It has never had one moments consideration by that branch of the Senate which has primary jurisdiction over a phase of the pending measure which. we are deliberately and officially advised. is inimical to the American merchant marine. If we destroy the possibility of competitive operation of American ships by putting them at a competitive disadvantage. we render profound disservice to the country and all its seamen and all its people. Even an immigration measure must not be permitted to do more harm than good. The inimical element. when identified in the proposed legislation. should be removed. Why is it inimical? The Senator from Pennsylvania presented the unanswerable proofs on yesterday. The Senator from Connecticut has made it perfectly obvious why it is inimical. and I rise only to add emphasis to what he has said. and to observe that if the American merchant marine upon the Pacific must be forced precipitously to be manned 100 per cent with American crews. including the stewards departments. it is next to a physical impossibility for it to hope successfully to compete with its Asiatic competitors for the Pacific trade. when these same competitors can come over these same lanes and into these same American ports without these same strictures. It must be remembered that we have set up in our merchant marine law a deliberate. progressive schedule. under which we are supposed ultimately to reach the climax of American personnel upon our shipsa climax which we certainly all want ultimately to reach. Whether meditated or not. here is an effort to amend. if not to destroy. the deliberate schedule which thus has been set up in the regular fashion in our regular merchantmarine legislation covering this fundamental point.
Keywords matched
Asiatic immigration