Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-28
OPPOSES WILSON
ON CANAL TOLLS EXEMPTION

there Is no reason at this time VIII,
we should abandon a solemn promise
made to the American people in one
OF the most prominent planks in. oul
party platform.
But we are told that we are violat
ing a solemn treaty made with another
nation and in good faith that We
should abandon the canal to foreign
rivals without contest or dispute. in
order that we may keep our stand
ing in the family of nations.
Not for one moment do I believe
that we have violated a treaty right
and not for one moment do l believe
that the English government seriously
contends that we have violated a
treaty right. Our whole difficulty in
the matter arises from the un-Ameri-
can spirit of surrender that some of
our own people have exhibited toward
this important question from the very
, beginning.
IF the congress had unanimously
passed the canal tolls bill two years
ago, do not believe that the question
would ever have been raised that we
do not have the right TO exempt Amer
lean ships from the payment OF tolls
when we charge foreign ships a fair
and equitable rate for their passage
through the canal. Great Britain
charges $50 for the passage through
canal that cost only one-third of
what il cost US TO build the Panama
canal and our toll charge is only s1.20
per net ton
at seems to me clear that II does
not lie within the mouth of Great
Britain or any foreign nation to COM
plain that we have not given them
fair and equitable treatment in the
tolls that we have charged for the
passage of their ships through the
canal
Attack On Sovereignty.
There is a more serious question
involved in the passage OF this bill.
The right to discriminate in favor of
our ships. the opportunity to encour
age our shipping and TO increase our
commerce are matters of vital i'm
portance. but they pale into insignif-
canoe when compared with the at
tack on the sovereignty of our coun-
try in the canal zone.
THE power to build the canal, un-
der our constitution rests in the war |
power of the United States. We |
built the canal primarily as an add. !
ton to our war power as IL permits /
the quicker transfer of our naval |
forces from one ocean to another. Its
inland lake provides a harbor of
refuge in which our navies can rendez-
vous, and as occasion offers, enter
either ocean.
THE advocates of Great Britain
take the position that we are forbid
den to discriminate in favor of our
own vessels OF commerce, and as YES
sells OF commerce and war are named
together, how long will IL be before
the same advocate of the British con-
tention will advise us that we cannot
in favor of our own war
vessels.
The contention OF those advocat-
ing the British claim seems almost
absurd when we recognize that If we
admit them for vessels OF commerce
the same reasoning will require us to
admit them for vessels of war To
do so would convert the canal in time
Of war into a liability instead of an
asset. OF course we made no such
We give to all nations OBJ
serving certain rules adopted by us
certain privileges in the canal. That
did not mean that we proposed to
build a canal at our own expense and
then surrender its sovereignty TO all
Jther nations.
There is no word in the treaties
hat even by implication denies our
light to give free tolls to our vessels
n any trade. and the day will yet
ZONE when we will free our vessels
rom tolls in the foreign trade. But
We have yet to consider the most ser
Gus surrender that the advocates of
he British contentious desire to ii
make, that is, to make the admission
hat We are not sovereign in the canal
one. III
Calls II Surrender. II
by your vote you are asked to |
atty for all time to come, the Brit
sh desire that we surrender sover-
ignty of the canal zone and admit
hat it is an international waterway
n which we have no rights that are
lot possessed by all other nations i
Our governmental status on the
anal zone was established and fixed Il
" treaty made with the republic
4 Panama subsequent TO the making
4 the Hay-Pauncefote treaty. Great
Britain remained silent after the pub
ications of this treaty and allowed us
o build the canal under II, and she is
stopped now to deny the right we
cquired under this treaty with Pan
ma
The republic of Panama acquired
he sovereignty over the land through
Thich the canal was built in the same
manner the original thirteen states of
his union acquired their soyaraipn+y Il
Y successful revolution. Panama has
her sovereignty over the
anal zone TO our government, BY
snguage that is 80 clear 1t cannot be
Are We now TO yield the sovereign
lghts of a nation and for what? Can
nyone tell us plainly why We sur
ender and what is TO be. accomplish
by f.?
Are we to yield merely because the III
u