The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-03
SUPPLIES FOR
 CANAL WORK Resolution Regarding
 Purchase is Passed. TELLER VOTES WITH MAJORITY Efforts to Amend Committees Re-
 port Are Unavailing. Senator Hale Criticises Chairman Shonts of the Commission for At- tempting to Instruct Con- gress as to Its Duties.
TELLER VOTES WITH MAJORITY

Washington, May 2.-The Senate proceeded early today with the con- sideration of the joint resolution de- claring policy in the purchase of supplies for the Panama canal and as soon as 1t was laid before the Sem ate, vote was taken on Senator Mall lory's amendment striking out the of the character of domestic bids which should justify resort to foreign markets in procuring canal supplies It was lost 19 to 39.
 Senators Patterson and Mallory both expressed regret over this action, hold ing that the use of both the words unreasonable" and "extortionate" was unnecessary.
 The next vote was on Senator Car mack's substitute providing that in all contracts for supplies preference shall be given to domestic products. The conditions of equality and price being equal" It was also rejected f7 to 39.
 Senator Teller then took the floor in support of the resolution as reported, at the same time taking occasion to announce his continued adherence to the protective system and expressing dissatisfaction with the course of the officers of the canal In their efforts so influence the type of the canal
 Any tariff sufficient to meet the rev. enue demands of the country" he said, lis protective tariff, and I consider the cry for tariff for revenue only as a mere play upon words. Alter reiterating his often expressed doubts about the canal meeting all the sx- pectations concerning it, he made ref erence to & recent utterance of MT. shonts In favor of great expedition in canal construction, saying that If this high official who is getting ss0.0o0 year Is so much concerned on this point, I think it would be more con sistent for him to go to the isthmus where the work is to be done and stay there"
 Hale and shonts.
 And" Senator Hale interrupted to say, while the Senate is considering the question of the type of canal MT. Shonts has been presenting one side of the question and in effect has giv- en instructions to the Sena< He added that he did not consider this "precisely the thing for an ott'cial to do.-
 MT Teller responded that re had not been surprised. and called attenticn to the fact that the chief engineer was pursuing a similar course in the matter of advice as to the type or the canal.
 A resolution by Senator Money di- recting that in purchasing domestic articles as canal supplies no greater price should be paid than is pad for similar articles when exported and sold abroad. was voted down. IS to 34.
 Senator Bacon presented an amend ment to the same effect as that of- fered by MT. Money and entered on argument to show that S3O,0Oo.o00 could be saved by the United States in pur. chasing supplies for the canal In for eign markets. He reached this conclu- sion by estims ting the total supplies at Ss0 900 900, and the tariff on the en- tire quantity at $30.o0o,000. the amount that could be saved by purchase abroad
 He said that many articles of Amer icsn manufacture were sold abroad at much lower prices than were obtained in the United States for the same ar ticles and had read two letters citing such sales in the matter of steel rails In one instance 1t appeared that the same mill had sold rails to Texas Mexico road at the~rate of $2S in Tex as and at S24 in Mexico.
 To this Senator Aldrich replied that "It is A well known fact that producers in the United States and elsewhere sell at A less price In foreign markets thtn to regular customers at nome, nut this fact has never affected the decision of the people of the United States as 10 what our economic policy should be
 
 Senator Mo: gan followed in a gen. eral speech on the canal question, con- demning the principle on which the res olutIon was based and urging that the contract system be adopted. He did not especially urge that the entire work should be entraced in onJ coEtract. l but that if necessary numerous con tracts D, entered into. He said tfa' many dredges and many steam shovels | would be needed and that unless there was a general contract covering them no | one would he prepared to supply them. |
 He declared that under the present | system the canal would not be com pleted within thirty years. He b"liev- ed the present effort at Legislation tal- 1 culated to belittle the subject because | this was the land of law an1 not of | discretion in individuals however high | their position. He said. however, :hat l he believed in preferring the products | of the United States. Incidentally. he | said that the United Statss should | take the canal out of the control of | the New York trust which no said was | holding on to the control because of | the profit there is in it."
 The Bacon amendment was then yot- | ed down l5 to 37
 Amendments by Senator Money per hitting the purchase of American | goods in foreign markets; by Senator | Mallory requiring lHt same COnult1OnS in foreign and domestic purchases: by | Senator Deliver. providing that the | legislation shall not affect the pur- chase of dredges for which bids have | already been advertised. were voted down in succession by votes of more than two to one.
 Al the instance of Senator Pettus the resolution was so amended as to require that bids be from responsible bidders.
 Senator Bailey spoke on the general merits of the resolution. He said that he would have been gratified if the party in the Senate had been {; found willing to follow the President in his formerly announced determina- ton to purchase abroad If better prices coufd not he secured at home but he said that even that policy had not been followed. the present proceedings was not without its moral effect upoN the public mlnd.
 The Inevitable deduction must be that the disparity between American and foreign prices were so great that 1t had roou{rad a Congressional resolution to