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THE GEORGIAN’S'NEWS BRIEFS
It’s Nearly Christmas
How to Restore Our Merchant Marine By Lewis Nixon
O UR merchant marine, once
adequate, efficient and
prosperous, now languishes.
Many proposals have been made
by political parties for its rehabil
itation.
Usually they have not been en
acted into law, and even when
weak attempts are made the tre
mendous foreign influence acting
upon public opinion here secures
j their nullification by executive
• action. Thus under the Dingley
I act and the Underwood act we
I have such nullification by the
! Board of General Appraisers in
! the one case and by an opinion
of the Attorney General in the
other.
If one has given a lifetime to
i the study of a problem and has
! formed definite opinions based
| upon facts, such a one would be
lacking in public spirit if he did
| not speak out without mincing
i words in regard to a subject so
| vital to the present and future of
! his country. Hence, in the five
j articles to follow this I shall en
deavor to explain how we built
up a merchant marine, how- it was
destroyed and how measures
looking to its revival are cir
cumvented.
* • *
Means foul and unfair have
been used against us. Perhaps
agreeing with Madame de Stael
that “patriotism of nations ought
to be selfish,” we need not blame
foreign statesmen who do what
they can^to grasp at a greater
share of ocean carriage at our
expense. But when we find so-
called statesmen here at home
voting and working against our
marine it is time tha* the search
light of public interest be turned
pitilessly in their direction.
Ambition should not be achiev
ed through the hauling down of
V our flag on the ocean, and men
who inspire legislation hurtful to
their country under the guise of
efforts in behalf of badly-treated
elements of our citizens should
be made to prove their case, and
such proof does not lie in reciting
from the pages of blood and thun
der novels details of ill-treat
ment only to be found in the
fertile imagination of a Jack
London.
Up to the time we began work
on the Panama Canal the influ
ence of foreign nations upon our
legislation was sufficient to block
all really helpful measures. Now,
however, the foreigner has an
ally. Need we look very, far to
find the interests that wish to
discourage American ship owning
that through the preference given
in canal dues may carry by water
much that has heretofore been
carried by land.
We shall review the attacks on
the canal bill, the insincere and
- misleading interpretation given
the Hay-Pauncefote treaty by
those knowing better, the forcing
of a free ship provision into such
bill, the opnosition to the 5 per
cent discrimination in the Under
wood bill, the vicious and hurtful
LaFollette bill, Senate Bill No.
136, and even the new measure
ment rules for tonnage
When a measure is helpful we
find our public men speaking with
bated breath of some musty
treaty as something too sacred to
be brought to light, but whose
imagined provisions. Grand Lama
like, must be regarded. However,
when legislation hurtful to the
American marine—or had we not
better say destructive—is pro
posed, ample votes are ready to
approve it, even though it vio
late treaty and convention.
• * •
Our Congressmen represent our
people, and if they are what they
should be they should have the
courage of their convictions. If
men believe that the flying of the
American flag afloat should be
discouraged, let them say openly
that it is better the railroads
should carry certain merchandise
than ships. The Democratic party
is pledged to constitutional regu
lation of commerce, and in my
next article I shall explain what
appears to me to be the meaning
of such regulation, and why Con
gress is in duty bound to enact it,
regardless of party.
My proudest legacy to hand
down to my son is that I have
built and launched over one hun
dred vessels for use in war and
commerce. But for over six years
I have built no vessels. While
my being interested in shipbuild
ing, that master craft which,
draws upon every calling, pro
fession and trade, should in no
way detract from the strength of
fair discussion, in which I have
never avoided any issue.
* * •
I wish to say that as I am build
ing no vessels now, there is in
what I write or say only a pa
triotic sense of duty in presenting
the lessons of a lifetime as best I
can. I feel tnat a certain meas
ure of public service should be
given by every one, and I have
been afforded unusual opportuni
ties to study this problem at home
and abroad and enjoyed the inti
mate friendship of such men as
William H. Webb, John Roach,
Charles H. Cramp and W. W.
Bates.
Senator Frye came up to me at
the end of a talk I had been giv
ing and strongly indorsed all I
had said, adding: “Years ago I
was just as enthusiastic as you,
but my efforts seemed to make
about as much impression against
the always vigilant opposition as
putting my finger into the water
and pulling it out would make
upon the ocean.”
Yet Senator Frye tried to fol
low that platform declaration of
his party, and he tried to amend
tariff bills to give us real dis
crimination in favor of American
ships and was voted down.
* * *
Some day we may find out w hy
the Elkins bill, which aimed to
carry out constitutional regula
tion of commerce as pledged in
the plitform upon which Mr. Me-
Kinlev was elected, was with
drawn and a subsidy bill put in
its place, although in the Repub
lican platform of 1880 the fifth
resolution said: “Further subsi
dies to private persons or cor
porations must cease.”
J here was a reason; perhaps
we may hit the trail. We must
bring out, so that it may be
appreciated, evidence of the
steady, relentless war urged
against every effort to revive our
marine—we must expose the
character of such arguments as
are insicere or deliberately mis
leading.
When a statesman takes stands
that seem hurtful to the general
welfare, we must challenge them
so that he must justify or aban
don his position.
Vague references to so-called
antiquated laws must be mad©
definite.
U e must show that our marine,
.called into being by constructive
statesmen, preserved our political
and commercial independence,
how wise law r s were suspended
and what the country lost by such
suspension.
*
* *
We must show that our marine
may be rehabilitated by means
fair to the rest of the world at
the same time fully realizing that,
so great is our depression, such
means must be drastic and com
pelling.
If we expect to find a way to re
gain our foreign transportation
(and we can only regain it at
someone else’s expense) in a way
that shall please those who must
relinquish, w e shall simply live in
hope.
io uie moderation ;
justice of others we are to 1
for fair and equal acces to m
ket with our productions, or
our due share .n tile transpoi
tion of them, but to our c
means of independence and
firm will to use them.”
raffiSLYSIS BFtJ