The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-01-22
We MUST REPEAL
PANAMA CANAL
TOLL CLAUSE
Senator Root Says Our Reputa-
ton Is at Stake
WORD PLEDGED TO WORLD
Territory on the Isthmus Does Not
Belong to Us Except in
49,. Trust. -. -. 80.

Washington, Jan. 22.--"The United
States should either submit the Pan
ANA free toll question to impartial
arbitration, or retire from the posi-
ton we have taken," was the declar-
alton of Senator Root in the Senate
yesterday in a speech favoring repeal
of the free toll provision of the new
Panama canal act. Senator Root
took the position that Congress
should not have passed law last
summer that Disseminated against
foreign shipping and granted free
tolls to American coastwise shipping.
That action, he declared, had been
source of great regret to multi
tudes of our fellow-citizens" and had
created painful impression
throughout the world" Senator Root
was an active opponent of the free
toll provision when the canal act
passed last August and his speech
yesterday opened a fight to secure
an amendment OF the law before 1t
goes into effect.
Senator Root declared yesterday
that Congress had been tired out be-
fore the bill was taken up last sum-
mer and that the measure did not re-
ceive proper consideration. "a de-
cent regard for the opinion of man
kind was one of the motives set by
the people of these colonies into the
great declaration of their indepen-
dence," said Senator Root. He out
lined the relations between the
United States and Great Britain
which had led up to the making OF
the Hay-Pauncefote treaty of 1901
under which the canal was construct
ed. 'The United States gave up
nothing it then had" said the sena-
tor, "lts obligations in that treaty
were entirely looking to the future
But Great Britain gave up its rights
to the protectorate over the Mosquito
coast, which il was supposed would
be the eastern terminus of the canal.
From the treaty with Great Britain
Senator Root read the declaration
that the proposed canal was to open
ION equal terms to ALL" THAT dec
laration is the cornerstone of the
rights of the United States at the
Panama canal" he said.
Representatives by the United
States when the Hay.Pauncefote
treaty was made put the United
States under specific obligation TO
make the canal great highway open
on equal terms to the world, he
said. He read from statements made
at that time by the United States
| representatives that 'the United
States would not if it could, obtain
any exclusive rights over the canal
ION that representation Great Brit.
ain relinqushed her right to all con
troll over the future of the Panama
canal" said Senator Root, " and con
sented to the abandonment of the
Clayton-Bulwer treaty"
while the United States was Civ.
en- authority over the construction
and operation of the canal" said Sen
ator Root, that authority was based
directly on the provision that II
| should be without impairing the gen
eral principles of naturalization that
had been contained in article of the
Clayton-Bulwer treaty. I'VE are not
at liberty" the senator declared, Ito
put any construction on the Hay.
Pauncefote treaty that violates that
controlling principle of absolute equal
| ity embodied in the other treaty, n
Senator Root referred to the rules es.
tablishing equality at the Suez canal,
The United States cannot afford to
take position at variance with the
rule of universal equality established
in the Suez canal convention" he
said.
1t became known following the sen
ator's address that Senator Brande-
gee, chairman of the interoceanic
canals committee, will call a meeting
within a few days to take up Senator
Roots amendment for the repeal of
the free toll provision. Led by Sen
ators Root and Brandegee, both of
whom opposed the original. passage
of this provision. a determined effort
viii be made az this session of Con-
gress TO change the law before il
goes '"'n effect at the canal. so that
the cause of dispute with Great Brit
ain will be removed.