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FEBRUARY 2, 190
The Commoner.
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NOTES FROM THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
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ftr"
Washington, D. C, Jan. 29. The snip subsidy
bill is dragging along slowly in the senate. The
indications are it will prob-
Fighting ably not be brought to a vote
the Ship Subsidy inside of two months. The
Bill house committee on merchant
marine and fisheries has not
even considered the scheme in any of its phases
this session. General Grosvenor, of Ohio, chair
man of that committeesays that it will not be
taken up until after the senate acts. That's an
easy way for the Buckeye statesman to avoid
discussing some of the obstacles in the way of
the proposition at the'' south end of the capitol.
The republicans of the house committee are not
united. Divisions existed in the last congress as
to how far the government should go in voting
financial assistance, to private concerns engaged
in ship-building, and the transportation business
by water. Some of the congressmen from out in
the northwest have views on this question de
cidedly antagonistic to the eastern idea. All this
session General Grosvenor has been trying to
have the differences settled. The outlook is not
encouraging. Speaker Cannon does not enthuse
over the proposition to vote millions in the shape
of subsidies. The presiding officer of the house
has not taken an open stand yet against the pro
ject, but liis apparent lack of Interest indicates
clearly that if the republicans on the merchant
marine and fisheries committee fail to agree upon
a plan he will not be disappointed. General
Grosvenor talks as if his best chance to legislate
on the subject will oe to coax the majority of
the house committee into the support of the sen
ate bill in the event it is passed by that body in
the next two or three months. Evidently it is his
main reliance.
The title of the 1)111 the republican members
of the senate commerce committee have patched
up this time is a high sound
High Sounding ing one. It promises the
Title for most wonderful results and
Subsidy reads like this: "To pro
mote the national defense, to
create a force of , naval volunteers, to establish
American ocean mail lines to foreign markets,
to promote commerce, and to provide revenue
from tonnage." The majority report in favor of
subsidies is a bulky document. With the collec
tion of data bearing on shipping, information re
lating' to foreign countries and the argument ad
vanced by the senators signing it the paper makes
112 closely printed pages. Mr. Frye, of Maine,
is chairman, of the senate committee. His lead
ing side-partner this session in the management
of the measure, is Mr. Gallinger, of New Hamp
shire. During his lifetime Mr. Hanna, of Ohio,
identified himself with the movement to tap the
United States treasury heavily for the benefit of
the ship-builders and ship-owners. Indeed, Mr;
Hanna rather overshadowed Mr. Frye in a mat
ter that has been a hobby with the Maine man
for fifteen or twenty years. The other republican
members of the commerce committee are Elkins,
of West "Virginia; Nelson, of Minnesota; Penrose,
of Pennsylvania; Depew, of New York; Perkins,
of California; Alger, of Michigan; Hopkins, of
Illinois; Ankeny, of Washington, and Crane of
Massachusetts. The democrats have only six
members of the committee Berry, of Arkansas;
Martin, of Virginia; Clay, of Georgia; Mallory, of
Florida; Foster, of Louisiana, and Stone, of
Missouri.
1 The republicans have practically adopted the
recommendations of the merchant marine com
mission appointed by Presi
And Now dent Roosevelt to investigate
w They Call It the question of rendering
" "Subvention" government aid to the ship--1
ping industry. Mr. Gallinger
was a member of that commission. The claim is
advanced by the commission that the chief sup
port which the shipping bill and the entire inquiry
6f the commission have received and are receiv
ing hasnotWme from ship-owners orship-build-uea,
or oven from, the people of the stales adjacent
to the ocean. It ,is extended ftrso thaVthe most
remarkablo indorsements which have been given
to the measure have come from merchants and
manufacturers interested in the export trade and
producers of the great interior. They cite that
not only the National Board of Trade and the
National Bankers' Association, In annual ses
sion last fall at Washington, but the National As
sociation of Manufacturers, who assembled at
Atlanta, Ga., and the American Cotton Growers'
Association, at Knoxville, Tenn., have specially
commended tho shipping bill of the commission
and called in tho strongest terms for its enact
ment. A point on which the friends of tho scheme
dwell with emphasis is that so long as nine-tenths
of the sea trade of the United States is con
veyed by foreign Bhip3 a large part of the $200,
000,000 required every year for the transportation
of our mails, freights and passengers goes to
build up the naval reserve of foreign nations, our
rivals and possible enemies, and thereby to pre
vent the development of an adequate naval re
serve in the United States. This is characterized
by the commission and indorsed by the republican
majority of the senate commerce committee as
"a policy of extreme folly and wastefulness, of
which we had a vivid example mi the war with
Spain, when the great German steamships com
panies, which havo grown rich out of American
trade, deliberately took fast ships from their New
York service and transferred them to our foe
to 'burn, sink and destroy' the commerce of tho
American people." As a bait to the unwary the
republicans behind the ship subsidy insist that
the new scheme they have concocted will bring
revenue to the government. Jheallzlng that the
word "subsidy" is not popular with the masses
they have substituted a, new one. They call it
now "subvention."
