Show AN AX UNBALANCED U MARINE All L AllVar War Var ar and intI No Xu Bu Tho Navy a Is TO Top 11 Heavy and arid Will WiH ill Bo Inefficient Without tho Ito Support of u a Merchant Fleet Letter from John A. A Ponton secretary of the Iho Merchant Marine league ue rho The na navy department as you ou know Is preparing for fOl fora fOla a practice cruise of or the battleship fleet now on tho the Atlantic coast to the Pacific ocean There Thero aro are sixteen huge hus-c In iii this fleet nce a force greater than titan the entire naV navy of Japan It Is emphasized In Washington that this is a peaceful cruise and not a a. threat but when these battleships reach the tho Pacific coast there thero will be beno beno beno no doubt in any mans man's mind as to the military mastery master of the Pacific ocean But Dut how about the commercial mastery Is not this equally Important What hat kind of or a fi figure has the United States Slates come conic to cut in those western seas Six months ago aJo there were fifteen American merchant steamships most of oC them of or lar largo large o size running from Crom our western ports in trans-Pacific trans service to and the Orient Since congress adjourned on March 4 last without enacting the ocean mall mali bill bill which President Roosevelt so 50 earnestly recommended one of or these American Amer Arner- ican lean steamships has been lost at sea Six others have ha been withdrawn and it Is rumored that two more will follow In six months therefore tho the American merchant merchant mer mer- chant fleet In Pacific commerce has shrunk from front fifteen steamships to eight and amid when congress reassembles next December it is likely that only six will bo be left lert When hen the great armore armored fleet goes around the Horn HOIn therefore the world will see the grotesque spectacle of sixteen American battleships guarding six American merchant merchant mer nier- chant steamships in trans Pacific commerce almost commerce almost three battleships to one merchantman We 0 Americans seem sc-cm to bo terribly solicitous of ot our OUI military prestige But how about our commercial Is this ing The er cry pf HarrIman all and can gress last March Ua ch Harriman and lull Hill Il h hurl hail not asked sl tor for government subventions sub Other American American however o will who ho Were not railroad magnates ha hatt aked for Cot them an and wh when n congress refused the they haut hauled down o n their nabS flags and quit the tho ocean H Harriman and Hill re ye- ye They were not nOl hurt they did dill not miot care They laughing In their sleeves at congress s which hano ha has now hOW driven their thell American s Cr from m th Ocean Tho The J Japanese pane e are ale not afraid of or the Vord subsidy They Thy su subsidize their shipyards to help them them b buIldS build ships 1 They rhey subsidize situ ship lines to reinforce their thel n Yr and an Corl convey Corly y their commerce The They pa pay to three steamers running from froni Yokohama to Puget soun sound 3 OOOO a l year car The Tho British government pays to three British I steamers steamer's from Vancouver cl British ColumbI Columbia to Japan nn I and China ChIno a year The great arid and rich United d States Stales government go a n. year ago ngo was paying 1 or I to lo seven American steamships from Crom Pu Puget et sound to Japan China and the Philippines I Ito Tho owners of or these American American ships ships not Il I Hill Hlll but the owners of or the other ships ships asked asked congress for fora a a. mall mail subvention which would woul at least put them on a 1 parity with their British and arid Japanese competitorS competitor These said that they could not possibly run their steamers without some sonic national aid Con Congress refused Thereupon three of oC tho the five American steamers were Immediately withdrawn Two 1 others it is understood will follow them A 4 sixth ship the Dakota was wrecked off Japan By Dy next winter there will vili probably bo be only one American steamer carrying our commerce across the north Pacific to the Orient I The Oceanic line to operating t three ships appealed to congress congre s to give It Jt an increased subvention sub n that thai would put It on a parity with European lIn s. s The TlC company declared frankly that unless this were lone dona tho the route roule would have to be bo abandoned Congress re ye- ye fused The Tho company has given up Its Ils contract and not lOl ono one American steamship is now running across the south Pacific But Japan has subsidized a 3 steamship i Hn-i from Cram Yokohama to She has subsidize subsidize- another line lino to America She Is doing the business which our ships did and is securing the tho commerce for 01 her merchants These Japanese steamships discriminate habitual habitually against American trade trado In favor or of oC Jai Jap Japanese in i e trade That is what they are paid to do It Il is for tal this that these Japanese steam lines are established While we ive C are fre making a great fuss ruS an and feathers over our battleship fleet an and bragging what what It can do Japan apan apan I has quietly won a n. peaceful victory victory- She has wiped our merchant ships ore off the time map on the Pacific i o A o that there will ivill be no w war var r. r but If there thero were a n. wai Japan l h would have what we almost absolutely lack antI and that is the Indispensably auxiliary naval reserve of ot m nt ships to convey supplies for or the fighting ships carry to-carry- o C troops and to forward forwar ammunition Japan would have sailors too inured to the sea and antI to war von on In peace we cannot begin to find n l men n eno enough h to toman toman man our fighting vessels Do you ou approve of ot the policy which crO crowds crOs s our r Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- with battleships anti and ignores entirely our OUI merchant ships Of or what avail will the mastery of or tho the Pacific bo be to us if Ir Japan dominates the time shipping and monopolizes the commerce of or that mightiest of or s |