The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-21
Steamship Lines Must Be Pro-
tected From Railroads.
PLAN TO PRODUCE REVENUE
By Charging Foreign Ships 81
Per Net Ton.
Pacific Mail Lines Pirates,
Kansas Senator Says.

and foreign commerce. Mr.. Bristow,
| who made a thorough study of 18TH
milan trade special Panama rail-
road commission in 1905, is especially
dissatisfied with that paragraph of
the bill which purports to discrim-
mate against steamship lines the stock
of which, in whole or in part, is own
ed by railroad com panies. He thinks
there is. a joker in it. He also diff
fers with the house committee as to
the proper rates of tolls to be charged.
My own views" he said today,
are represented in my own bill. In
that the rate is fixed at 81 per ton of
net registered tonnage, American
measurement, for all vessels other
than vessels of the United States and
of the Republic of Panama, with a
further proviso that for vessels of
American registry the charge shall be
fifty cents per net registered ton,
American measurement, for vessels in
the coastwise trade twenty-five cents
per ton.
My bill further provides that the
twenty-five cents charge shall be con-
ditiOned upon agreement by the own
erS that such vessels may be taken
and used by the United States in time
of war upon payment to the owners |
of the fair, actual value at the time of
taking.
Il would favor free tolls for Amer |
lean vessels. in domestic commerce if |
thought that tolls on foreign COM |
merce alone would pay the operating
expenses of the canal. But it seems |
certain that the tolls paid by foreign |
ships would not pay operating eX-
penSeS, and therefore l have fixed in |
my bill the nominal charge for vessels |
in coastwise trade of IS cents per net |
registered ton, which is equivalent to |
approximately IL and one-half to Is |
cents per ton of cargo. This will not |
be a burden and will at the same time |
produce a good deal of revenue.
There is no more reason for charg- |
ing American ships tolls for the use
of the Panama canal than there is for |
charging vessels tolls in any of our |
intercoastal canals owned by the gov
eminent except maintenance charges.
The Panama canal will have heavy |
operating expenses and that expense |
should be borne by the commerce |
benefited by the use of the canal. [ |
do not care to have American COM |
merce pay any interest on the money |
which the government has invested in |
this enterprise, any more than I |
would ask the commerce on the Mis- |
sisSippi river or the Great Lakes or in |
New York harbor to pay interest on |
the investment which the government |
has made in river and harbor i'm |
provements.''
These views, the Kansas senator,
thinks are entertained by a great ma
jority of senators who feel that it
would not be just to tax the American
treasury to operate the canal after
the American people have already |
put more than $4O0,OOO,0OO into the
construction of the canal.
Takes Shot at Pacific Mail Lines.
Il do not believe" continued Mr..
Bristow, that an absolutely free toll
proposition would meet with the APP
prevail of congress. A great many not
faVoring free tolls do heartily favor a
nominal charge such as L have sug-
gested in my measure now before the
senate.
Just word with reference to Pa
cific mail lines. These lines have been
commercial pirates run wholly in the
interest of the tranScontinental rail-
roads for the purpose of using the
Panama canal in private commerce,
and to destroy any steamship Iin1s
that wished to establish legitimate COM
petition with the transcontinental rail-
roads by the isthmian route.
Absolute forbidding of the use of the
canal to steamship lines the stock of
which, any part of it, is owned or
controlled, directly or indirectly, by
railroads or railroad interests doing
transcontinental business is necessary; |
and if such a provision is not incor-
porated in the bill the canal will be of
little benefit to the American people
and American commerce. The great
American railroads assisted by anti
quated navigation laws, have destroyed
the American merchant marine. Take
New England as an example: No
steamship line can operate on the
New England coast except by the per-
mission OF the New OTk, new f1dNCll |
& Hartford railroad. The financial
power of this railroad is so great that
no man will risk investment in any
enterprise in competition with them.
How Line Was Stopped.
When Bernard Baker, of Baltimore.
undertook to organize a company with
Is million dollars capital to put on an
American steamship line to sail be-
tween the Atlantic and the Pacific
coasts through the canal he had his
project practically completed and the /
capital subscribed, when the railroads
and bankers which they controlled
gradually began to take his support
from him, and through their infiuenc
even ship-building companies refused u
construct ships because they did not |
care to incur the enmity of this power
full corporation, and his project failed
THAT will be the outcome in every
effort of this kind unless the Ameri-
can congress absolutely forbids the use
of the canal to steamship lines owned
or controlled by the railroads.
Former Congressman Lafe Pence was
around the house corridors this week
talking of old times
Two Most Alert Men.
THE most alert men I ever knew"
Jerry Simpson of Kansas. Many good
stories have been told about Jerry
Simpsons quick responses, but I think
the best Illustration of it was when the
Democratic convention in 1896 was cali
ed to order at 1874 p. m. The question
in everybody's mind was whether the
convention would declare for coinage
at Is to 1.
The chairman's gavel was supposed
to fall at high noon. But there Wa:
some delay, and it did not fall until
12:44, whereupon Simpson turned to
the newspaper men and said:
Look at the clock. boys We wiz. |
The clock tells the story. Read it as &