest abroad is of a differ
ent character, hope it is seemly to say
il. because it must be said, the maritime
nations of he world are in complete ac-
cord with the opposition here to the
pending measure. They have a perfect
right TO such an attitude When we look
from their viewpoints we can under
stand, but | wish to stress the American
viewpoint, Ours should be the viewpoint
from which one sees the American car
riers at sea. the dependence of American
commerce and American vessels for Am
erican reliance in case -ef-war. Some of
the costly lessons of war must be learned
again and again, but our shipping lesson
in the world war was much too costly to
be effaced from the memory Of this or
future generations"
This is but another way Of saying that
the American army was transported
in large part to France by foreign YES
sells. 1t is not alone, however, the prob
lem. of war that makes the President wish |
to make America independent OF foreign
shipping, but the peace time carrying Of
American products.
Mr.. Harding feels that it is timely to
recall that we gave foreign nations our
commerce to aid them in their upbuild-
ing. and the American task now is TO up
build and establish in the face of the
most active competition
There have been some critics who have |
argued that to take away from Europe its
shipping business was TO further impoy- !
erish the nations worn out by war and |
that the carrying trade at least should |
remain where it is especially in view Of
the tariff wall erected against the i'm
portasion of foreign products; but the
answer made in administration quarters
is that Europe has monopoly at pres
ent; and that there is room for compe- |
titicn, if for no other reason than to as |
sure Americans against being kept con- |
stan,ly at the mercy of foreign countries |
in the matter of ocean freight rates.
Europe's stock markets are reacting too
soon TO the news from America. The |
President has his heart in this fight and
will not be beaten if there is any way he
can force the issue through. He is rep |
resented in some quarters, in New York |
for instance, as being lukewarm and as
merely discharging an obligation when |
he urges ship subsidy. This may be pleas
ant news to those who think the bill is
going TO fail, but nothing could be far
ther from the truth. The same kind of
optimism was cherished by the propon-
ents Of the soldier bonus, who kept in
sisting that President Harding would not
veto the bill. But he did He now has
the same determination with respect TO
ship subsidy.
Looking back over the administration,
there is no particular measure which can
ing character on a major subject. The
be called new legislation of far reach
Presidents veto on the bonus was a neg
ative act-a measure of prevention. His |
struggles with Congress on the tariff |
gave the impression that he did not ia
vor the bill in all its particulars but had
to bow to the will of Congress. He would
hardly claim credit for the bill as con-
structive measure, though he might in
sist that the provisions permitting cor
rection of unworkable clauses were to be |
of immense benefit. But this too is a
measure of prevention or correction. The
revenue bill on the books did not meet
Mr.. Harding's full approval. He served
prompt notice that he would ask It's
IT,