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Show The Shame Of It WHEN the war broke out in Europe, all the world saw that the storm awakened would involve all Europe, and that international commercial commer-cial relations would at once become most complicated. compli-cated. The United States was helpless on the sea so far as merchant ships were concerned; we had for fifty years watched supinely and seen Germany Ger-many build a great merchant marine and by it, and by her factories and an enlightened protective H tariff not only grew rich, but so rich that she was M ready to engage all Europe in a war through H which to extend her empire north and south until H her ships would control the North sea, a part of JM the Baltic, the Adriatic and be a compelling force H in the Mediterranean. H But even the war and the danger that menaced M our commerce and our peace could not awaken those in control of our government to attention. The constitution of the Southern Confederacy was still in force in Washington. H President Wilson did propose to buy and for a short time run some foreign ships under our flag, M but he would not promise that they should run for M a day after the war closed and the old rule should be restored to carry our commerce in for- H eign ships, and England and France protested M against our purchase of German ships interned in M our harbors, as it would give aid and comfort to M a power with which they were at war. And con- M gress adjourned without doing a thing, and now M our people are being killed in foreign ships and M another harvest waits to be moved and not one M new ship is ready, or has been ordered to All the M need. The only thing that has been done by the M government regarding our foreign commerce has M been to impose tolls upon American coast ship- M ping that seeks to pass through the Panama M canal. M Had the order been made by congress for the M immediate construction of fifteen first-class mer- M chant steamers, they would have been ready two M months ago and there would have been no Ameri- M cans on the Arabic, and we would have been un- M loading our wheat and flour and salted meats M upon Brazil and receiving from her the sugar M and coffee and rubber which she has, and upon M which her prosperity rests. And Argentine wants H American agricultural implements, automobiles and pianos, and threshing machines and electri- H cal devices and a thousand other American artl- H cles and has ample means to pay for them. But H we have no ships, no prospect of any ships for H those in power have ceased to comprehend that iH a great nation that must sell her products to for- H eigners in order to make any profit from them, H must also have the express wagons to deliver the ;H goods. H |