Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-10

They are lower than at the Suez Ca
nal. England is, in effect, the owner
of the Suez Canal. 1t is operated to
make great profit for its sharehold-
ers; but, with our enormous invest
ment in the Panama Canal and the
enormous cost of sanitation and pro-
lection, we have made lower tolls at
Panama than England at SueZ. This
is in the interest of the commerce of
the world. We have not acted selfshly.
We have spent our treasure freely,
that the worlds &C mmcrce might
profit by it. Other nations enjoy the
benefit IF our expenditures.
WE ARE THE OWNERS.
And now has arisen sthe question,
What are our rights in the canal?
The proposition is q plain and simple
one. England contends that our spec
ja1 rights in the cana: are merely the
right to pay the bills. We are to
stand the expense. Other nations are
to get the benefits. We pay the bills,
they reap the rewards. We are to
keep the Canal Zone free from danger
Gus disease in order that others may
pass through the caral safely. We
are to maintain fcrtificatiuns and
keep an army and navy to protect the
canal from seizure and to enforce our
duty to give other nations reasonable
tolls and privileges in passing through
the canal, but we are to have no spec
ial rights for ourselves. This is the
English contention which has been
hastily and unadvisedly accepted and
urged upon us by President Wilson.
I or fIpIiCl +
riotic. and un-American. l maintain
that we own the canal and that, while
1t is our moral duty and our treaty
obligation to give to foreign ma
tons equal treatment in the canal and
reasonable tolls for its use the United
States as the owner and the practical
sovereign is supreme there, and that
this country is on a different footing,
as the owner of the canal, from all
other countries as the mere users of
the canal.
HONOR DOES NOT COMPEL Us
TO YIELD.
l deny that honor compels us to
yield our rights. We have as gleat a
duty TO our descendants as we have
To England would not for Il mo-
ment violate any of our treaty obli-
cations. Those whe take the English
side in this CONTROVERSY assume that
We will violate our treaty Obligations
in case we have war. / shall always
endeavor to maintain all Of car treaty
obligations, but 1 am unwilling to ad-
nit that every obligation is against
us. We have presented this canal
for the use of the world No other
H.,
from it's use as Great Britain. She is
not called upon to help protect the
canal. as was provided in the Clayton
Bulwer treaty. Her citizens have not
been called upon to pay any portion
of its cost, as was contemplated in
the Clayton Bulwer treaty. She as
sumes no responsibilities IN connection
with the canal which call for the eX-
penditure of her money. She only gets
benefit from the canal, and when the
English Government now contends
that we who built the canal have, in
fact. no special rights in it she is eX-
ceeding the proper limits Of friendly
intercourse. England Is raising a
feeling against her in the United
States which will not soon die out.
Just a word more and I shall con-
cluda, though if time permitted 1
would like to call attention to many
other propositions.
Mr. Speaker. We will never operate
the Panama Canal atra profit. We
made a present of ii. 10 the world. We
have made low rates of toll for pas
sage through il, lower than the Suez
Canal, though Us cost is much great
er. No one has questioned the rea-
condolences Of the rates which we
have prescribed, and if it should be
decided by our country that We as
owners of the canal are not to govern
it, there will arise in the future a
thousand perpleXing problems as time
goes on, and when some day we shall
be engaged in war, as is certain to
come. under stress of strife the de-
cision we make now may determine
our liberties in the future. Cap
plause on the Republican side) We
can maintain our country as against
the world if we take the proper posi-
ton President Wilson says he does
not know how to deal with questions
OF greater delicacy and greater i'm
portanee in our foreign relations. l
can tell him. If he will deal with
foreign countries in the spirit of JUS
tlce and frmness. maintaining the
rights of America and the in
terests of our people, standing up for
American liberties and American in
terests,. he will have behind him all
parties and all peoples in our coun-
try, holding up his hands, and no one
will dare disturb him. cloud and long
continued applause)