Evening star., 1914-05-29
Get Together.

There should he no difficulty IN di-
rect and satisfactory settlement ot an
ferences of opinion between the thlteo
states and Great Britain concernin% the
Panama canal.
The vital necessities of the United
States in respect to the canal are: ~
Absolute. unlimited and unquestloned
military sovereignty of the canal, ho'
merely as builder. but as owner. the canal
strip being in effect part of the United
States t2) The same right that all
other nations using the canal possess
to refund to it's ships using the canal
the tolls that have been eXacted.
Great Britain will derive greater bene-
fits from commercial use of the canal un-
der equality of treatment conceded by the
United States than the rest of the world
combined. American sovereignty of the
canal in time of war is for the beneht
of the allies of the United States as
we'll as the United States. The only
conflict tand that of the remote fu-
tureb in which the United States may
be engaged will be one affecting the
control of the Pacific, and in that strus-
gle Australia, New Zealand and western
Canada will be for self representation
side by side and shoulder to shoulder
the possible Asiatic entanslements of the
European islands constituting the Eng
iish section of Great Britain.
On the other hand, the United States,
with absolute and unquestioned military
control of the canal. made good by
adequate fortifications and an adequate
navy, can for the sake of removing
prejudice and of binding to itself
courtesy and even of material advan-
tage.
II it is understood that we claim and
do not yield the right to remit the canal
tolls of our own coastwise ships. it makes
little difference Except as a domestic
economic question, which is to be fought
out on other grounds whether we actu-
ally remit or not. II we do not remit
we can certainly refund. since all nations
have that right. And there is no practi-
cal difference between receiving with the
right hand and giving back with the left
and not receiving at ALL If wish to
build up our neglected merchant marine
and further break down the transconti-
mental railroad freight monopoly by
granting a subsidy to our canaI-using
ships in the amount of the money ex-
acted from them in tolls we are at lib
erty to do so, since all the nations of the
world will have and most of them will
exercise similar right. To the owner
of the canal the difference between re-
mitting tolls and refunding tolls is the
difference between Tweedledum and
Tweedledee. If Tweedledum gives inter-
national offense and Tweedledee binds to
US friends may We not wisely assent to
Tweedledee?
We should assert and maintain absolute
American sovereignty of the canal We
should say nothing, do nothing and agree
to nothing that weakens our declaration
of this exclusive ownership and control.
But We wish the worlds recognition of
and ungrudGing assent to this ownership.
We wish the confidence trust and friend
ship of Central and South America, of
Great Britain and Japan.
If Great Britain feels intensely that We
should not remit tolls. and precisely the
same practical result is reached by re-
funding tolls. to which Great Britain
cannot consistently and equitably object.
may find it wise, in negotiations with
Great Britain, to assent, in connection
with full recognition of our military SOW
ereisnty over the canal, to substitute for
provision which shall aid our South
american, Asiatic and Australasian COM
rnerce, as well as the trade between
American ports, and which shall apply
TO our ships engaged in foreign com
u1erce As well as TO our ships in the
coastWise trade
The uphuilding of our merchant marine
and the fostering of our commerce will
be better promoted by tolls -refunding to
all our ships than by tolls-remission to
our coastwise ships Great Britain OBJ
viously profits more by this partial tolls
remission to which she objects, than by
full tolls-refundng. 10 which she cannot
object. If in negotiations with Great
Britain II becomes evident that British
pressure against partial tolls-remission
will result in the substitution of a full
tolls-refunding, that pressure may be re-
laxed.
C'Oi- Roosevelt iS n rey-aI in