The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-08-10
Senate Voted AZ to Is to Pro
vide One Man Govern
ment for the Zone.
RAILROAD OWNED VESSELS
CANNOT NOT USE WATERWAY
Free Passage for American Ships In
cluded in the Provisions-.America
Vessels Engaged in Foreign Trade
Free under Certain Fixed Conditions

Washington, Aug. 10.-The Pan
anna canal administration bill provid-
ing free passage to American ships,
prohibiting railroad owned vessels
from using the waterway and author
izing the establishment of one-man
government when the canal is COM
pleted, was passed by the senate las,
night by a vote of AZ to Is. The pro-
vision for free tolls which was fought
out in the senate Wednesday. was en-
dorsed again just before the passage
Of the measure.
Attached to the bill as it passed
the senate We're two important
amendments directed at trust or rail-
road control of steamship lines. The
first. by Senator Reed, would pro-
hibit ships owned by an illegal in
dustrial combination from using the
Bourne, would for railroads to give
up water lines that might otherwise
be thei rcompetitors, if ii We're prov
ed that they were sitting competition
Opponents of the free toll provis-
ion for American ships, against which
Great Britain made formal protest
carried their fight up to the last mo-
ment of the bills consideration. Just
before its passage Senator Root NOV
ed to strike out the section giving
free tolls to American coast vessels;
and Senator Hoke Smith of Georgia
moved to strike out the provision for
free tolls to American ships in the
foreign trade. Each motion was de-
feated by an overwhelming vote.
Coastwise Vessels Free.
AS the bill passed, it would permit
American coaStWise vessels to pass
through the canal free without condi-
tions; while American foreisn-trade
ships might pass through free if their
owners agreed to sell the vessels tc
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 orig
every railroad in the country to dis
pose at once of any steamship lines
with which it might otherwise com
pete, We're not accepted by the SEN
ate. This was modified so that rail-
roads would be prohibited only from
owning steamship lines that may op-
crate through the Panama canal.
The Bourne amendment. however
adopted later by a vote of SO to 25
restored much of the vigor of the an
|ti-railroad provisions of the house
bill. 1t provided that if the interstate
commerce commission should find
that any railroad had an interest in a
competitive line of steamers, and
that such interest was injurious to
the welfare of the public, the com
mission might compel the railroad to
dispose of its steamer connections.
Senator Brandesee, chairman of
the inter-oceanic canal committee of
the senate, made an ineffective fight
on the rigid provisions against rail-
road ships. Afte 'rthe amendments
to the house bill had been adopted
he moved that the whole paragraph
relating to railroad control be strick-
en- out. This action was defeated
45 to IS. A subsequent proposal. by
Mr.. Brandegee to permit any ships
to use the canal, giving to the inter
state commerce commission power to
control over them. also was defeat
ed.
The Reed amendment. against trust
owned ships. was called up for Sec
ond vote before the bill passed, and
was adopted on final passage by a
vote of SO to %.
The completed canal bill finally was