Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-04-17
FREE TOLLS BILL
T0PASS SENATE
As a Trade Measure the Wis.
dom Of Wilson is Being
Recognized
CHAMP CLARK'S MISTAKE
Opposition to Wilson Said to
be Due to Influence of
William r. Hearst

WASHlNGTON, ID. C., April IA
Especially .-Presiden Wilson won an.
other great victory on the 31st Of
March, when the bill repeating the
provision of free tolls for Coast.wise
shipping through the Panama Canal
was passed in the House of Repre-
by the overwhelming vote
of 247 against 1862. This measure has
attracted more attention than any act
of the administration except the Tar
iff and Currency bills. The remark
able feature about the affair is the
fact that the Democratic Platform
on which President Wilson was elect
ed declared in favor of free toll"
for our Coast wise shipping, which is
meant, shipping from port to port on
the United States territory. Presi-
dent Wilson, after careful study, came
to the conclusion that free tolls is an
unwise policy and he did what was
wise and statesmanlike in reversing
himself when he found mistake had
been made. 1t is said that a fool
never changes his mind but a wise
man does, when there is a good reas
on for SO doing. The Panama cana
cost us approximately $4O0,000.0O0
which was paid for by the American
people, and why should less than
per cent who own the ships reap the
benefit of free toll which the other
80 per cent have paid for. The fact
of it is every ship Of commerce pass
ing through that Canal should pay
the same rate in toll, and that is the
only just and equitable way to oper
ate the Canal.
Value Of Foreign Friendship.
= Our foreign tradenAas< now reached
a stupendous figure and is something
like four billion dollars $4,000, ,O00,
600. annually. Our biggest CONNER.
cial trader is great Britain and the
second biggest trader is Germany and
nearly one-third of our stupendous
foreign trade is with these two grea,
countries. When we passed the free
toll measure in 1912 it made Great
Britain and Germany mad as hornets
and so mad that they refused to par
ticipate in the San Francisco Expo
sition to be held next year in com.
memoration Of the opening of that
canal. There are many shallow
thinking people in this country who
consider we should do whatever we
please without consulting any other
nation on earth. No doubt there is
no nation that would ever attempt
to tell us" what we should do and
what we should not do with that canal,
but the fact remains that the friend.
ship of all the foreign countries will
be greatly promoted by the repeal
Of the free toll, thereby treating every
vessel of commerce exactly alike.
Foreigners and Mexico.
England and Germany have enor.
nous interest in Mexico that run
high up into the hundred million dol.
lars, and that property is being in
jured and jeopardized by the conflict
now raging there. President Wilson
has requested all foreign countries
having interest in Mexico to keep
hands off" and leave it to us. They
have done so, although their prop
erty holdings are enormously large
As long as foreign countries are
showing us such Difference and such
substantial acts of friendship there is
no reason why we should not like
wise show our friendship in a sub
stantial manner in return.
Speaker Ciark's Mistake
Speaker Champ Clark went way out
If his way to unloose great chunks of
oratory, wind jamming, or hot air
,pouting which ever you choose to
,all it, in opposition to the recon.
of President Wilson. A
great many believe that this act on
he part of Champ Clark will mean
lis elimination from the speakership
n the next House, as his opposition
o say the least, was one of narrow
craftsmanship and exceedingly bad
oarty policy. Speaker Clark has nev-
,r gotten over the fact of his defeat
or nomination in 1912 at the Balti-
more convention, and he takes him.
self too seriously. There is a little
inside history connected with Clark's
for the nomination that has
never been widely published. When
Clark first became a presidential can
lidate he was treated as a joke and
t was not until VIM. R. Hearst put
lis string of newspapers behind him
Ind the unlimited Hearst millions
hat Champ Clark's boom began to