Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-03
SOUTH FIRM FOR
FREE PASSAGE
Of ANAL
Section Opposes Surrender to
Pro-British Construction Under
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty.
BY JOHN TEMPLE GRAVES.

/ w Af0t!-N1 O.Nt hdItI o. *
tolls for American domestic vessel is
/ through Panama. reciprocity IN tar
! ifs. the 3 per cent preferential on
4 American carried goods and the
/ American merchant marine have each
an interlocking directorate Of splen-
1 did Americanism that binds them to-
gether in a genuine patriotic bond.
The American idea pulses through
4 them all Sooner or later each OF
/ them must triumph in common sense
I and in legislation. They carry insep-
arably the best hope OF American
commerce and trade. The lines that
/ lead to these four measures are de-
hning a distinct demarcation in Amer
/ ication politics.
/ They work for the first time in
many years a definite and apparently
| durable difference between the South
and the Democratic Administration
1 No voice since the civil War can find
taught to say against the Democratic
/ loyalty or the catholic patriotism OF
/ the South. The Spanish American
| War attested in numbers and in the
magnificent quality OF It's officers and
soldiers it's prompt and effective de-
/ votiOn to the restored Union
Leaders to Swing Alabama.
I ne oOulH. Wnltii mas AWAY . bNe''
most prolific Of sentiment and keenest
/ in its response to any question Of per
sonal or national honor, is putting it's
| splendid personality behind the Amer
! lean idea in this international queS-
ton over the Panama tolls.
Underwood, the Democratic leader,
and Hobson, the sailor statesman, VIII
swing Alabama into line.
Kitchin, the brilliant North Caro-
Imam soon to lead the Democratic
Congress, will answer for North Caro-
lima. Senator Smith, the Harry Hot
spur of industrial South Carolina. viii
speak for the Palmetto state. Wyatt
Aiken will be with him. Frank Clark
and Sparkman say that Florida will
/ be solid for American rights in the
/ canal,
! 'Mississinni. the land Of cotton, is in
/ line Broussard and his Louisianans
will stand with Governor Hall ana
/ Senators Ramsdell and Thornton fo1
/ American shipping. Arkansas follows
! blindly the Presidents lead, but Okla
/ homa and Tennessee will split the Ad
ministrative line, and Texas is waver-
/ ing now from the Administration lead
ership of Henry and Garner
South Refuses to Quibble.
! IT is not likely that the South
would bubble In a matter OF national
honor The sense OF any real and
| honorable obligation would appsl
swiftly to the minds of this grand and
sensitive people. But the South, join
ing the majority sentiment, including
its own, sees that the honor and the
patriotism, as we'll as all the national
4 interests in this matter, rest with The
American position.
1t sees that the spirit and the con
text of the Hay Pauncefote treaty
which is two thirds of the law of con.
struction. make plain that the Amer
can parties had In view In the de
struction OF the Clayton Bulwer treaty
the fixed idea Of making a new treaty
which would eliminate the obstructive
equality of England. and establish
/ American rights and American ad-
vantage in its own canal built by us
/ own money and on its own soil.
Il sees that the whole surrounding
circumstance proves that this was the
common sense necessity of the Amer
/ lean position. 1t sees that it was alSc
/ logically and naturally what was =
the minds Of those Americans VIII,
made the treaty And so, even II the
words may admit double construc-
ton, The spirit and the context arr
clear. and if there are both an Amer
can and English construction 1t see
no reason why the American majority
sentiment should make haste TO lame
~ surrender to the minority pro-Brit
ish construction.
Business Interests Vital.
The South believes this, and he
lieves that II the building of the cana
had been put to a popular vote. will
the idea that this English constEuc
ton would triumph, the American
people would never have voted thu
money to build it. The South believes
too that under the rules OF interua'
tional law the radical and revolution
airy change Of conditions with one o.
the contracting psrties-the Unite,
Satisfactorily makes the treaty void
able, even II the English construction
were better founded.
And tho South has a supreme ma
tcrial reason in the fact that as IN,
nearest and most growing OF the sec
lions of the industrial republics witt
navigable rivers and an enormou,
coast line. its commercial and bust
ness interests are nightly involved
with its cotton and other products r
tho increase Of domestic vessels o
carriage and in facilities OF transpor-
tation, just as the great Middle Yves
is deeply concerned in this ocean com.
petition which will compel for cheap
er rates Of freight from the trans
continental lines. The fear of Eng
| NSh battleships is ahating, and will
this apprehension out OF tho way
there can be no sound American ar
gument IN honor or In interest for The
surrender Of Americas advantages.
with the solid South practically
behind free tolls for American ships
the Democratic patty will have 10 &c
elsewhere for votes to indorse its pro
posed official policy of compromise OF
! surrender.