Evening star., 1925-06-14
BY SENATOR WESLEY l.. JONES,
Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Commerce, Author of the Merchant
Marine Act of 1920.


The slogan, "See America First"
has always appealed to me. We have
many wonderful and interesting things
in this country that should delight the
lover of nature. Our mountains and
rivers and plains and forests, our ma
tional parks, grand canyons, petrified
forests, beautiful lakes and splendid
roads are hard to surpass, and for
| those who may be interested in an
cient things there are found in the
deserts of the Southwest the ruins
and evidences of a civilization exist
ing long before King Tut ruled his
Egyptian dominions. A knowledge of
our own wonders should help one to
enjoy those of other lands. Cuba,
Canada and Mexico are the only for
eign lands I have visited, and these
only in a slight way, but I think
have been in every State and Terri
tory in the United States except Yer
mont, and have looked into that.
When Congress adjourned Mrs.
Jones and l thought we were justified
in taking a few weeks off to see some
other countries and people. Europe. of
course, has its attractions, but some
how South America made a greater
appeal to me. Possibly I am wrong
about it, but I thought that what
might be able to see of Europe would
not be so different from our own
development of the centuries. 1t is
of the past more than the future.
South America seemed to me to be
different. Its destiny is linked more
with ours. Its development is in it's
infancy Our methods are more mod
ern and should appeal to them. We
ought to come close together. They
may learn from us better how to work
out their future than from those more
of the past. We need them, too, just
as much as they need us.
Wanted More knowledge.
We had a hazy sort Of a notion of
it's people, what its cities were like
and something of it's possibilities, but
we wanted more definite knowledge.
I hoped the information we might get
would be of some aid in promoting
trade and intercourse between our peo-
pie and it's people to the mutual bene-
| fit of all. I thought we should look to
South America as one Of the greatest
fields for our future commercial de-
velopment, and that shipping facilt-
ties between the two continents are of
vital Importance. So we decided to go
to South America and to go in one of
our ships.
No more vital problem confronts our
people than the shipping problem. To
solve 1t we need above all else to get
the shipping mind. Foreign trade pro-
notes our prosperity. 1t must be car
ried on largely in ships. Americans
should favor American ships just as
| . man favors his own. Americans
sailing the seas should go in Ameri-
can ships If they are available. We
should be glad to suit ourselves to
their date of sailing rather than to
take foreign ship. American mer-
chants should insist that their goods
| go In American ships and American
buyers should insist that their pur-
| chases be carried in our ships. We
should be willing to suffer inconven-
ience or delay to natronizing ships
| under a foreign flag. When we are
| ready to do this we will have the
problem of an American merchant ma
! rine very largely solved.
Wa left New York March az on. the.