Norwich bulletin., 1914-03-25
ABOLITION OF THE PANAMA CANAL
This Would Preferable Permitting Our National Honor
 to be Questioned Declares Committee Interstate and Foreign Commerce-Bitter Fight Over Repeal of Free Tolls Provision Indicated-General Debate Tomorrow.

aSd representatives to the majority report on the Sims repeal bill submit ted by Representative AdamSon Of Georgia, chairman of the committee on interstate and foreign commerce. This report, which appeared in printed form today, points particularly to the fact that in reporting the Panama canal act during the last congress, the com mittee had recommended uniform tolls and that the exemption for American coastwise shipping was accomplished by amendment. The committee had recognized. the report said. long before any foreign government had voiced an opinion of complaint that treaty stipulations required uniform tolls.
 Treaty Does Not Permit Such Dis
 crimnation.
 We are not disturbed" it added, ''by the taunt made for a purpose. that repeal would be trucking and yielding to foreign demands. A similar taunt could be hurled against any man or nation honorable enough to comply with contracts or generous enough to promote friendly relations by accord ing respectful consideration to views Of the opposite party, From high sources in this and other countries and from men vet alive who participated in the formation of the various treaties, men whose veracity and integrity cannot be questioned, come unAquivocal state IneHbS tEdI lDtS HdnSudB6 OI Ino LTSdlS controlling the imposition of tolls was not intended to permit such discrim- ination
 Even if it were a close question with the balance tending in our favor we could not afford, in a matter of national honor. to contend or even debate, especially a. proposition which involves a policy not in the interest of our entire people, but in the interest of small special class in whose fla vor the exemption operates against the general interest of the entire people.
 Better to Abolish Canal. Far better to abolish the canal it. self than even to permit our national honor to remain in question" Considerable speculation exists as to the strength of the opposition to the repeal in both houses of congress. con servative proponents of the proposed reversal of policy, while claiming an assured majority in both houses. ad- hitting that the opposition is formid able.
 An unusual situation confrontS the democratic party in tho house, where the president has arrayed against him the majority leader, MT. Underw oOd, Representative Fitzgerald, chairman of the appropriations committee Repre- sentative Kitchin of North Carolina, ranking member of theways and means committee, and according to undenied ! reports, the speaker of the house. Whether Speaker Clark will yield the gavel to take part in the debate is a matter causing the repeal champions considerable concern. The speaker has given no indication of his intentions in this regard.
 Senator Chanberiain's Resolution. One of the guns of opposition to the repeal in the senate was fired today l by Senator Chamberlain of Oregon, al, he fntr af n | ton calling upon the secretary of war for all available information as to the cost of maintenance of naYigabie Fiv- CTS and canals through which all ship ping by an act passed in 1884 was guaranteed passage free of tolls. In a, preamble to the resolution it was asserted that if the policy of the l government with relation te the Pan anna, canal tolls is to be reversed, the | policy with reference to all rivers and l canals also should be changed and | tolls charged all shipping to pay the l government for maintaining the wa l terways.
 Subsidies Granted Elsewhere.
 My chief purpose in introducing this ' fresolution' said Senator Chamberlain tonight, lis to show if, as repeal cham i pions maintain, the tolls exemption to American ships is a ship subsidy granted by the government that it has always been the policy of the govern ment since 1884 to subsidize our ship 1 ping. If we are going to charge our ! shipping tolls at Panama we ought to i charge tolls elsewhere.
 There will be discussion of the res olution in the senate tomorrow, Sen atur Chamberlain planning to call il up. Senator OGorman today had read ' to the senate a series of telegrams from various parts of the country con- l graduating him on his stand against { toll exemption repeal