The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-08-25
For Naturalization Only


 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
 l This article, he further says. Is de- claration 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 na- tions will be treated alike and no dis
 erimnation made by the United States gainst any one of them observing rules adopted by the United States In other words it was a conditional fa- vored nation treatment, the measure of which is not what the country gives to it's own national. but the treatment 1t extends to other nations.
 Thus 1t is seen, that the rules are but the basis of naturalization intended to effect the neutrality which the United States was willing should be the char acter of the canal and not intended, ito limit or hamper the United States in the exercise of it's sovereign power to deal iith its own commerce. using it's own canal in what manner it saw ft.'s The President argues that if there is nothing in the Hay-Pauncefote treaty preventing Great Britain and other iia- tions from extending favors to thei- shipping using the canal and if there is nothing that gives the United States supervision over or right to complain of such action, then the British protess le ads to the absurd conclusion that this government in constructing the canal, maintaining the canal and defending the canal finds itself short of it's right to deal with it's own commerce in it's own way while all other nations using the canal in competition with America. could enjoy the right and power
 Protest Inconsistent yrhe British protest therefore Is a proposal to read Into the treaty a sur render by the United States of it's righ. to regulate its own commerce, a right
 which neither Great Britain herself nor any other nation that may use the canal has surrendered or proposes to surren- der. A
 The President dissents from the view that permission to register foreign built vessels as vessels of the United States for foreign trade, and the admission with out duty of ship materials will interfere
 with the shipbuilding interests of the
 United States. He approves the amend
 ment of the interstate commerce act whereby railroad companies are forbidden to own or control ships operated through the canal
 He also approved the provision which prevents the owner of any steamship who is guilty of violating the antitrust law from using the canal.
 After notification to the House tonight trat President Taft had signed the Pan
 anna bill, Representative Sims of Ten resseo. ranking member of the House interstate commerce commission, intro- duced a bill repeating the provision of tEe law providing for free tolls of Amer
 ican ships engaged in the coastwise trade. Mir. Sims explained that the bill
 had the endorsement of the majority of the committee and was intended to avoid threatening international compli- cations over the free tolls proposition It will be acted upon among the first bills