Evening star., 1914-04-25
FOE OF SUBSIDIZED
FOREIGN VESSELS
Senator GaIlinger Would Bar
Them From Using Pan
anna Canal.

IF the American Congress imposes full
tolls on all American ships at Panama.
both in the eoastwise and in the foreign
trade. why should not the American Con-
gress also bar from the canal foreign
ships whose tolls are paid in subsidy
from foeeign governmentsr' demanded
Senator Gailingers Of New Hampshire In
himself to resolution he introduced pro-
hfbfting the use of the Panama canal by
subsidized foreign vessels. -
: Senator Gallinger read from various re-
Britain. Russia, Austria, France and
other nations using the Suex canal are
heavily subsidized. He also read reports
showing that these foreign nations, in
Guiding Japan. were making preparations
to subsidize vessels through the Panama
canal.
Held Only Way for Equality.
only by prohibiting foreign subsidized
ships from using the canal can the SEM
blance Of entire equality be secured for
American ships" continued Senator Gal
linger.
'It will be cruel discrimination
against American ships in the coastwise
trade to require them to pay tolls through
the Panama canal when the ships OF
other nations will have their tolls paid
from Ine PUBIC Ir6dSufy. buI InlS Is
not all there Is to this question There
is an evident purpose in the minds Of
some public men to strike down the law
which has been in operation for nearly
100 years prohibiting foreign ships from
engaging In our coastwise trafflc.
Several bills have been introduced in
Congress recently with that end in view,
and utterances in the Senate have been
anything but encouraging to the friends
Of American shipping.
gFT<l
rules of the House has offered a resolu-
ton instructing the interstate commerce
commission to show how much more
cheaply British tramp steamers. manned
by Laskars and Chinese. can carry
freight between our Atlantic and Pacific
ned by American seamen. This is a
deliberate effort to prejudice a case
against American shipping"
Views Of Other Senators.
Senator Gallinger alluded to statements
made by Senator Thomas Of Colorado and
Senator Reed Of Missouri in favor OF
throwing open American coastwise traf-
f1c to foreign vessels. He added. "TheiI
statements leave no room for doubt in
regard to their purpose toward contin-
uing the protection Of our coastwise ship
ping. II the free tolls provision Is to be
repealed, no subsidized ships. either do
| mestic or foreign. should be allowed to
! pass through the Panama canal.
Senator Owen of Oklahoma manifestl5
agreed to that proposition. for in answer
| TO a question that I propounded he
promptly replied, I cannot agree to g
subsidy through the Panama canal tc
any ship. either American or British. an6
subsidized ships would not be permitted
| to go through tho canal"
In conclusion Senator Gallinger said
The American people Will not be slow to
discover the discrimination. against their
! own ships IL the free tolls are repealed
! and no legislation against foreign subsi-
dized ships be enacted. A wave Of wrath
| will inevitably follow any such grave dis
elimination against the American nag IN
an American canal, and the American
people will feel that they have been be-
trayed in the house Of their friends"