Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-04-02
Measure Which Passed House
Triumphantly Is Referred
without Debate.
ESTIMATE MAJORITY z TO a
Situation Full of Complications
Strong Effor to Amend
Will Be Made and as
Firmly Opposed.

Washington, April 1.-The anminis-
tration bill to repeal toll exemption
for American ships in the panama
canal, which passed the House yester-
day amid spectacular scenes. reached
the Senate to-day ard was promptly
referred to the committee on inter-
oceanic canals without debate.
Senator O'Gorman, chairman of the
canals committee. who is marshalling
the administration forces an
nounced definitely tonight that lie
would call Il meeting of the committee
for next Tuesday. Although friends OF
the President had hoped to have the
canals committee meet earlier, they
decided to make no effort to 1nduce
Senator OGorman to change his plans
They will insist, however, upon actloh
within reasonable time after the com
mittee gets down to work.
Senator owen of Oklahoma, the ma
iority member of the committee. who VIII
lead the fight in committee for the ADMIN
istra tion, visited the White House early
in the day and conferred with the Presl-
dent Later he made the emphatic dec
laration that friends of the repeal blIl
would not submit to unnecessary delay IN
preliminary consideration of the bill ana
fatty declared that the gauntlet OF COM
mlttee discharge would be hurled should
an attempt be made to impede the prog
rcss of the measure.
PUBLIC HEARINGS WANTED.
That some members of the committee
who oppose exemption repeal desire to
have public hearings on the bill was ap-
parent late to-day. but administration
senators insisted that such hearings were
entirely unnecessary and that there could
| be no other reason for them except ue-
| lberately to cause delay.
| Senator O'porman has said repeatedly
| that there would be no unnecessary de-
lay in the committee on considering the
| bill. but it is expected that requests VIII
be made of him to grant hearings.
| On this the committee may be forced
| to act and it would he considered as a
| test of the real issue. Just how the COM
| mittce stands is uncertain. both sides
| claiming majority of one. An unfavor-
| able report on the bill would be followed
| by a minority report and this would
| bring the controversy before the Senate
| on a motion to adopt the minority :e-
| port.
Many complications are possible in the
| situation because there are half dozen
| bills pertaining to the tolls question now
| before the committee. That there viii
| be a persistent effort made to amend the
| repeal bill as 1t passed the House is
| certain. bur friends of the President de-
clared that nothing but fiat repeal of the
toll exemption will be accepted and ir
| support of this they C,aim a safe ma
| iorty. Many Clls Of the Senate nav,
| been taken, democrats and republican,
included but they have been Incomplete
| Estimates of the majority in favor of tn,
repeal vary from two to twcntY-four
WOULD SEEK INFORMATION.
To-day Senator Norris of Nebraska in
troduced Il resolution which would pro
vide for arbitration Of the treaty dispu'
in the tolls controversy, and Senate
Pondexter submitted anothcr to provid
for postponement Of consideration of tn
tolls issue un,il President Wis IN sub
mlts details. in confidence IL he chooses
as to foreign r. ations to Le affected b.
tolls exemption repeal. No action wa
taken on either question
The PoinGexter resolution follows:
Resolved. by the Senate that tn
, Pr csident is hereby respectfully re
quested to inform the Senate, I'm con
fidence, If he so desires. what are tn
unnamed matters of nearer conso
quence and greater Gelicacy' referred t
in his message; and resolved, fu:thel
that action on the bin for the repca
of the tolls exemption clause of tn
, Panama canal act and all considerable
, thereof by the Senate or by the Senat
committee on interoceanic canals be de
ferred until the information called 70
r by this resolution can be obtained.
In his preamble Senator Poindexte
, asserted that the action was bassed o
an admission by the British ombass
that the United States had the rish
to exempt its coastwise shipping, an
I the statement I'm writing of the Britis
foreign minister that many materif
G provisions OF the Hay Pauncetot
$ treaty did not apply to the Panam
canal because the particular object c
0 that and preceding treaties was IN
construction of canal along tn
| NicaraGuan route.
JONES IS CRITICAL
Speaking In support of the pending r,
solution asking the President what nf
. .ions have protested against the tol
, exemption clause Senator Jones
Washington charged that no seriol
problems face the United States excey
those arising from mistakes of the aC
ministration.
IF this resolution were passed an
answered. said Senator Jones, 1T woul
y show that no question confronts us as
p. nation that endangers our peace
threatens our security or requires an
other treatment than that of iirmnes
\ tact and strict adherence to justice
y would show no serious problems excel
those arising out of the mistakes of Il
r administration and which would ha,
0 been avoided If Congress had been take
o into the confidence of tho executive
G ut would be shown that no nation @
10 the face of the earth has protestt
$ against our action in eNempting our coas
i utu, shfys. from ,aytpps tolla nw,o,>A 40,