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Re ee W. 30 M A R ] N E. WILL GLADLY VOTE FOR IT Editor Marine Review: I am very much obliged to you for your letter of Jan. 17 and the enclosure on the ship subsidy bill now before congress is of greatest interest to me, and in fact I regard it as the most important legislation we have be- fore the country today. While I am not in harmony with the -plan upon which this subsidy is based in this bill, nevertheless, T shall gladly vote for it rather than be a party to further delay, for I regard non-action worse than any policy that has been suggested. In the consideration of this subject, I find six important lines of benefit to the United States, which in the aggregate would seem to make it imperative that we at once take up the subject with the determination to restore the American ocean marine against any and all opposition whatever. These benefits are as follows: First--The payment to our own ships and the retention in our own country of one-half of the freight money paid out for foreign freights, $100,000,000 (total paid out for foreign freights being about $200,000,000). We are by right entitled to over one-half of this freight, for the reason that, while we are entitled to one-half the carriage with nations that have a merchant marine, we are entitled to the whole of the freight- age with countries that have no shipping, for instance, the republics of South America, China, Cuba and some others of lesser importance. Second--The great ship building industry which would come to us in the building of shipping needed. Third--The extension of our commerce, and [ regard this benefit to our country as great as either of the two preceding. We should have at least four times the trade with South America which we are having today, when we have ships of our own plying directly between American and South Ameri- can ports. I regard South America as the legitimate ground' for increased trade which our country is demanding and re- quires, and there is no reason why we should not obtain it other than the lack of American shipping. Fourth--The training of a large class of American seamen to be available for our navy in case of war, or from which our navy can draw recruits at all times. Fifth--American ships to be available as'a reinforcement or addition absolutely necessary to our navy in case of war. Sixth--The removal of the danger of annihiliation of our commerce should any of the nations having large merchant marines and who are now carrying g1 per cent of our com- merce become engaged in war we could not ship our goods in the bottoms of either belligerent nation without danger or certainty of confiscation. The loss involved in the disturbance to.our commerce would be many fold greater than any subsidy ° we would have to pay under any such bill as is proposed. I had hoped that a subsidy bill would be offered, wherein the subsidy would be based upon acttial performance, and by this I mean that there would be a tonnage premium paid for every ton of foreign freight brought in our country. Such tonnage premium should be based upon distance carried. This system would seem to me more equitable, for it would give the same benefit to the small tramp as to the large liner, and to the owner of small means as to the great corporation. I cannot extend my reasons in the short space of this letter, but it seems to me that the basis of actual performance would be a fit basis, and one which would appeal to the American people as being thoroughly honest and free from favoritism. I cannot consider the plan of discriminating duties suggested by the minority report on this bill as a just and reasonable method, for it would give, as I understand it, to a ship with a cargo subject to high duties a greater benefit, while if the ship carried a class of goods now on the free list it would be discriminated against in favor of the ship carrying the goods subject to the higher duty, and as a consequence the Ameri- can ships would be looking for the dutiable cargoes and the non-dutiable cargoes would fall to the foreign carriers as heretofore. It is to be greatly regretted that the American people have become biased against the word "subsidy," regarding it as a synonym for graft or favoritism, whereas, it is simply a means of protection to an industry of greatest importance to the nation, and which has not heretofore received protection, and this protection is needed simply and solely to offset the differ- ence between the cost of labor in foreign countries and our own--laborers in foreign ship yards and seamen receiving much less wages than American laborers receive in our yards and on our ships. The reasons which I have given herein for my support of any reasonable measure (regardless of whether it coincides with my own views or not) looking to the restoring of our shipping in our foreign trade should, and I hope will, be shared by a majority in congress, to the end that we shall have favorable legislation and that immediately upon this subsect. 1. am, Very truly yours, Geo. A. Loup. House of Representatives, Washington, D. C., Jan. 19. MOST VITAL QUESTION NOW BEFORE CONGRESS Editor Marine Review, Sir: I have received the editorial on the question of upbuilding the merchant marine engaged in the foreign trade. I wish we had more assistance like it. There can be no doubt but what the Review and the business men of Cleveland are doing their full share toward creating a healthful and patriotic sentiment in favor of our merchant marine. If our people fully comprehended the importance of this, the most vital question now before the congress, they would not be satisfied with the United States senate that is now squandering valuable time over matters that are not of great moment, to the exclusion of more important and far- reaching measures, in which the whole industrial fabric of this country in a measure, and J may say in a large measure, de- pends. The bill reported by the Merchant Marine Commission is a good one. It would, if enacted into law, start us on the road that would lead to a great saving of money now paid to foreign bottoms for carrying of products and people. One hundred and fifty millions of dollars are annually paid to ships of other countries for services that we as a producing country ought to be able to perform ourselves. We must, if we hope to continue the present prosperous conditions, ex- pand and broaden our market for our products. To expand this market we must find consumers abroad, to get our pro- ducts into the hands of consumers abroad, have more de- livery wagons on the road to these consumers. And Iect me ask what is an American ship with an American crew and flag but a delivery wagon, carrying goods from our great de- partment storehouses. Yours, E. S. MInor. House of Representatives, Washington, D. C., Jan. 20. PROMOTE THE BUILDING UP OF OUR MARINE Editor Marine Review: I am in receipt of yours of the t7th instant and note what you say in relation to the proposed shipping bill. From my first entrance into congress I have done everything in my power to promote the building up of our merchant marine, and I shall be very glad to be put in possession of any facts in support of the measure which would be of service in presenting the matter to the senate. I will greatly appreciate any suggestions you may be able to make or furnish. J. C. Burrows. United States Senate, Washington, D. C., Jan. 20. WILL PASS IF OPPORTUNITY AFFORDS Editor Marine Review: I am in receipt of yours of the r7th inst., calling my attention to the shipping bill now pending before congress. This bill has been reported favorably to the