Omaha daily bee., 1912-08-09
SENATE UpHOLDS FREE TOLLS
Upper Chamber Makes Defiant
Answer to Great Britain.
LONG DEBATE ON CANAL BILL
Disputed Clause Applies Only to
American COastwisc Ships-The
Vote stood Forty-Four
to Eleven.

WASHINGTON. Aug. s.--By vote of
"A to II the senate late tonight refused
to strike from the Panama canal bill
the provision exempting American
coastwise ships from payment OF tolls
for passage through the Panama canal
Debate on the question had continued
from p m. until nearly midnight. The
senate then adjourned until tomorrow
without voting on the bill itself.
The defeat of the Burton amendment
to strike out the discrimination In favor
of American ships was the senate's de-
fiant answer to the protest of the Brit
ish government against the legislation.
1t was this clause of the bill which led
Great Britain to send formal protest
to the State department.
The senators who voted insfavor Of the
Burton amendment are: Brandegee,
Burton, Crane. Fall, Gronna Lodge,
Nelson, Oliver, Penrose, Root and Wet
more.
Cummins FOresees War.
Just before the vote was taken Sem
ator Cummins made an impassioned
speech. in which he charged senator's
who interpreted the Hay-Pauncefote
treaty as denying to the United States
the power to discriminate in favor of
its own ships with giving an interpreta-
ton which they knew the American
people would not observe. He declared
the question of power was one that
could not be arbitrated and that should
diplomacy fail in it's settlement, war
would be the final arbiter
Senators Williams and Burton declared
Senator Cummins was disregarding the
arbitration treaty between the United
States and Great Britain.
Because of the delicacy Of the situ-
alton Senator Stone asked that the order
directing q roll call on the Burton
amendment should be vacated and a ris-
ing vote taken instead. Objection to
this procedure from Senator O'Gorman
resulted in the roll call being taken.
During the evening the clause in ques-
ton, which provided that no tolls should
be levied upon vessels engaged in the
coastwise trade Of the United States was
amended upon motion of Senator Hoke
Smith of Georgia, by making the ex-
emption apply only to vessels engaged
exclusively in the coastwise trade of the
United States.
Another amendment by the senator re-
quiring owners of ships to acknowledge
the United States free from liabilities
for damages resulting from their pas
pa throi1plr bo mol of fal c.
was an amendment by Senator Percy,
which provided that vessels owned by
Americans but built abroad, should be
entitled to registration for the coastwise
trade.
Limited terms for civil service employees,
abolition of the commerce court and re-
tention of its five judges as extra circuit
judges will be submitted to President
Taft as provisions for the legislative,
executive and judicial appropriation bill.
All these proposals, already approved
by the house were adopted by the senate
today by vote of 80 to 10 against the
opposition Of Senators Cummins, Craw-
ford, Burton, Lodge and several others.
Some of President Taft's friends say he
will veto the bill, although in doing so
he will ho'd up his own salary, that OF
every member of congress and every
United States judge, Such action on the
presidents part would also further delay
the annual appropriation, overdue since
July /. The president is said to oppose
the abandonment of life tenure for civil
service employees and also the abolition
Of the commerce court
The bill carries an appropriation Of
S34, 1000.