Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-14
PANAMA CANAL FIGHT
WILL OPEN TOMORROW
Spirited Contest Over Measure
Is Expected in the
Senate.

The spirited fight over the Panama
canal bill. fight made all the more in
tense because of the protest which Great
Britain has filed that some of its provi-
sions violate a treaty between that gov
ernment and the United States. will be
opened in the Senate tomorrow. The
length Of the struggle is indefinite, but
probably will extend for more than two
weeks.
The Senate decided to take up the
troublesome questions involved in the
canal bill without further delay, when
yesterday afternoon it adopted Senator
Brandegee's motion that the measure be
made the unfinished business to come up
every day for debate.
The motion to take up the bill was
adopted by a vote of 40 to a. The oppo-
sition was made by the democrats. who
desired the democratic tariff bills passed
by the House to be next discussed by the
Senate.
The Senate's action, of course, disposes
of any intimation from Great Britain that
action should be delayed pending diplo-
matte negotiations.
Senator Bacon Criticises.
the protest Of Great Britain in the
oCHdtC ycotCiudy dlleTHOOH WAS
Senator Bacon's criticism that the
notice of the protest was not trans
mitted to the Senate by the State De-
partment in the proper way. Senator
Brandegee had asked that the note of
Secretary of State Knox to him, as
chairman Of the Senate committee on
interoceanic canals. be printed in the
Record, SO it would be in full before
senator's
Senator Bacon intimated that the
question raised by the note from Great
Britain was an important one to the
Senate and that 1t should have been
sent in a formal message to the whole
Senate. He did not however, object
to the printing of the letter of Sec
retary Knox in the Record; and that
was ordered He did not want the
course adopted in this case, however.
taken as a precedent for the State De-
partment.
Senator Brandegee Will probab bly,
open the discussion of the measure
with a brief speech, pointing out the
changes made In the bill as 1t passed
the House. and as it was recommended
for passage by the Senate interOceanic
canals committee.
The bill is before the Senate in
rather an unusual position. There is
no committee report on the bill before
the Senate, as not a majority Of the
committee favors the bill just as it
stands. The measure was taken UP
section by section. and each section
was voted on separately. The divisions
in the committee on different pro-
visions were not the same, OF course;
therefore, all of the completed bill
was not voted for by the same ma
jority as voted for each section AS
there was not a majority in favor Of
the whole bill, majority could not
frame and adopt report
Important Questions.
Many important questions will come
up while the bill is under considera-
ton, besides that raised by Great
Britain in it's protest. There will be
debate on the administration feat
ures of the bill, those provisions which
provide for the administration Of the
Canal Zone and of the canal itself
after it's completion. The House bill
would place all the power in one per-
son, while the Senate committees pro-
three persons-one in charge of the
operation of the canal. one in charge
of the civil government of the Canal
Zone, and third in charge OF the
sanitation.
There will be a hot debate over the
provisions regarding the use OF the
canal by railroad-owned ships. The
Senate committees provisions are diff
ferent from those of the bill as it
passed the House. The whole toll
question will be thrashed out-whether
tolls should, be charged on all ships. or
only on foreign ships. or on all ships
except American vessels engaged in
the United States coastwise trade