Evening star., 1914-05-11
KNOX IS AGAINST
TOLLS REPEALER
Former Secretary Of State De-
cIares Exemption Is Not
Violation of Treaty.
BRINGS UP QUESTION
OF CANAL DURING WAR
Says U. S.. Which Is Bearing Burden
of Construction and Protection,
Is Alone Entitled to Benefits.

4 a statement against the passage of the
| Panama canal tolls repeal bill issued
4 last night by Philander c. Knox, Secre-
| tary OF State in President Tafts cabinet.
! who is in Washington.
/ Primarily Mr. Knox asserted that toll
| exemption for American coastwise ships
| is not in violation of the Hay-Paunce-
| fote treaty as set forth in the protest of
| Sir Edward Grey. the British secretary OF
I foreign affairs. lie confined his discus
/ sion Of the subject to the conclusion by
/ President Wilson that it does violate the
| treaty
| Mr.. Knox asserted that in any discus
/ sion of the President 9 statement that the
| tolls act violates the treaty or of Sir Ed
| ward ,irrv's more specific claim that
our freedom of action in respect to
| the canal is limited by the IIay-Paunce-
| fote treaty 1T is important to carry
In mind that such limitation must either
be found in the words of the treaty or
arise hy necessary and irresistible I'm
rlcation from the facts defining the re-
Iation of the parties TO the treaty and to
its subject
Pointing out that the United States is
building the Panama canal at expense
of S40o,op0oo, Mr.. Knox declared fur
ther in his preliminary argument:
United States Alone Carries Burden.
We alone are expending the untold
millions necessary to fortify and protect
the canal SO that some belligerent. eager
to secure the resulting advantage. may
not destroy it: we alone are bearing the
risk of losing all this investment as the
result of some natural cataclysm. such
as an earthquake. against which no hu-
man agency can secure US: we alone have
stood for whatever of criticism has come
from the manner of acquiring the Canal
Zone-a criticism encouraged and fostered
by the very class which now seeks to
turn over 10 Europe. as a gratuity. the
benefits of our action. We alone have put
the lives of the flower of our army en-
gineers and of thousands of American
citizens through all the hazards and dan
gers OF fatal troplc maladies. and finally
no other country has shared and does not
propose TO snare one penny of this eX-
penditure or any phase of any risk con-
nected with our stupendous undertaking.
Surely upon these facts there arises no
necessary implication that Great Britain
is entitled to the benefits Of this colossal
work on the same and identical terms is
We, the owners, the builders. the oper-
ators. the protectors and the insurers of
the canal. or that she shall dictate how
We shall treat matters of purely local ma
tional trade and commerce. or that we
shall be denied the very rights in respect
TO our domestic commerce which she her
self claims and exercises and which every
other nation in the world possesses
Calling attention to article III OF the
treaty upon which Great Britain bases its
protest. Mr.. Knox explained that it con
tains six rules. the first granting a prvi-
lege and the other FIVE specifying condi-
tions upon which that privilege is to be
eujoyed.