The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-11-24

war emergency we builded and
otherwise acquired the best mer.
chant Meet, which the government
owns today.
Relieve Treasury Of Drain
In the simplest<way can say IT,,
our immediate problem Is not to
oulld and support merchant ship.
ping, which hold to be one of The
highest and most worthy aspira-
tons OF any great people: our prob
lem is to deal with what we now
possess. Our problem Is to relieve
the pubic treasury of the drain il
is already meeting.
The war construction and the lat
er completion of war centre cts left
us approximately $4,000 900 gross
tonnage in ships. The figures are
nearer 12,500,000 tons now, owing to
the scrapping of the wooden fleet.
More than half this tonnage Is gov
eminent owned, and approximately
2,260,000 tons are under govern
ment operation in one form or an.
other The net loss to the United
states treasury-sums actually TAX
en- therefrom in this government
operation-averaged approximately
SIG 100000 per month during the
year prior to The assumption-of re-
sponsibility by the present admins.
tration. A constant warfare ON
this loss of public funds. and the
draft to service of capable business
management and experienced oper-
atins directors. have resulted In
applied efficiency and enforced eco
Monies. 1t is very gratifying to re-
port the dimunition of the losses to
the $4D00,000 per month or q total
OF S50,000.000 a year: but it is in.
tolerable that the government
should continue a policy from which
so enormous a treasury loss is the
inevitable outcome This loss,
more over attends operation of less
d than q al third Of the government
u Appeals For Program
It is not, therefore, a question OF
adding new treasury burdens to
maintain our shipping, We are pay
Ing these burdens now. 1t is not a
question of contracting an outlay TO
support our merchant Shipping. be-
cause we are paying already. I am
not asking your authorization of a
new and atded draft on the public
treasury; am appealing for a
program to diminish the burden we
are already bearing.
When your executive government
knows Of public expenditures Ag-
gregating fifty millions annually.
which ii believes could be reduced
by half through change of policy,
your government would be unworthy
of public trust If such a change were
not commended, made, if it were not
insistently urged.
But I have not properly portrayed
all the current losses to the public
this year. We are wearing out our
ships without any provision for re-
placement. We are having these
losses through deterioration now, and
are charging nothing against our
capital account. But the losses are
there. and regrettably larger under
government operation than under
private control. Only a few years Of
continued losses on capital account
will make these losses through de-
ureciation alone to exceed fifty mil
lions a year now drawn to cover
losses in operation.
The Answer Is Apparent
When the question is asked why
the insistence for the merchant mar
inc act now, the answer is apparent.
Waving every inspiration which lies
in constructive plan for maintain
ing our nag on the commercial high
ways of the seas. waving the prud-
ence In safeguarding against another
So. 90. 000.00 madness If war ever
again impels, we have the, unavoid-
able task OF wiping out $4,000, 000
annual loss in operation and losses
aggregating many hundreds of mil
lions in worn out, sacrificed. or
scrapped shipping. Then the SUI
preme humiliation, the admission
that the United States;-our Amert-
ca once eminent among the marine
nations of the worlds incapable OF
asserting itself in the peace triumphs
on the seas of the world. 1t would
seem to me doubly humiliating when
we own the ships and fail in the
genius and capacity to turn their
prows toward the marts OF the world.
This, problem cannot longer be
ignored, its attempted solution can
not longer be postponed. The fail.
ure or congress to act decisiveiy viii
be no less disastrous than adverse
action.
Three Courses Possible
! !hree courses of action are pos
sible and the choice among them
is no longer to be avoided.
The First is Constructive-Enact
! the pending bin under which I
nrmIy believe an American mer-
chant marine, privately owned and
privately operated, but serving all
the people and always available to
| the government in any emergency
may be established and maintained.
The Second is Obstructive-Con
! tinue government operations and
attending government losses and
discourage private enterprise by
government competition, under
which losses are met by the public
treasury, and witness the continued
losses and deterioration until the
colossal failure ends in sheer ex-
haustion.
| The Third is Overwhelmingly
ing the sacrifice Of our ships abroad
or the scrapping of them at home,
the surrender of our aspirations,
and the confession of our impo-
tence to the world in general, and
our humiliation before the compel
ing world in particular.
Choice Is Inevitable.
A choice among the three is in
evitable. It's unbelievable that
the American people or the con =
gress which expresses their power
will consent to surrender and de-
! struction. 1t is equally unbelieve-
able that our people and the con-
,gress which translates their wishes
into action will longer sustain a
: program of obstruction and attend
ing losses to the treasury
| have come to urge the construc-
tive alternative, to reassert an