New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-28
Cassius Clark and Brutus Underwood
Gashed Nothing Yesterday but
Thin Air.

Nh, .roo+-- s,,asbinc coastwiSe- shipping SUBSIDY
,,io+io,, wont down 70 defeat yesterday In the
House Of Representatives. The speclai Iu'e "'i'
;, dohata ON the repeal of the faulty coastWlse
e,i,,i,, tolls exemption clause of the Panama
Conal Law, was approved by 200 votes to IT, III
,os q sufficient margin. since the opposition to the
odontion Of special rule restricting DEBATE was
stronger than opposition TO repeal Is Ikei! u. w.
There are Republicans like Mr.. Lenroot, OF NlScoh-
himself n member of the Rules Committee
,rbo do not want 10 vote either direct or an III
direct subsidy TO coastwise shipping yet are anxious
10 give the House all the time 1t may demand u
discuss any important public question. On 'niS III
cidental issue Of fuller debate Mr. Lenroot carrieu
most of the Republican contingent with him. onS
eight Republicans voted for the special rule but
q much larger number will probably vote LOT tne
Sims repeal bill when it comes up for passage
Sneaker Clark has cast his lot with the antl-
sdministrationists in the House. lie IS WlillhS u
plav Cassius to Mr.. Underwood's BrutuS. but TIC
poverty Of the argument with which he excuses HIS
adhesion to the antiWilson cabal does niue circuit
either to his courage or his ingenuity. lie says
that i'm the past he has opposed rules LOT cnoAlhS
off debate on important measures. lie lorgetS u
say that most of the important measures 10 winch
he refers were many pages in length ana contaiheu
a mass of details which it was desirable 10 consider
paragraph by paragraph. The Sims bill Is only Il
few lines long and presents a single, simple issue
Everybody in Congress knows what 1t means
and a twenty hours debate on 1t VIII De ample
The country would have more respect for Mr. Clark
if he had said openly that he was against the SIMS
bill either because the Democratic national plat
form was against it or because the President was
for It, Furthermore, if he was going to take hand
tba ppSi-
dents request for repeal on grounds of national
honor he might as well have gone the limit and
said either that breaking the Hay-Pauncefote
treaty was in itself good thing or that breaking
it was justified in order to vote assistance out of
the Treasury to the coastwise shipping interests.
President Wilson's stand for good faith in the
observance of our treaties has been one of the
manifest acts of his administration. He confessed
an error Of Judgment which he had made and which
his party platform had made 1t takes grit for a
statesman not only to admit wrong but to accept
personal responsibility for righting that wrong The
President put himself on high ground when he I'M
dertook to secure the repeal of the coastwise ship
ping tolls exemption clause Of the Panama Canal
law He also risked much, because he invited at
tack from all those elements In Congress which
for personal or other reasons are dissatisfied with
his leadership They could unite to defeat him I'M
der the Of loyalty to the Democratic platform
But so clear IS his that the coalition of NAL
contents has not been able TO overcome him. Tn
derwood Clark Tammany Hall, the ship subsidy
interests. the Pacific Coast advocates Of cheap
freghts at the cost OF the government and the
Baltimore platform llterasts have all fought him in
vain Because he is right and has the country with
him the conspirators at Washington have so far
gashed nothing but thin air.