' Mr. Mallory, of Florida, wrote the views of
the minority members of the committee. In a
nutshell the democratic con
"Democrats tention is that tho scheme in
Will Make its new form is a thinly dis
Vigorous Fight guised gift of the public mon
ey to private parties to en
able them to conduct their private "business. The
democrats says that this is "unwarranted by any
grant of power that congress possesses, Involves
an inexcusable wrong to the taxpayers of the
country, and if consummated will establish a
most conspicuous and deplorable precedent for
future class legislation." The democrats are yet
to make a number of speeches on the bill. They
expect to prove that all the talk about building
up a strong naval reserve for the United States
and increasing the number of ships owned out
right by American citizens and manned by crews
that wiirbe loyal to the United States, is the
veriest nonsense. The main benefit to be de
rived from "subvention," the new name for "sub
sidy," will be enjoyed by a combination of shrewd
capitalists, interested in shipping in this country,
and who will be aided by experienced lobbyists.
The republicans have such a large majority in
the senate that sooner or later they will be able
to pass the bill. The only thing that may cause
them to halt in the program is the fear that the
democrats will bring out facts in connection with
this piece of legislation likely to prove damaging
to republican prospects in tho coming congres
sional elections. Even if the senate rams the
scheme through it does not signify that the house
.managers will permit it to come to a vote over
"that way this session. Mr. Gorman, of Maryland,
who keeps such a close eye on events in the
senate, rather thinks that the republicans will
eventually force a vote on the suasldy proposition.
The democrats realize that it would be useless
to hold out. They will simply content themselves
with showing up the bad features of the proposi
tion and let the record go to the country.
As he expresses it himself Senator Tillman
has the irons In the fire for two more speeches
in the near future. One will
Tillman deal directly with the Pana-
Has Irons ma canal situation. Early in
in the Fire the session it will be recalled
that the South Carolina sen
ator made some pertinent and interesting remarks
on that subject that were sent broadcast over the
United States and which made 4uite an impres
sions That speech was on the spur of tho mo
ment. Mr. Tillman was, without preparation or
studied effort drawn into the discussion. Since
then 'the senate committee on interoceanic canals
has been carrying on a searching investigation.
That4lrivestigation will continue for two montlis
in all probability. Mr. Tillman is on his own
account getting together what he considers many '
strong facts. His former attacks havo brought
him many letters and suggestions that havo en
abled him to procure information that possibly
could not otherwise havo been obtained. Hits
noxt offort, theroforo, may bo looked for with
interest, as he expects to bo well fortified with
information that will render it dangerous for tho
republicans to engage him in joint debate unless
they aro provided with arguments not suppose
to bo in their possession. Tho republicans fully
understand that Mr. Tillman id n hard man to
handlo at any time, andtho chances are they
will bo slow in locking horns with him since ho
has had so much time to post himself on the sub
ject. Senator Tillman believes tnero is a way
to smoke the national banks out and discover
to what extent thoy wore compelled to make po
litical contributions to the campaigns of-1896 and
1900. That is the other iron ho has In the fire,
and he thinks that It is getting quite hot. It Is
his purpose to introduco a different resolution.
He has one resolution pending along this line.
Ho thinks, however, that it Is not far-reaching
enough. He will endeavor to shape the new one
so that tho republican bosses of the senate will
be bound to recognize the purpose for which it
is introduced. The South Carolinian asserts that
ho is getting hold of facts which, if properly
looked into, will set tho people of the country to
thinking. With the great power they have Mr.
Tillman is aware that tho senate republicans can
smother Investigations. However, they can not
prevent democrats from trying to get tho truth
before the public, and no matter what they do his
speeches will be made with tho view of acqualnt
' ing the pebple with the situation.
As the time approaches for the opening of
the campaign the democrats are more and more
impressed with the necessity
Ready for the for a strong organization to
Congressional conduct the battle for con
Campaign 'trol of the next national
house of representatives. The
republicans have been in power so long that it
is impossible to secure a fair or open investigation
of anything calculated to expose scandals that
are believed to exist in many of the government
departments. Under this administration a few "
postdfllce department rascals have been brought
to trial and given light sentences in peniten
tiaries. Congress did practically nothing to
bring these fellows- to justice. It was the primary
work of tho. newspapers. But even In the face of
the exposures by the press tho lato Postmaster
General Payne, of Wisconsin, ridiculed the whole
performance, and not until public sentiment be
came thoroughly aroused would ho admit fdr .a
moment that anything could be wrong in his
department. Payne has been in his grave for
nearly two years, and men indicted beforo his
demise have not yet been tried. And this Jn
the face of the fact that in addition to the regu
lar law officers and inspector forces of both the
treasury and the postofflce departments tlie ad
ministration engaged special counsel to assist
the government in the prosecutions. Before be
coming secretary of tho navy Colonel Charles J.
Bonaparte, of Baltimore, was one of the high
priced lawyers engaged specially by tho adminis
tration to prosecute the department thieves.
Nobody connected with tho department of
agriculture has been punished because of his
connection with the crookedness over there in
connection with the leakage of the cotton reports.
The penitentiary doors ought to be open now fdr
at least a couple of fellows who were promptly
discharged because they stood in with the reck- .
less speculators and gave away secrets that
should have been guarded in the interest of men
producing cotton and those engaged in the man
ufacture of goods from the fleecy staple. --" "
If the democrats are successful in a majority
of the districts at the November election the new
house to be elected then will be able to stir up
things at Washington. Of course, it will not be
to the interest of tho republican administration
to have congress meet in extra session in 1907.
Anything but that. But the sixtieth congress
would have to come together as provided by the
constitution on the first Monday in December,
1907. Between that date and the opening of the
preaidential campaign the next year wonders
could be' accomplished in forcing investigations
that tho republicans will not now permit.
ALFRED J. STOFER.
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