Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-12-10
ENGLAND makes
FORMAL PROTEST
PROTEST AGAINST PANAMA. ca
NAL ACT READ 10 SECRE-
TARN OF WAR.
CLAIM treaty VIOLATION
Declare President Taft Wrong When
lie said Treaty Was Not
Violated.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 9.-Grelt
BrltIn's formal note Of protest agaInA
that section of the Panama canal act
which exompts American coastwiso
shipping from payment Of tolls for
passing through the Panama canal, n
document written by Sir Edward Grey
British minister for foreign affairs,
was presented to Secretary of states
! Knox tonight by the British ambassa-
dor
James Bryce read the note word for
word to the secretary at the lattera =
home. ii Is an elaboration of the
points of objection in the note present
ed to the state department last July
In brief these objections are:
That, while it was clearly in vio'
lation Of the Hay-Pauncefote treaty
either to remit tolls on all American
shipping using the Canal, the same OBJ
lection probably would apply to the
coastwse trade shipping In view OF
the probable impossibility Of framing
preference to American shipping.
IN addition to supporting these points
by long arguments, Earl Grey indi-
Gates very clearly that strong resist
ance will be offered to any attempt 10
exclude from the canal British ships
owned by Canadian railroads or whose
owners may be guilty of violating the
Sherman antitrust act He holds
that this section of the act cannot ap-
ply to British shipping, but only to
United States vessels
lie also indicates in his note that
underlying the objection to the eX-
emptlon from toll of American coast
wise ships is an apprehension that In
the future the principle might be ex-
tended to cover American ships in the
foreign trade.
Otherwise the note is devoted al
most entirely to an effort to demon
strate that any such exemption OF
American shipping as is proposed s in
direct conflict with the terms Of the
Hay -Pauncefote treaty and that
President Taft was clearly wrong when
he took the contrary viewy
Generally, the British note might be
summed up as a clear definition of tho
differences between the two govern
ments regarding The construction Of
the Hay Pauncefote treaty, winding
up with a proposal that the issues
should be settled by arbitration, pro-
yided that they can not be adjusted by
mutual agreement, for which a way
remains open.
Secretary Knox listened attentlvely
ed to take the matter under careful
consideration, which he felt would re-
auire some time. 1t has been strong
ly intimated in official circles, that II
was the presidents intention to settle
this important question before closing
his administration, either by recon-
mending the senate agree TO submit It
to arbitration, or preferably, by the
more direct means of an agreement
between the two nations referred TO in
todays British note.
The ambassador was accompanied
by Mr.. Innes, the counsellor and Sec
retary of the embassy, and in reading
the entire British note the secretary
followed the instructions Of Earl
Grey.
Earl Grey begins his note with the
statement that the president does not
fully appreciate the British point Of
view and has misunderstood even the
note of July s. He says the British
government does not seek to prevent
the United States from granting SUBJ
sides to its own shipping passing
through the canal, nor does 1t seek TO
deprive the United States Of any
liberty which is open to either them
selves or to any other nation, to en-
courage its own shipping or own COM
merce by subsidies. The purpose Of
the United States in negotiating the
-Pauncefote treaty Was to recov-
er their freedom Of objection and OBJ.
tain the right which they had SUR
rendered in the Clayton -Bulwer treaty
to construct the Canal themselves