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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1900)
Conservative. SHIP SUnSIDY IUI.L. On studying the effect of this bill as to the various steamers for which are provided the highest rates aud which would actually get the lion's share of the subsidy , it develops that the subsidy rates provided for are especially planned not to promote exports of American products , but (1) ( ) to provide luxurious steamers for Americans who wish to travel abroad aud who are able to pay for first-class cabin accommodations on luxurious "ocean flyers , " aud (2) ( ) to "assist" to the largest extent possible the bringing in of immigrants whether from Europe or our new islands. For example , the greater part of our exports , especially of grain , are borne in steamers of less than 11 knots speed. Since the measurement upon which gross tonnage is calculated is about 100 cubic feet of space , and the actual space taken by a ton of heavy freight is only about 50 feet ( by this very bill estimated at 40 feet ) ; and since the engine , fuel aud crew room required by these slow steamers are comparatively small , each can ordinarily carry of actual cargo of American products grain , etc. , a greater tonnage than the gross ( measured ) tonnage. The highest subsidy proposed for sucli a steamer , either by the original bill or even by the amended bill just reported to the senate , is 1J cents per gross ton for each 100 miles not exceeding 1,500 miles and 1 cent for each additional 100 miles of the voyage. That is to say , an ordinary freight steamer of say 0,000 tons gross ( measured ) tonnage would carry say 7,500 tons of cargo. Assisted Touribts. The gross tonnage of the Sb. Louis ( one of the International's four great steamers which would get subsidy ) is 11,629 tons and her net 5,898 tons , and her cargo capacity 8,500 tons. At the rate of subsidy proposed by both original and amended bills the St. Louis , being a steamer of " 21 knots or over" would receive for the first 1,500 miles of each her outward and return voyages 2 8-10 cents per 100 miles and 3 8-10 cents per gross ton per 100 miles for the remaining distance , or over $20,000 for the round trip. trip.But But the actual cargo capacity of the St. Louis is 8,500 actual tons of cargo. The fact , therefore , is that for carrying half the American exports for which the \ freight steamer was subsidized $4,740 , * the luxurious swift passenger steamer is subsidized over $26,000 ; or , in proportion tion to American exports carried , the passenger steamer received more than i eleven times the subsidy that does the freighter. But this is not all. The cargo of the freighter is ordinarily measured of heavy bulk freight grain , flour , pork etc. ; while the smaller cargo of the passenger steamers is in the main of f joxed and crated manufactured articles. So that not merely does their actual .veight per cargo ton average less than 1,500 pounds , but they are in the main not American farm produce but the surplus product of American "protec ted" manufacturers , shipped abroad to be sold foreigners at far less prices than are charged for the same articles in this country. At page 107 of the "Senate Hearings" Mr. Clyde testifies : "When we ( the subsidy beggars ) are in a tight place , we always have to turn to our Commission er of Navigation. " It is about time for Mr. Chamberlain to tackle this problem and explain to Senator Nelson just how this subsidy bill is specially adapted to help Minnesota farmers instead of to facilitate the voluntary exile in Europe of Mr. Griscom's social friends. Of course to anyone who knows the influences behind this bill it is clear just why it was thus drafted. But is this all the explanation needed ? Assisted Immigration. The great war revenue bill introduced in 1864 by Mr. Merrill of Vermont , in creasing revenue taxes on incomes and almost every form of wealth was "held up" in the then overwhelmingly republi can house until Senator Sherman intro duced a bill entitled "an act to en courage immigration. " That is , to favor capitalist employers , who were taxed by the revenue bill , our govern ment went into the business of assisting immigration to provide them with cheap labor. The republican party celebrated July 4th , 1864 , by enacting such a bill into law on that day. By this the Uni ted States assumed the expense of send ing commissioners abroad , of adver tising in foreign countries and generally of inducing laborers to come here under a special arrangement by which , in case employers advanced money to pay their expenses , their wages should be pledged for a year ahead to repay them and any real property which the immigrant might require forever bound until ad vances were paid , immigrants being assured immunity from military service here. Of late years this law has not seemed pleasant reading to our friends who are now pressing for ship subsidy. But their old leaders were frank enough , and as late as 1872 the Hon. William D. Kelley of Pennsylvania , the then pro tectionist leader in Congress , boasted : "Yes ; men are on the free list. They cost us not even freight * * * We promote free trade in men , and it is the only free trade I am prepared to pro mote. " These protectionists of thirty years ago were babes compares with Mr. Hanna , Mr. Frye , Mr. Payne and Mr. Griscom. The old protectionists were satisfied by free trade in men who paid their own freight. The pending sub- I sidy bill , however , is so drawn as to assist immigration" by having our gov ernment pay their passage. Without showing any partiality to any one of Mr. Chamberlain's calcula- ions as against the others , they agree in showing Mr. Griscom's line ( the Inter national ) as sure to receive about as much of the subsidy to bo realized for ; he next few years as all others com bined which will be easily understood when it is recalled that this line has the only great passenger steamers of speed and tonnage eligible to claim the highest rates of subsidy. Of these , though he is having four others built , there wore last year but four ; and of these but three the Now York , the St. Louis and the St. Paul were in commission all the year , the Paris being under repairs. These brought in from Europe , on their 46 trips , 11,841 steerage passengers main ly immigrants. This year they are bringing in much greater numbers. Their steerage capacity , however , averages over 80,000 cubic feet , including galley , storage , hospital and exorcise room , etc. , or capacity for nearly 700 immigrants for each vessel. That would be , say , 2,200 cargo tons. That is to say in the case of the four great steamers belonging to this com pany , which are the only ones to receive subsidy at the highest rates provided for , of their tonnage on which subsidy is paid , a larger proportion is reserved for immigrant traffic than by this bill is required for exports of American pro duce , to earn full subsidy. If this subsidy helps any traffic , then our government is thus again embarking in the business of assisting immigration. An idea can be gotten of the great im portance of the point just discussed when it is remembered that by its other steamers ( foreign built , however , and drawing subsidy at only half rate , either for exports or immigrants ) the same International Company brought in ( by its "Red Star Line" ) some 21,000 additional steerage passengers , say 82- 000 in all by this company in 1899 , that the immigrant traffic makes no use of the freighters that carry most of our exports especially those of grain ; but is done almost exclusively by swift steamers such as under this bill are given the higher rates of subsidy , and that , from January 1st to date ( April 1st , 1900) ) immigration is about 40 per cent , more than for the same period of 1899. As the Boston Herald ( Ind. ) sees it , the struggle over the vice presidency ' 'is to be the greatest trial of strength be tween Platt and Roosevelt that they have over had. " Regarding the trial purely with a sporting view , it is in clined to think that "it will bo safer to place bets on Platt. Roosevelt is not in so good form as ho was just after the Cuban war. " The Now York Evening Post.
