Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-04-03
The Tolls-Exemption Law Repealed
By The House.

ny Inc HOuSe.
The greatest legislative battle vet I'M
dertaken by President Wilson's admins
tration began on Thursday of last week
with the presentation of the special rule in
the House to limit debate and prohibit
amendment on the Administration pro-
posal to repeal the provision of the Panama
Canal act allowing free passage to Ameri-
can ships.
After the rule limiting the debate to 20
hours was adopted by majority of 80
votes, a heated debate took place in the
House for and against the repeal of the
tolls-exemption law. The opponents of the
repeal were led by Speaker Clark and floor
leader of the Democrats. Mr.. Underwood.
AS many as so speeches were made on
Monday, so it is reported. The question
engaged the serious attention of the whole
country.
Daily in the House crowded floor and
galleries, throneed to point which broke
all records for attendance, listened to the
arguments on the issue. Men and women
sat for hours in the crowded galleries with
out intermission even for lunch. Crowds
that could not jam their way into the gal
leries waited impatiently in the corridors
for an opportunity to hear the debate on
the most important legislative proposition
before Congress in decade.
The Presidents position was vigorously
defended by Representative Sherley, Of
Kentucky. He said:
I'VE come here with this repeal bill,
with no apology for our position. For rs
years we have held out to the nations Of
the world the promise to build the canal
for allth world. We promised to build it as
a great boon to humanity throughout the
world. not for small dollars and cents ad-
vantage to our own commerce. In this
situation the American nation does moth
ing out of fear, nothing because of the
threat of any nation or group of nations.
But it is not willing TO rest in the eyes of
the world as having violated treaty, or
having violated its promise so long held
out to the nations of the world"
President Wilson, in talks with callers,
argued that members Of Congress were not
being asked to change their personal opin-
ions on the tolls exemption but to vote
periodically for its repeal in order to cor
rect serious International situation which
threatened to embarrass the United States
at every turn in future negotiations of
treaties and trade agreements. He said
that those who based their opposition to
the repeal on economic grounds or even on
their individual Interpretation of the Hay
Pauncefote treaty, were losing sight Of the
main point-the united and unanimous
opposition of the civilized world against
the tolls exemption.
Speaker Clark opposed the repeal in the
following words:
II am willing to follow where he (the
President) leads SO long as he is in the White
House and so long as he does not ask us
to repudiate plain platform declaration.
Under our system a national conven-
ton is the grand inquest Of a political
party, the highest authority for the decla-
ration of party principles, higher than
President or congressional caucuses. higher
than President and congressional caucuses
combined.
THE President discharges his duties.
The question is, Have we the wisdom, the
courage, and the patriotism to discharge
ours If not. we should make way for men
imbued with the spirit of OF, to the end
that we may transmit our priceless heri-
tage of liberty to our children and our
children's children. unimpaired.
The declaration in favor of free tolls
for our coastwise trade was writ large in
the Baltimore platform. II is in these
words:
1--WE favor the exemption from toll Of
American ships engaged in coastwise trade
passing through the canal.
1--WE also favor legislation forbidding
the use of the Panama Canal by ships
owned or controlled by railroad carriers
engaged in transportation competitive with
the canal
I'VE went to the people on that plat
form containing the free tolls plank headed
by President Wilson himself, we all in
dorsed it 4: standing on II we appealed &c
the voters of the land for their support
and they. responding to our Macedonian
cry for help. enabled us to sweep the lane
from sea to sea by amazing majorities IL
the electoral college. And now it is pro
their support Of us by repudiatins one o
the planks of that platform on which W,
achieved that astounding victory. planl
SO clear that there could be no misunder
standing about it, no possible miscon
struction Of it. | refuse absolutely to b
party to any such performance.
The amazing request Of the Presiden
for the repeal. like the peace Of God
reasons which are not utterly untenabl
and which impelled him to make the re
quest, he has not vouchsafed them to u
as q body or. so far as am informed. I
any member Of the House. II he has ade
auate reasons and did not deem it pruden
to make them known to the world at arg,
he could have communicated them to u
in secret session. With all due deferenc
TO the President. il seems to me that W
are entitled to those reasons before boltin
Democratic platform, which is general
considered an indefensible, an extra haz
ardous performance. frequently fatal in il
results.
And now may the God Of our fathers, VIII
nerved 100000 backwoods American
to fling their gage Of battle into the fac
Of the miehtiest monarch in the world
who guided the hand Of jefferson in writ