Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-12
AWAIT ACTION
Of THE HOUSE
ON TOLLS BILL
Expect Lower Body to Accept
Measure as Passed by
Senate.
II DEMOCRATS OPPOSED.
MAJORITY FOR BILL IS
Senators Vardaman and West
Near Exchange of Blows
in Final Debate.

WASHINGTON, June 12.-The ac-
ceptance by the House of the Senate
Simmons and Norris amendment to
Panama tolls exemption repeal bill
was the prospect early today Some
members. however, thought the House
would refuse to concur, which would
send the measure to conference.
Should the House accept the amend
ment, which provides that the United
States waive it's rights which it may
possess under the Hay Pauncefote
treaty in regard to exempting Amer
lean ships from tolls through the
canal, the bill will be ready for the
Presidents signature at once with
out further action in the Senate.
Should a conference be necessary
the results of that conference may
provoke extensive debate in the upper
house again. 1t was pointed out that
of the conferees, three members from
the interstate commerce committee
of each house which handled the bill,
the two ranking majority members
and the ranking minority member
would vote five to one against the
amendment if really voting their SEN
timents as outlined in their speeches.
The Conference Committee.
The Senate conferees observing the
usual rules would be Senators O'Gor-
man, Thornton and Brandegee, while
those from the House would be Rep
resentatives Adamson, Simms and
Stevenson. The only one of the six
who is anti-repeal is OGorman.
The conclusion OF the. protracted
struggle over the measure followed a
day filled with roll calls, short,
trenchant speeches, heated colloquies,
and a near fight between Senator
Vardaman, of Mississippi. and Sena-
tor West. of Georgia, both Demo-
Gratis. The clash, which was the
chief excitement of the evening,
arose directly from reference made
by Senator Vardaman to the fact
that the Carnegie Endowment for In
terna tionaf Peace had9spent $4,000 In
the dissemination of literature, up
holding the contention that the tolls
exemption violated the Hay-Paunce-
fote treaty.
Every effort to make the Sim
mons Norris compromise amendment
stronger was voted down by large
maJorltleS. The whole night OF the
day hinged on these efforts. but at
no time was the issue in doubt The
greatest strength of the opposition
both within and without the party
was mustered for that compromise,
which in itself is still without the
approval of President Wilson.
The bill to repeal the toll exemption
of the Panama Canal law was passed
by the Senate at 1915 by vote Of
30 to So.
With the Norrs-Simmons amend
ment added during the debate the
American rights with regard to the
dispute with Great Britain over the
construction of the treaty. are in
some measure, preserved. With this
amendment, the repeal bill was
stripped down to it's real purpose.
The vote by which the bill was
passed was as follows:
Ayes-Democrats Bankhead Bryan,
Chiffon, Clark of Arkansas, Culber-
son, Fletcher, Gore, Hitchcock,
Hughes, James, Johnson, Kern, Lea,
Lee of Wisconsin, Martin, Myers,
Overman, Owen, Pitt, Mann. Pome-
rene, Salisbury, Shafroth, Sheppard,
CONTINUED on Page IL, Column IL