, 1923-02-20
THE soUAREST CITY
Would Jefferson ApproUe?


GOVERNMENT WNERSHIP is evidently the
VI only solution the Democratic party can find
for any economic problem. Under the leadership
of Mr.. McAdoo the Democrats fought Tor continued
government operation of the railroads for five
years more, which would undoubtedly have meant
not merely operation but ownership as a perma
nent policy. Democratic leaders in congress are
now opposing legislation that Will establlsh an
American merchant marine under private owner
ship and management, leaving as alternatives eth
er government ownership or no merchant marine
at all.
The record of the Democratic party on the mer
chant marine issue is worth considering somewhat
in detail. For many years prior to the Civil War,
We had an American merchant marine aided either
by discriminatory duties or government contracts
for the carrying of mails. In the early fifties gov
eminent encouragement of a merchant marine was
discontinued because of effective Democratic op-
position, and the Civil War finished an ocean
carrying trade that had already gone down in the
face Of destructive competition from ships of other
nations receiving aid from their governments.
Since tho Civil War, the United States has had
no merchant marine worthy of the name, although
a very few ships have received compensation for
carrying mails.
In 1912 the Democratic party adopted a plank
in its national platform which declared "We be-
lieve in fostering, by constitutional regulation of
commerce, the growth of a merchant marine, which
shall develop and strengthen the commercial ties
which bind us to our sister republics of the south,
but without imposing additional burdens upon the
people and without bounties or subsidies from the
public treasury"
IL bGulbtTdllC purity IlduG lO lIOIL 'NhhloNC
to fulfill that pledge, but in 1915, after the out
break of tho war in Europe, proposed an appro'
priation of money with which to buy ships. This
was a direct violation of the pledge not to oppose
additional burdens upon the people. At that time
the only idle ships in the world we're the intcrned
German ships in our own ports, so the Demo.
cratic proposal was to buy those German ships and
have the United States government operate them.
Manifestly government purchase of the German
interned ships would not only have been an act
of charity to the German owner but would have
been an open affront to the allies and might have
involved us in war with the nations with which
we subsequently became associated.
The outcome of the Democratic merchant marine
policy was the expenditure of three billions of dol.
lars in the construction of ships most of which
rendered no service in the war and are now idle
awaiting a national merchant marine policy that
will put them in service. The Democratic party
did not establish n permanent merchant marine,
but it did impose new burdens upon the people.
The same party that proposed the buying of ships
in 1915 and that opposed any form of subsidy is
now opposing a subsidy which would be far less
expensive to the people than the present system
of government operation
Apparently they will be willing to support moth.
ing except some plan of government ownership and
operation. Failing that they would scrap the pres.
ent fleet entirely and abandon the ocean carrying
trade to our commercial rivals, thus compelling
the American people to pay tribute to the ship.
owners of Europe and Asia. They prevent the
maintenance of a merchant marine in time of peace
and, as a result, compel the government to acquire
at tremendous loss the ships that are needed in
time of war. They place Americas foreign trade at
the mercy of our competitors.