The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-25
PANAMA CANAL
BILL IS SIGNED
BY PRESIDENT
Executive Then Sends Mes
sage to Congress Suggesting
Passage of a Resolution to
Counteract Protest.
STATES POSITION
OF THE GOVERNMENT
Adoption of the Measure Not
Considered Violation of
Treaty and Congress Is
Asked to Say So.
STATES POSITION
OF THE GOVERNMENT

M n
NM dent Taft signed the Panama
Wv canal bill at 7.1o clock 90
night. Following this he sent
to congress 81 memorandum suggesting
the advisability Of the passage of a
resolution which would declare that
this measure was not considered by this
government violation OF the treaty
provisions regarding the canal.
In discussing the British protest
against the exemption Of American
shipping from the payment of tolls for
the use of the Panama canal, Mr.. Taft
says the irresistible conclusion to be
drawn from it is that although the
United States owns, controls and has
paid for the canal, it is restricted by
treaty from aiding its own commerce
in the way that all the other nations
Of the world may freely do.'
The Sole Question.
I'm view of the fact" Mr.. Taft
says, s'that the Panama canal is being
constructed by the United States wholly
at its own cost. upon territory cedcd to
it by the republic of Panama for that
purpose, and that unless it has re-
stricted itself, the United States enjoys
absolute rights Of ownership and CON
troll, Including the right to allow its
own commerce the use of the canal
upon such terms as it sees fit, the sole
question is: Has the United States (by
IA re ho Iau of fot a
treaty. deprived itself of the exercise
of the right to pass its own commerce
free, or to remit tolls collected for the
use of the canal7'
The president points out that the
rules specified in the article of the
treaty which is made the basis for the
British protest were adopted by the
United States as the basis of the
naturalization Of the canal, and for no
other purpose,
Ali Treated Alike.
This article, he further says, "is a
declaration of policy by the United
states that the canal shall be neutral;
that the attitude Of this government
towards the commerce of the world is
that all nations will be treated alike
and no discrimination made by the
United States against any one OF them
observing the rules adopted by the
United states. In other words, it was
a conditional favored nation treatment.
the measure Of which in the absence of
express stipulation to that effect is not
what the country gives TO its own ma
ton, but the treatment it extends to
other nations.
''Thus it is seen that the rules are
bat the basis of naturalization intend
ed to affect the neutrality which the
United States was willing should be the
character Of the canal and not intended
to limit or hamper the United States
IN the exercise of its sovereign power
to deal with its own commerce in usiu 2
its own canal in whatsoever manner It
saw ft,'
Absurd Conclusion.
The president argues that if there
is nothing in the Hay-Pauncefote
treaty preventing Great Britain and
the other nations from extending IA
vors TO their shipping using the canal,
and If there is nothing that gives the
United States any supervision over or
right.to complain of such action, "then
the British protest leads to the absurd
conclusion that the government con-
structing the canal, maintaining the ca
nal and defending the canal, finds itself
shorn Of its right to deal with it's own
commerce In its own way, while all 9th
er nations using the canal in competi.
tion with American commerce enjoy
that right and power unimpaired.
1.-The British protest therefore is a
proposal to read into the treaty a sur.
render by the United States of its right
10 regulate its own commerce in its owr
way and by its own method, a right
which neither Great Britain herself nol
any other nation that may Use the ca
nal, has surrendered or proposes to sur.
render
In his memorandum the president dis
sents from the view that permission tc
register foreign built vessels as vessels
Of the United States for foreign trade
and the admission without duty of shiI
materials will interfere with the ship,
building interests OF the United States
lie approves the amendment of the in
teTstate commerce act whereby railroad
companies are forbidden to own or con
troll ships operated through the canal
He also approves the provision which
prevents the owner of any steamship
who is guilty of violating the anti
trust law from using the canal
The president presented the pen witt
when he signed the canal bill to Viii
liam r. Wheeler of San Francisco.
Action in House.
After notification TO the house touigh
that President Taft had signed the Pana
ma bill. Representative Sims Of Tennes
see. ranking member OF the house inter
stote commerce committee, introduced
bin repeating the provision Of the iay
providing for free tolls OF American ship
aged IN the coastwise trade
Mr.. Sims explained that the bill ha
the Endorsement OF the majority Of tn
committee and was intended 10 avoi
threatening international complica tIon
over the free tolls proposition II will b
acted upon among the first bills take
up when congress reconveues In Decem
ber.