Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-11-01
SPEAKS
ON THE BUILDING
0FPANANACANAL
Idaho Congressman Shows
His Familiarity With All
Problems Relative to Con-
struction of Big Ditch.
Capital News Special Service)

(Cdpital news Specldi SerNIce)
ST. Mares, Nov. 1.-Congressman
French spoke here last night to a large
and enthusiastic audience.
Representative French referred to
the Panama canal and told something
of the history Of its building and the
laws that congress was called upon to
enact for its government at the ses-
sion of congress that has just closed.
Mr. French said in part:
"A dozen years ago, when we de-
termined upon the policy of a Panama
canal, we determined upon course
that was destined forever to have a
dominent influence upon the CONNER
cial relations between the Atlantic and
the Pacific coasts OF the United States
with relation to each other and with
relation to the entire world. The
completion of the Panama canal cuts
off two thirds OF the distance between
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. I'll
cuts off 1900 miles of the distance
between Portland and Seattle and the
ports of Europe that consume the
grain and other products Of the north
west 1t makes it possible for ships
to handle a certain class of freight be-
tween the east and the west that has
already congested our railroads and
that can be handled for far less ex-
pense by ships than can be handled by
being hauled upon the railways.
THE United States will have ex-
pended in the completion of this canal
in round figures something like $780,
600, 200 Many additional millions will
need to be expended for the fortifica-
ton of the locks. Two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars annually will
need to be paid to the republic of
Panama for the right of maintaining
and operating the Panama canal All
of this expense has been met and will
be borne by the government of the
United States. The canal will prob
ably be completed by next year and
the question of the handling of tolls
that shall be charged to ships plying
through the canal was one of the most
important problems that the recent
congress was called upon to consider.
Hay-Paunceforte Treaty.
The Hay-Paunceforte treaty was
agreed upon more than dozen years
ago by the United States and Great
Britain and in that treaty we said,
The canal shall be free and open to
vessels of commerce and of war of all
nations observing these rules on terms
of entire equality so that there shall
be no discrimination against any such
nation or subjects in respect of the
conditions or charges o. traffic or
otherwise. Such conditions and
charges of traffic shall be just and
equitable In another section of the
treaty 1t was set forth that the Unit
ed states shall enjoy all the rights in
cident to such construction There
were members OF congress who de-
clared that the United States must of
necessity, under the terms of the
treaty, charge the same tolls to all
ships of our country passing through
the canal as would be required of
ships of foreign countries. There
were others who contended that the
United States should relieve all ships
of the United States from all tolls,
whether engaged in traffic that was
coastwise or between the United
States and foreign countries
"Probably all We're anxious to give
to our people the best possible con-
sideration that could be given in view
of the language that had been used in
the treaty between the United States
and Great Britain. For my part, was
strongly DESTROYS of doing this for
realized that it would mean lower
freight rates to the northwest and
that consequently from year to year
sum that can not easily be figured
would be turned into the pockets Of
the producers of commodities to be
shipped to other parts, or, ON the other
hand, saved by the consumer of COM
modities brought from the east or
from foreign countries to the north
west.
What could we do under the treaty
was the problem. Fortunately for
those OF us who took this position,
there had been a construction made
by the supreme court in the case of
a treaty affecting the port tolls to be
charged to vessels of Great Britain
on entering the various ports of the
United States. The treaty with Great
Britain says, NO higher or other duty
or charges shall be imposed in any of
the ports of the United States on Brit
ish vessels than those payable in the
same ports by vessels of the United
States Following this, some years
ago, we passed an act relieving Ameri-
can vessels engaged in coastwise trade
from these tolls and the law was chal-
lenged Immediately by British ship
pers. The case was carried to the
supreme court held that there was a
difference between the application of
| that treaty to American ships engaged
in foreign trade and merely engaged
in trade between ports within the
United States.
Quotes Justice White.
I'm deciding that case Mr.. Justice
| White, the present chief justice of
the United States supreme court, used
| this language: Neither the exemp-
ton of coastwise vessels from pilotage
resulting from any law OF the United
States nor any lawful exemption of
coastwise vessels created by the state
| law concerns vessels in the foreign
| trade and. therefore. any such exemp-