Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1914-06-19
BURKE OPPOSED
FREE TOLLS
DAKOTAN SAYS ALL USERS OF
CANAL SHOULD PAY
LARGE sum NEEDED

.At kNOk VN MAIN NI6NANVL VI IAN
ANA DITCH WILL BE nEAvY..C0N-
GRESHAM DILLON IN DEBATE
Washington, D. O. June 19.-"No
commerce, whether coastwise or other.
wise, ought to be exempted from the
payment of canal TOLLS" declared Re.
Charles n. Burke, of
South Dakota, In . speech In the house
on the motion to concur in the senate
to the bill repeating the
exemption clause to the Panama canal
act.
Mr.. Burke said it had cost the Unit
ed States nearly s400,O00,O00 to con.
struct the canal and it will cost large
sum annually to fortify. maintain and
operate it, and his position was that
whoever uses the canal, built ct the
expense of all the people Of his
country, should be compelled to pay
tolls.
Continuing Mr.. Burke said:
"When the bill for the repeal of the
free tolls provision of the canal act was
considered in the present congress /
regretted that the majority saw 1T to
adopt an ironclad and drastic rule 80
that no amendment could be offered
to it, because I could not bring myself
to vote for 1t In the form in which 1t
was presented, for the reason that did
not wish to eubscribe to the conclusion
Of the president, who declared in his
message that he considered the free
tolls provision of the canal act In plain
contrsvention Of the treaty with Great
Britain. II he had based his reasons
for the repeal upon the other state
ment Of his message, that he consid.
cred the exemption OF cosstwise shipp.
ing from the payment OF tolls a mis-
taken economic policy l would have
gladly voted for 1t without any amend.
ment. 1t not being possible, by reason
of the rule adopted, to even offer an
amendment, was compelled to vote
against the passage Of the bill, and
would do SO again under the same cir.
cumstanoss. did vote for the motion
that was offered to recommit the bill
with instructions to add the following
amendment:
"Strike out oil Of section 2 and insert
In lieu thereof the following:
"'Sec. 2. And congress hereby de.
clares that in its judgment the United
States, which At enormous cost ha.
built and fortified and owns the cana
without any expectation of peouniary
profit to itself from its ownership, ant
which has the duty and expense o.
protecting the canal with its. troopl
and warships and BY proper sanitation
may. a. the owner aud defender Of th,
canal and by virtue Of ito rights o
sovereignty, rightfully provide pre-
ferential tolls or no tolls for its ow,
war vessels and for vessels of oommerc
belonging to 1t or its citizens flying II
flag, so long as the conditions an,
charges Of traffic established by It TO
vessels of foreign nations ere just an,
equitable, and may rightfully in tim
Of war, ~ we'll as in time Of pesc,
maintain its army and navy in tn
canal zone, including all necessary wa,
like materials, both for defense an
offense, and may rightfully provid
preferential tolls or no tolls for th
vessels of the Republic of Panam.
from which republic the right to COZ
struct the canal was obtained, and q
authorized in the act Of June o, 1870
providing for the construction Of th
canal"
"lf the motion to rscommit had Or,
vailed and the amendment he'd bee
incorporated In the bill l would hay
voted for its passage. Now that tt
measure has been returned TO tt
house with an amendment which.
effect. declares that the passage Of Il
act will not DO considered as preolud
ing the United States from exsrcisir
absolute sovereignty over the can
and doing anything that 1t may vii
to do with relation to allowing its on
ships or the ships Of its citizens
pass through it without the payne,
Of any tolls, IL It 20 desires, l am goi,
70 vote for the motion to concur MAJ
by the gentleman from Georgia"
Representative Dillon, Of the Fir
South Dakota district, also got In .
the speaking which marked the closil
Of the dsbats ON this historic lseisl
tion. Mr.. Dillion. too, was opposed