The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-05-27
THE SIMMONS AMENDMENT.

The tolls exemption repeal bill, as
/ reported, to the senate, by the majority
of the canals committee, contained
the following amendment, proposed
by Senator Simmons. with the ap-
prevail of President Wilson,:
provided that neither the passage
of this act nor anything therein con-
tanned shall be construed or held as
waving, impairing or affecting any
treaty OF other right possessed by the
United States"
The above amendment is now a
part of the administration canal bill.
There is no question OF it's adoption
by the senate and later acceptance by
| the house. Its approval by the adj
| ministration as an improvement on
the plain repeal bill that passed the
house was the break" that turned
the tide strongly against the senate
opposition to the repeal program.
Reminder OF its effectiveness is offer
ed by Senator Kcnyon's explanation
| OF Ills reasons for reversing his for
mer attitude and voting for repeal.
With or without the Simmons
amendment, the administration bill
repeats the coastwise tolls exemption
and removes Great Britain's ground
for contention that we have violated
the Hay-Paunccfote treaty. With the
amendment, however, the bill can no
longer be used as a target for the
most effective criticism, originally
aimed at it. This criticism took the
form of protest that repeal OF the
exemption involved surrender of some
of our sovereign rights over the canal.
While there was nothing substantial
| in this criticism, it carried appeal to
patriotic instincts that made it by far
the most popular argument advanced
by the opposition. 1t was worked to
a fragile by all opponents OF the re,
peal program before the Introduction
Of the Simmons amendment removed
its pertinence.
If the United States has the right
to exempt its coastwise shipping from
toll payments for use Of the Panama
canal, and; the exercise OF such right
would not involve violation Of the
Hay-Pauncefote treaty, the right will
still be- retained in principle after the
pending repeal act has become effec-
tive, The repeal act will mean only
that for the present VIC do not care
to discriminate in favor OF our coast
wise shipping and do not care to
engage in any international dispute
over our right to do so. We do, how,
ever, reserve the right at any future
time to exercise any right we may
have originally had in the premises,
without prejudice on account OF the
present course Of action.
With the Simmons amendment IN
effect'a member may be emphatic in
insisting that Great Britain has no
right to dictate our canal policy and
may still vote for repeal on the
ground that toll exemption amounts
to an undesirable subsidy. That the
remission 'ofttolls to coastwisc vessels
amounts toEa subsidy is not denied.
That it is necessary to grant such a
subsidy in order to show our inde-
pendence of British dictation can no
longer be coHtended.
The member who votes. for the re-
peal BILL, plus the Simmons amend
ment, not only refuses to play into
the hands OF Great Britain, but re,
fuses to play into the hands Of the
domestic coastwise shipping trust.
Surely the killing of two such birds
with a single stone must be regarded
as a feat worth performing with an
eye to political consequences Sioux
City Journal.