PANAMA CANAL TOLLS

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 71, 25 March 1914, Page 3

PANAMA CANAL TOLLS

PRESIDENTIAL ATTITUDE. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 15. President Wilson 'has set'-himself nc i light task in endeavoring to persuad< Congi*ess to repeal the statmte unde) , which, in defiance qf the Hay-Paunce fote Ti'eaty,"'American shipping usin"£ the Panama Canal is; to' be allowed ■ ik do so Avithout payment of tolls. Som< of the leaders of his own party hav< announced themselves as' opposed tc 'him on [this subject, and he is ham •pered by the fact that th© Democrats platfortti, by which he was elected t< office, contained, a platform in favoi .of the exemption of American vessels On this latfcer point the President hai let.it become known -that from .thj first he regarded as unwise the inser tion of this declaration in the plat form. It is his view tthat party plat . forms, should be limited to question of domestic policy, and not embrao I relations with foreign Governments'. !On the Pacific Coast a determine* Sj I fight is being waged in favor of re «(| tainiug the discrimination agains «i which Orent Brijtnin has formally' pro | tested, and no , hesitation is felt i: 'y .charging the President wit

cowardice. "Wilson Yields to Threat of British," is the head-line of a long article in the San Francisco Chronicle, and the paper goes on to assert (that the President would let the Court of St. - James barricade the domestic trade of the United States^ , The argument in favor .of ' exempting American shipping is 'that the United States spent 400,000,000 dollars (£80,000,000) in building a canal upon its own territory, and "as part of its own coast-line," and is, therefore, entitled to throw "open the waterway to its own merchant marine without collecting tolls. Although the treaty guarantees to all nations use of the canal on equal terms, it is denied that the frarners of the treaty meant the woods' "all nations" to include the United States. "THE REAL REASON." Senator Gorman, one *of the strong supporters of exempting. domestic J shipping, in a speech in the Senate, said: "We hay© some people in this count* y who are more English than the English themselves in the consideration of our treaty relations. We are told that possibly a painful impression may be made. I am sure that a painful impression will be made abroad if we .surrender one of our most- essential rights of sovereignty. We can never permit a foreign-Power to intrude upon us its views affecting; our foreign policy." It is freely r stated in this country that the real reason for the. protest of Great Britain is in order that the transcontinental railroads of Canada may be able/to compete with, the canai. If American ships are forced to pay tolls the same as the vessels of all other nations vthen there, will be more j freight business for the railroads. To j all these arguments President Wilson and influential newspapers like the • New -York World oppose the contention that under the treaty the United States is obliged simply as a matter of honor to charge its vessels the same j tolls as are required from the boats of foreign nations. From a practical point of view the chief reason for believing that the President may be able to win the fight lies in (the fact, that the nation would rather give way on the point than submit the controversy to international arbitration. There seems to be no-doubt- but that,,the House of Representatives will"'repeal the measure. The Senate, which always has very decided viewsof its own on matters of foreign policy, shows signs of greater stubbornness. - ttfHen the: matter was up last year powerful, speeches were made against the Bill by Senator Root and tijbhers^ but it passed by an overwhelming majority. ALLEGATIONS OF; CORRUPTION. Fqr a w;ork of such, magnitude the building of the Panama Canal has been surprisingly free from any taint of corruption or < fgriift.!' Only now, in the last days of construction, is heard the fi>st serious, allegation of i j dishonesty by a prominent-remployee i of the commission. " One week ago

Colonel Goefchals suspended from duty John Burke, manager of the commissary department; W. F. Shipley, chief clerk of the same department; and suspended at his own request E. T. Wilson,i chief of the subsistence department This-aetion was taken after a thorough investigation of a charge against Burke that he had accepted gratuities fiom contractors for supplies for the canal. A long .list of deposits in Indianapolis banks ma.de to the credit of " Burke By .European and American contractors was published by Colonel Goethals. The .evidence against Burke has been turned over to the district .attorney of NewYork, who will,, cause him to be indicted and triejl'if the evidence warrants it. • .\. <