Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-04-13
nstiIl TWISTING the Lions Tail"

Senator Lodge has spoken ms plece' ~
is forceful direct and patriotlc. ne
sakes fhe ground that this country mas
a right to exempt its coastwlSe shlppihs
from the payment of canal TONS, ous ~
believes that out OF regard LOT er not e ~
will of other nations, we sHoui" nv ~
ercise that right. ,l,
Senator Lodge will be accused OF tIucn o
ling to Great Britain. for there are those
,nfortunately in this country, VINO can
Mt think of Europe or discuss matters
~ Information comfy without consIu
ering England first, last ana az tIie nv M
AS far as they are concertlea, a VI , on
earth. but in order to prove that we ale
not afraid of Great Britain we must ae sii
unfairly by her and incidentally py ali
other nations -. p-,+.ir does
not make a practise of giving UP Voiun,
tarily anything that she mas once iaa
her acquisitiye hands on. LIE. u e. aIi
that Great Britain needn't think that sne
can scare US; and then let us look al tI.e
broader aspects of the case ana assu.ils
tbst the President. a Democrat; senator
lodge. a Republican, and numerous olns ,l
Americans Of eminence ana patrloosIi
are not trying to surrender TINS eoe e..
TO England and are not denllhs the 0''''
az Twist,ng the lions tail is popular
unusemeI,t In certain circles. ana as !.
car be done without the slgntesi, pei
sonal danger to the twister' for ~ W Years to
cnrne Fortunately, the Presioeht, WIZ
is neither a coward nor aennas os ~
will continue to do his DUTY, anu VA
ScptnS bir, as he does it-Boston jour
nal.
Every time an honest American CD
! ,.ct. m the utter selfshness of an
English demand, some one hobs up TO
.ccuse him of twisting the Lions
/ tail" For heavens sake what about
This eternal snatohins at the feathers
in our Eagles tail?
Senator Lodge is a great and gooo
imam. We have unlimited admiration
and respect for him. We know that
his only desire is to give our opponent
1.-THE benefit of every doubt. A doub.
existing in his mind. he wishes to be
Iseen by the world standing straight.
But we fear he is so fearful Of being
misunderstood however dishonest our
opponent may be in his elains) so de-
termined to be fair and straight that
he leans backward quite bit. We
should have held the same opinion of
z President Wilson had he not attempted
to SCARE the Congress into the same
unsracefui attitude.
Why should certain great Americans
regard the good will of other nations
of SO much more importance than the
good will of Americans, at least when
those making demands are just as
much in doubt about the justice of
their claims as we are. Even Senator
Lodge, with all his leaning backward
stratghtness, admits that this country
has the RIGHT to exempt its coast
wise shipping from payment of canal
tolls. Then. for tho love of all that is
good and square, why are we expected
to accept England's denunciation of
our "coastwise shipping trust" and for
get all about her cross country sub
sidized railway trust?
Why should we be so much more
interested in the good fortune of
British railway than the upbuildins of
American shipping from the eastern
boundary of Texas?
Why should we go about reducing
the high cost of living" by paying
higher cross-country freight rates, in
order to have the privilege of paying
the cost of canal tolls added to the
selling price of merchandise carried
by our coastwise shipping?
Let US pause for moment and con-
slider the meaning of 'coastwise ship
ping" 1t is trading with ourselves
sending things that We need in Cali
fornia from Maine by ship, and bring
ing back from the Golden Gate the
things that Maine wants and can't
produce.
Shall we assess our business inter-
ests for doing this, and then pay again
as consumers the extra cost added to
the merchandise shipped, just because
England asks US to, in order that her
cross-America railways may reap the
benefits?
Let us consider further, that Great
Britain subsidies these railways-and
she didn't ask us If she might do so
either. Shall we say that SHE acted
in dad faith?
Admitting. as does Senator Lodge,
that We have the RIGHT to do any
thing we please with the ditch which
we built in the land which we owned,
and which we fortified and will pro-
tect with all the powers of the Ameri-
can arms backed by 100, 600, 900 peo-
pie, and on which We will collect and
handle the tolls paid by foreign ship
ping, why should We consider entirely
the "coastwise shipping trust" beam
in our American eye and not consider
at all the railway interests" mote in
Great Britain's eye?
Let US step across the water and.
standing as a loyal subject of John
BulI, consider the unfairness and ludi-