The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-08-10
SENATE PASSES
THE CANAL
BILL
THE FREE TOLL PROVISION FOR
AMERICAN VESSELS Is AGAIN
ENDORSED.
RAILROAD OWNED SHIPS
BARRED FROM PASSAGE
The Final Vote on the Measure was
AZ to Ex-senator Brandagee who
Lead Opposition Declared Hay
Puancefoot Treaty is Violated.

Washington, Aug. 1O-The Panama
Canal administration bill providing
free passage to American ships, pro-
hibiting railroad-owned vessels from
using the waterway and authorizing
the establishment of a one-man gov
ernment when the canal is completed.
was passed by the Senate last night
by vote of AZ to 15. The provision
for free tolls which was fought In
the Senate Wednesday was endorsed
again just before the passage of the
measure
Attached to the bill were two i'm
portant amendments directed at a
trust or railroad control of steamship
lines. The first, by Senator Reed,
would prohibit ships owned by an il
legal industrial combination from us-
ing the canal and the second, by SEN
ator Bourne, would force railroads to
give up water lines that might other
wise be their competitors II 1t were
proved they were sitting competi.
ton
Opponents of the free toll provision
against which Great Britain made for
NAL protest carried their fight up to
the last moment. Just before pas
sage of the bill Senator Root moved
to strike out the provision for free
tolls to American ships in foreign
/
overwhelming votes.
AS the bill passed would permit
American coastwise vessels TO pass
through the canal free, without con-
ditions; while American foreign trade
ships might pass through free II their
owners agreed to sell the vessels to
the United States at a fair price In
time Of war or emergency.
The great fight of the day centered
about the provision to prohibit rail-
road-owned ships from using the ca
nal. The broad terms of the original
House bill which would have required
every railroad in the country to dis
pose at once Of any steamship lines
with which it might otherwise COM
pete, were not accepted. This was
modified SO railroads would be pro-
hibited only from owning steamship
lines that may operate through the
Panama canal.
The Bourne amendment, however,
adopted later by a vote of SO to aE.
restored much OF the vigor Of the an
ti-railroad provisions Of the House
bill. 1t provided that II the Inter
state Commerce Commission should
find any railroad had an interest in a
competitive line Of steamers and such
interests were injurious to the well
fare Of the public, the commission
might compel the railroad to dispose
OF its steamer connections.
Senator Brandagee made an inef1
fective fight on rigid provisions
against railroad ships. After the
amendments had been adopted he
moved that the whole paragraph rel
lating to railroad control be stricker
out This motion was defeated, Al
to IS. A subsequent proposal by Mr.
Brandagee to permit any ships to use
the canal giving to the Interstate
Commerce Commission power of con
troll over them, was also defeated.
The Reed amendment against trusi
owned ships was called up for sec
ond vote and was adopted on fina
passage. 36 to %.
In the form in which 1t returns b
the House. the bin adds to the genet
al scheme for operating and govern
ing the canal and provides for the ad
mission to American registry Of AM
foreign-built ships owned by Ameri
cans, provided they are operated
wholly In the foreign trade.
/ No debate was allowed on amend
ments offered by Senators Bourn{
and Reed. Senator Brandagee, clos
ing the debate, insisted that the prd
vision admitting American vessel
engaged In the foreign trade to fred
passage was an undoubted violated
of the Hay Pauncefote treaty witf
Great Britain.