St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-22
Tote FAIR ON TOLLS
Says Uncle Sam to Canada.
or Take a Dose Of Your
Own Medicine.
Passage Of the House Bill to
Enable the President to
Retaliate.
The $500" Canal to Be Shut
Against Free Entry When
Necessary.
Congressman Rapidly Clear.
ing UP the Business Of
the House.

WASHINGTON, July 21.-The most i'm
pOrtant Legislation passed by the house
today was the bill to enforce reciprocal
commercial relations between the
United States and Canada. The presi-
dent has sent two messages to congress
on the subject, and today the house
passed the measure without division
and sent it at once to the senate. 1t was
laid before that body just before ad-
journment and placed on the calendar.
This promptness indicates that congress
is very much in earnest in this matter;
that tine president will be heartily sup
ported, and the great interest involved
protected.
When the bill was called up in the
house, Mr.. Blount. of Georgia. said that
the president had in two messages
called the attention of congress to the
fact that. Notwithstanding treaty rights.
United States citizens were discrimi-
mated against in the matter of transpor-
tatOn through the Welland, St. Law
renee and other canals. A rebate was
accorded to Canadian vessels which was
moi accorded 10 American vessels. This
bill was designed to require that this
discrimination should be abolished and
that the treaty rights of American citi-
Zens should he preserved.
Lind Wants to Know.
Mr.. Lind, of Minnesota. inquired
whether this bill might not be con-
strued as an abrogation of the treaty.
Mr.. Blount could not say. He was
not inclined to think it would.
MIR. Lind suggested that if it did it
would be a very serious matter.
Mr.. Blount replied that it probably
would be, but it was very serious mat
ter to meet that the great lakes should
be open TO Canadian trade and denied
to American trade.
MIR. Lind suggested that the United
States receives the free use of the st.
Lawrence river lin perpetuity. This
was very Important right. We could
build canals of our own, but we could
not build st. Lawredce river.
MIR. Blount thought that the govern
ment should stand manfully and hero
lcally for the rights of its citizens and
meet every emergency when it arose.
MIR. Hit, of Illinois, said that the
pending bill was one that deeply con-
cerned the people of the Northwest and
the cities OF the East-everywhere that
the grain trade concerned American
citizens. The grain producers sent their
grain by the lakes and the canals and
by railroads. Vast crops were sent by
water during the water season and the
mode OF passage from Lake Erie to Lake
Ontario was by the Welladd canal.
ReciDrOcal PriviJa~a
American citizens were entitled to the
use of that canal on terms of equality
with Canadian citizens. For that right
they had paid a great price. 1t was
reciprocal privilege. We gave Canada
the use of these great canals on which
the government had lavished millions
of money. For that we were entitled to
the use of the Weliand canal if we paid
the same tolls that the Canadians did.
Every year great sums Of money were
spent for the st. Mary's canal, through
which we welcomed Canadian vessels to
pass free. But while we did this, we
found that for every cargo that passed
through the Welland canal wo-were
charged ten times as much as
were the Canadians. 1t was bald fact
that American trade was subject to ten
times the eXactions that Canadian trade
canal. For every $1,000 paid on cargoes
| going to Canadian ports $4,000 was eX-
| acted from the grain raiser and shipper
| OF the Northwest.
Provisions of the Bill.
The bill, which was passed without
division, provides that when the presi-
dent shall be satisfied that the passage
through any canal or lock connected
n I IN
river, the great lakes or the waterways
connecting the same, of any vessels of
| the United States, or of cargoes or pas
| SengerS in transit to any port of the
| United States, is prohibited or is
| made difficult or burdensome by the
imposition of tolls or otherwise, which
he shall deem to be reciprocally unjust
and unreasonable, he shall have the
power to suspend the right of free pas
| sage through the st. Mary's Falls canal,
| so far as it relates to vessels owned by
the subjects of the government dis
eliminating against the United States.
The sponsors OF the bill lost no time
after its passage, but hurried it through
the hands of the engrossing clerks and
had it sent over to the senate. 1t is a
significant fact that when it reached the
senate the bill was at once placed on the
calendar as substitute for CORE
spending bill which had already been
reported from the senate foreign rela-
tiOns committee.
Senators VIII Rush 1t.
This was done without single objec-
ton, and it means that the bill will be
passed by the senate and sent to the
| president as soon as it can be reached.
That will not be long if the usual prac-
tice of resorting TO the calendar every
morning is pursued. The action of the
house today was by no means as hasty
as 1t might appear, for even in the last
Democratic administration the diplo-
matte officers of the government had
begun to impress upon congress the
| necessity of doing something in the
nature of retaliation to meet the con-
tinued discrimination of the Canadians
against American commerce.
AS the president has recommended
the legislation, there can be no doubt of
action upon the bill when it reaches
him. Moreover. it is only the first step
| in retaliation on the part of this govern
ment, for if it fails of its purpose it may
be followed up by the enactment of
other pending bills that are much more
stringent i'll terms; for instance, cutting
off the immensely valuable privilege now
| enjoyed by the Canadians of shipping
goods through the United States in
bond and without the payment of duty