Speech #590091836

I only need briefly call your sailing vessels the bill provides for the payment of " subventions " in attention to the few points to which I shall refer. amounts proportionate to the size of the vessels. the nature of the You will observe on page 5 of the bill. from line 13 to 16. inclusive. trade in which they are engaged. etc. A subsidy by any other name there Is a provision that if onesixth of the crew are American citizens smells as rank. and the National Grange protests as earnestly against of the United States. or men who have declared their intention to be- the use of public revenues for subvention to a few persons as against come citizens. that the vessel shall be entitled to subvention. In other bounties or subsidies to the same class of citizens. words. fivesixths of the crew may not only be aliens. but could be The language of the bill Is obscure. perhaps intentionally so. but it Asiatics. and in view of the fact that the tendency of the ship com- Is clear that under it there would be taken during the next ten panics. like other employers. is toward a desire to got the.cheapest pos- years from the money raised by taxing the people of the whole country sible labor. it is not difficult to understand that the shippi ig companies about $50.000.000. which would be given to a small number of persons rce~ving this subsidy would hire as many of the aliens as possible- building or owning steam of sailing vessels. In return for this imthat Is. fivesixths of the crewat a low wage. and through this means mense amount of money what are the. taxpayers of the country. and endeavor to force down the wages of the onesixth of the crew necessary especially the farmers. to receive? to be employed to entitle It to the subsidy. It Is claimed that as the result ofthis system of bounties the num.