Bisbee daily review., 1912-07-25
WANTS FREE TOLLS.

l The Act 10 provide for the opening, maintenance, protection, and opera ton of the Panama Canal" (H. R. 21969} is. in some respects, the most | yitally important piece of legislation which has been before the congress Of the United States in the past thirty years
 1 Section 2 of the bill exempts from tbe payment Of tolls vessels engaged | in eoastwiee trade of the United 1 States, vessels of American registry | engaged in foreign trade, provided that the owners allow such vessels | 10 te taken and used by the United States in case of war or other public emergency, and vessels belonging to ithe government Of Panama. l It is of the highest importance that | the provision giving free passage to 1 American ships in the coastwise trade should be retained because of i its effect upon freight rates both by water and rail, The opposition of inc transcontinent2l railway lines is has ed upon a misapprehension. Water ways have invariably been a benefit, and not an injury. to competing rail- ways. snd there is no reason to be- lieye that the Panama Canal will prove an exception to the rule.
 So far as 1t relates to tolls on our coaStwise commerce the protest of the British government seems Co Yi0- late the coInity of nations. since that is a matter of exclusively domestic concern.
 There may be room fer an honest difference Of opinion as to our rignt 10 exempt American ships engaged n foreign commerce from the payment of tolls-but are we obliged to accept any interpretation which Great Bri- tan may place upon the treaty? Is it not also the right Of the congress Of the United States to interpret the pro visions of the treaty, and its duty to legislate in accordance with that in- depreciation?
 Section II has been radically chang ed for the worse. The viJally import ant provision of the House bin Whicu prohibits railway control or compet- ing water carriers has been struck out entire
 Railroad controlled boats are pro- hibited from passing through the Pan
  trade, but are allowed 10 pass and to handle coastwise trade to the extent Of half their cargo if on the way to or from Oriental or European ports, Would the sole and inevitable effect of this amendment be to give the transcontinental lines monopoly ol .coast-tO-coast traffic both 55y water and rail? Is such a result desirable from the standpoint of public iaier. cst2 The use of ships or Loatsto eS- tend the lines of a railway Is eatigc- ly un0biectional. but there can be no genuine competition between boats and railways operating on paral;el lines and under the same ownership or control.
 Che of the most important featui es of the bill is contained in the latter part of Section II, which gives the Interstate Commerce commission au- thority.
 (al To order the construction of tracks connecting railW avs wien the docks of water carriers and to deter Iaiue the terms and conditions or whioh such tracks shall be operated:
 tb) To establish through rsfItes and
 
 over rail and water lines.
 tcl To establish through proportiln [ al rates by rail Co apG ieofn the ports 10 which traffic is brought or from which it is taken by water carriers. and
 (dl To require railways to give equal treatment to all steamship lines engaged in foreign trade.
 These provisions fi adopted, will 60 far towards estahlishiHg the need cd cs-ord nation of gaii and water trans pOrtation and would cxteae tie Benezts of the Panama canal and Of other waierwsy sys and hartors lar and asidc over the country.
 We believe that the portion os the biI providing
 First. that TO tolls shall be chars et af tae Panama canal to American ships engaged in cossteise trade. and
 Second. giging the inieistais Com merce commission authority 10 reau late the relations between carriers by water and carriers by rail should De retained.
 And that the portion prohibiting the ownership oF control of water ear riess hy competing railways should be restored.
 We earnestly request that you urge ihe senators from your state to work for the passage oi thc hiii In the form outlined above. and that you act at once. since consideration of the bill has already begun.
 Respectfully yours National Rivers and H8rtors Congress fSigned)
 JOSEPH F. RANsDELJ~
 President
 S THffafpE0N