Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-26
I aft Puts His Signature
To Panama Canal Bill.
Says II Is a Basis Of Neutrali.
zaiion-- Nothing in the
Hay--pauncefoot Treaty That Leads
Great Britain TO PROTEST.


at 40 O'clock. Saturday night. Fol-
lowing this he sent to Congress a
| memora ndum suggesting the adNisa
bility Of the passage of a resolution
| which would declare that this meas
ure was not considered by the gov
eminent of the 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 canal, MIR. Taft
says the Irresistible conclusion to be
| drawn from it is that although the
United States owns, controls and has
paid for tie 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
IN view Of the fact" MIR. Taft con-
| tinues, that the Panama canal is
beins constructed by the United
states wholly at its own cost, upon
territory eeded TO il by the Republic
OF Panama for that purpose, and
that unless it has restricted itself, the
| United States enjoys absolute rights
| OF ownership and control, including
| the right to allow it's own. commerce
the use Of the canal upon such terms
| as It sees, fit. the sole question is: h
Has abe United States t5y &c
terms or -Paunc1fote treaty. de-
| pr4vcdt itself of the exercise of the
Fright to pass it's own commerce free,
or to remit tolls collected for the use
| of the canaf?'
The President points out that the
| rules specified in the article of the
treaty which is made tile basis for the
British protest We're adopted by the
| Ur,+ted States as the basis of the
naturalization of the canal and for
| no other purpose" This article, he
| further SAYS. rs q declaration of
| policy by the United States that the
canal shall be neutral, that the atti-
| tude Of this government towards the
commerce of the world is that all ma
| tons will be treated alike and no dis
| elimination made by the United
States against any one of them OH
| serving the rules adopted by the
| United states. In ether words, it was
! 4 conditional favored nation treat
nent, the measure of which, in the
| abse nee of express stipulation to that
| effect, is not what the country gives
| to its own nationals but the treat
| ment it extends to other nations.
Thus it is seen that the rules are
| but the basis of naturalization. in
tended to effect the neutrality which
| the United States was willing should
| be the character of the canal, and not
| intended to limit or hamper the Unit
| cd States in the exercise of It's SOW
! ereien power to deal with its own
| commerce, using its own canal in
| whatsoever manner it saw fit.
! The President argues that if there
| is nothing in the Hay Pauncefote
treaty preventing Great Britain and
| other nations from extending faVors
| 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 this govern
ment in constructing the canal MAIN
tanning the canal, and defending the
canal nds itself shorn of its right to
deal with it's own commerce in it's
| own way, while all other nations us
ing the canal in competition with
American commerce enjoy that right
unimpaired
THE British protest, therefore. is
a preposal to read into the treaty a
surrender by the United States OF it's
right 10 regulate its own commerce
in it's own way and by its own meth
cd. q right which neither Great Brit
ain herself nor any other nation that
n1av use the canal has surrendered
or proposes til, surrender"
/ in his memorandum the President
dfssAnts FROM the view that permits
sim to register foreign-built vessels
as vessels ,of the United States for
foreign tradeg;and the admission with
out duty, Of ship materials. will in
terfere with the shipbuilding interests
of the United States He approves
the amendment of the interstate COM
merce act whereby railroad com
panies are forbidden to own or con-
| troll ships operated through the canal.
London Aug zo.-iost Oh the Eohuoii
morning newspapers PRINT eoltofials III
which regret Is expressed ti'at Ffesiueht
tart signed me fahatha eanat mi ana
they unite IN declaring Tue pilusa gov
eminent VIII ran IN lts outy II 1t uoeS maj