New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-08-27
ENGLAND HEARS
DEFENCE Of j. S.
Continued from first page.

Continued from first page.
traffic from canal dues. If the treaty
meant to prevent that II was exceed
ingly badly drafted. The probability
is that the Foreign Office. in negotiat-
ing tho treaty, completely forgot the
American navigation laws. The treaty,
in fact. had A leak from the start ana
was obviously destined To founder. In
Foreign Office attacks on discrimination
in favor Of American coastwise traffic
it's failure was certain.
Too Late for Protest.
The treaty should have been drawn
differently or protest should have
been made as soon as it became OBJ
vious that the Panama Canal was
about to become American territory"
In its issue of August II THE Ma
ton" says:
"Sinse the amendment restricting the
exemption of Canal tolls 10 coastwlse
American shipping less has been hearo
of Americas indifference TO treaty OBJ
legations. Indeed, it il now recog-
nized that this charge of international
immortality was raised by American
conservatives not so much from zeal
for the honor of America as from Il
desire to defeat the bill on other and
more selfish grounds.
president Taft's action was charac-
teristic. He was understood 10 believe
that the bill I'm its present form WAS
not violation of the Hay Pauncefote
treaty. but. anxious to be above suspi-
cion on the point of honor. he proposed
an amending resolution declaring that
the bill left to all the powers their
rights intact under the treaty and Civ
ing them an appeal to tho United States
courts.
Our own view is that our diplomacy
would be well advised not to dispute
Americas rights to exempt the coast
wise traffic which was already a mo-
nopoIy of hers. The chief danger lies
in the extraordinarily wide extension
which American courts have given to
the definition Of coastwise traffic. an
exemption which at present includes
practically all American shipping"
A Reasoned Protest"
In all probability the next develop
ment in connection with the canal dis
pute will he the presentation of a rea-
soned protest by Great Britain against
the alleged violation of the Hay
Pauncefote treaty. This will form the
basis Of diplomatic negotiations which
may ultimately carry the point at issue
to The Hague.
During the last few weeks the Brit
ish government has been carefully pre-
pairing it's case, and therefore 1t is
unlikely that there will be any delay
i'm taking the action indicated. 1t is
expected that statement on the gov
ernment's policy will be made by Sir
Edward Grey directly Parliament re-
assemblies, in October.
Press comments yesterday were Writ
ually restricted TO Unionist papers.
The Daily Chronicle" a leading min
isterial organ. editorially discussing the
situation to-day, says:
Our government has strong case
for appealing to The Hague tribunal.
The Interpretation Of treaty is within
such tribunals work. and the conse-
quenccs i'm this instance are sufficiently
serious TO justify the trouble involved.
1t is not as if the United States adj
mitted preference to coastwise ship
ping, violated the treaty, and arranged
with the other signatory of the treaty,
importance, the violation should be
allowed. What il has, on the con-
trary, done is 10 cover this particular
preference under a new general inter-
probation Of the treaty, which makes
the treaty almost waste paper. We
cannot imagine that under these cir
cumstances, American statesmen will
decline TO have recourse TO The Hague.
To do so would be to strike double
blow at the prestige OF international
agreements. and would be entirely OPP
posed to the extremely honorable ira
dition of the United States i'm foreign
affairs
The Pail Mall Gazette i'm an edito-
rial is disposed TO agree with lie
Temps" Of Paris, that the probity of
the United States government is on a
par with that of the New York police.
1t prints in parallel columns details Of
the Panama discussion and of the New
York police scandals. and says:
NO honest minded American looking
at the parallel columns I'm to-day