The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-01
HOW TAFT WOULD END
CANAL T0LLPROBLEM
EX-PrpSidpnt Wants 3 American
and 3 Canadian Judges to
Solve Question.
OTTAWA PRAISES SPEECH
He Addresses Duke of Con-
naught and Prominent Poll
ticians at Canadian Club.

! OTTAWA. Jan. 3i.--Surrounded by the
/ Duke of Connaught. the Premier the
Cabinet Ministers. Sir wlfrii Laurier the
/ justices OF the supreme Court and all
I Canadian on'cialdom. ex-President Taft
at luncheon to-day spoke to the Ottawa
| Canadian club He got an exceptionally
! warm and friendly reception from a
/ brilliant audience most OF whom two
| years ago i'm the reciprocity campaign
| just as enthusiastically denounced him for
! seeking to make Canada an adjunct" Of
the United States The Stars and Stripes
an unusual and generally unpopular sight
/ here. few from the Chateau Laurier
where luncheon wds given.
when Mi Taft finished speaking the
Duke the Premier and Sir Wilfrid Laursr
spoke. The Duke threw on his reserve
ana showed his enjoyment and hearty
approval ~ Mr. Tafts words
"God Save the King" and America"
We're sung and cheer after cheer was
given for the distinguished guest.
Mr. Taft's speech.
Mr.. Taft's opinions about the Panama
Canal tolls question were loudly ap
plauded. He said:
There is the question OF the tolls at
Panama. When meet my friends al
ways want TO bring up everything. We
are divided among ourselves as to the
right and wisdom of eNemptlng our
Coastwise vessels. Mr.. Knox and ! think
that undsr the treaty when its history
Is taken into consideration and the cir
cumstauces. we have the right Mr.
Choate and Mr. Root differ with us. Mr..
Root is great lawyer and so lie Mr.
Choate, but even Iove mods sometimes
Now We shall doubtless have to arbtrate
the matter unless Congress reverses itself
There AZ" some hotheads who talk in
absurd tones about the right Of IN. United
states to manage her own canal and own
property as she Will. no matter what she
has agreed to. But that is all floth. The
idea Of Congress in passing the bill and
NV idea in signing II was that We were
thus giving a subsidy to our coastwise
ships between New York and san Fran
cisco and Boston and Seattle as We d!d in
the early days of our transcontinental
railroads and ms YOU have done 10 your
transcont!nental railroads Now that we
har. the transContnental railroads We do
| not want them to become Frankensteins
We wish, II We can, to moderate their
tariffs by genuine competition through
coastwise and canal traffic.
Canada Can Enjoy Subsidy.
THE tolls have been fixed on the canal
FOR all the world on the assumption that
the coastwse traffic IL to pay tolls. Our
giving it immunity from tolls does not, in
our judgment, affect the traffic OF the
other countries in any other way than
IL would affect II II we had voted a sub
sidy equal to the tolls RENTED to our
ships. No country is affected by our
coastw.se traffic except Canada, and II
Canada is affected in that way she too
can subsidise her trade from Quebec to
Vancouver. We shall not object to that.
However this may be. II II turns out upon
arbitration either that we have no right
to suhsidize our own vessels at all or
that II we do So We must do IL directly.
and not indirectly, then we shall abide by
the decision. All | object to is being
J told when ! approve of the putting IN OF
coastwise exemption mat am in favor
of breaking a treaty. | go one step
| further back ! am not in favor OF break
ing treaties but the question Is what the
treaty means.
Il don't know what Congress will do
with the bin to repeal the provision II
1t is repealed then the settlement of the
question is postponed and 1t may never
arise again, II II does, and whenever IL
does no sane American and no sane Cana
dian viii become excited about il, except
as intending litaants become excited
about lawsuit thai il finally to he settled
10y a jus, decision of a just tribunal.
Il would be entirely willing to leave II
to three Judges Of the Prlvy Council ana
to three Judges Of the Supreme Court,
because that Is the kind OF Justice ] like,
and | believe If those six men could for
the time being forget their allegiance to
their own countries they could decide
I the question on it's merits. and that's
what we ought TO have"
Duke Of Connaught's Reply.
The Duke said
you. sir, have given us a mos, inter
esting, n most amusing, a most graphic
speech. ! am certain that not a word
that you have said could have given a
moments offence to anybody in this room
or in any other part nf the Dominion or
OF the United states
We recognize IN you, sir, one who has
~ ID "A very high office, who has always
been known for his INTEGRITY and his com
mon sense and certainly who during the
time he held that high and responsible
office did ull he could to promote the feel
ing NJ friendship between the Dominion or
Canada and the United states"
Nj Taft left FOR New York to-night
BOSTON "ENcninw Globe" Now Cent
R"sroN, Jan. 81. Beginning on Mon
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