The Washington herald., 1914-04-13
PANAMA CANAL TOLLS.
Rates Fixed Held to Be Unjust and
Exemption DishonorabIe.

tiOn- ne very name Hdhdula nearty
suggests disaster.
Railroad builders found death at each
cross tie. French canal pioneers met
disease, scandal. panic. political up
heavaIs and enormous loss as an out
come OF their work on the isthmus Mr..
Roosevelt gave America doubtful rec
ord by melting revolution and conclud-
ing a troublesome treaty with the re-
public.
After iIlustrious civil engineers, Shonts.
| Stevens. and Wallace. had prepared
plans. and sanitary engineers had made
life in this tropical location reasonably
safe. and expert railway men and ma
chinists were rapidly digging the canal,
a cabaI Of War DepaTtment-sO-caIIed He'd
military engineers devised a scheme to
fllCh the honor and credit Of construct
ing the canal from the civil engineers
engaged in the work. So the ilIustriOUs
engineer. Mr.. Wallace, was forced out
| An army engineer was then placed
in charge" Of the thousands Of civil.
sanitary and mechanical engineers and
expert railroad men and machinists
and other skilled employees engaged in
the construction work and the West
Pointer wins a medal for plans and work
Of others
The American people however. who
pay the enormous bills. get even less
considSatiOn. Is their Investment I"
produce return to taxpayers or A."
the hundreds ~ millions contributed n'
them 20 be waSted in unneeded subsidies
4 TO special interests and this nation
quire a record for nOnObservance "f
| treaty stipulatiOus?
! Mr.. Taft's bIunder IN Panama history
| is evidenced wien he signed a bill grant
ha
! pected to seek this route and giving
/ American ship owners q preference pro-
hibited by solemn treaty, which stlpu-
lated
The canal snail n" free and open To-
7 the vessels Of commerce and Of war Of
all nations, observing these rules on terms
! Of enbire equality 50 that here shall be
no discrimination against any such na-
tiOn or its citizens subjects In -
speCt Of the conditions or charges or
traffir or otherwisr. Such conditions and
charges o1 traffic shall be just and cquI-
table
| Instead Of coIrteouSIv leaving To- r.s
successor the question Of fixing tolls -
charges for TIL use Of the St.Il urcon-
! plet-d canal under this treaty breaking
! law he proclaimed an unjust end iuogIG-
! Ia BILE fiat rate Of 81 per ton whether th.,
vessel carries passengers Or freight.
whether cargo of coal or fertilizer. vt
4
tramp freighte- as for an oresn grey
hound or a battlcship requiring separate
lOckage and great care. ur "A dozen small
Hight SChOOnerS that could not pOSST0iv
I jeopard.ze the canal gates or channel;
Indifferent whether he vessel Is saved a
500 miles trip or -. miles 10y rs use.
whether the y.~sei L. ON a coast route
or traHs-oreauIC route.
| The ordinary dictates OF common sense
/ might have suggested 10 NJ Taft that
a single flat rate would he d bout As e0rIi-
I table as a law requiring a! hotels and
boarding houses in th'- rity Of Washing
ton to charge 81 Per day whether guests
had rork and potatoes or tokay and
terrapin.
casual and suDerficisl study Of Just
and equitable conditions ami charges
OF traffic would suggest rates aTp-O-
PIRATE TO vessels and traffic
| As to conditions Of traffic. II 4 vessel
I is locked tEro TCh alone. Il might TeHson-
ably pay ono rate. or - get lower rate.
the vessel. If 81, PERMITS, NAV lie over
to be locked through with others and !
lower toll rysi
Every principle az justice would reQuIr"
4 that a coasr-bornd vessel would obtain
Mower rates than tranSuccanIC '"S~. IS n'
/ equal t"unaE" on account "f .~'. r.-r. =
. OF rsSSI=". shorter t.I0. la 10. r.rr. '...''
freight and rassenE'r '..:s~. --''''-
. hazard Of S"rv.,r, and G.'.'.. So. '.'. ~
traffic
} For oNamps" 4 yesS't .rn". \r-.''.-.'r
/ Ju4ud for HaHiHN uac.. .n ..., "v'r
: toll than a vessel from t''. .'. 'Ed
( for London. though f,-. 50. - have
same size ard carr n-. ,-s".- as The
; ON" has rail competition " a.. .">S. i,
! all frci ighu. all roUsIds .at.'m- "- just and
/ equitable charges .ou1.. . ln MIR.
Taft'S yIS.un.
4 . %. nom 10
( on value Of freight r". "r~,"rsc vessels,
I ami e 10 $ T-ar to-. %. % .~u-Can YES
, sells would n" r..r~ rsar "quitahLH
rates.
! Gr,at Britain profess a-anSt gross
Discrimination ,na'' N" 'rrat' i'm T~f-
mittinC American ,a>rvEse vessels pas
! sag" without inus ...r compelling other
vesS,.Is /" ra> rh, ,r..r. tolls ami revcr'.'
OF tn ceuJ.
II coastw.<r sHtrnrne alr.- - Amer
tra"soy ra".. sh.rr1. st,,r aCIosonshr.,
higher rat. thrr-. Uou Il D." no drs-rIm'-
nation .,-rlnSt vessel o',r~rS under any
fIac ENGLISH >nIrp.n= v0uIE benefit bv
lower rlr-s to md from Canadian ports
and NmerI w"'.id benefit by lower
cna~IEisr t"..S
Thr rN,mu'I.n Of Panama vessels from
payment j. wholly unreasonable and is
a 'Ur,n.r Violation of treaty obligations
with Great Britain. and should lie
promptly evoked.
The present Democratic administration
nherts the results Of many hIurors
from m, Republican adnirt~rrr- on
which has 50 often succeeded in deciding
the People into election Of il. -wrytrut
OH ills
How a Democratic ConErr>>r -
possibly Justify his vote t. I.-tm. trS
perfidious free toll Republican 80" irrns
Of subsidy to shipping between Nu, rIra1
ports where th"rv IS no fvItIEa Cn"Deti-
ton whatever. is not cOmrr n. .-.hl,.
When representatives in t'nI.-rc~~ voted
To eNpend millions of the rrnr> "f the
American people in bIIIdiu- "a ANA out
side of their own coUn;rN. un nsUt "r
the expenditures would he r~..,l UHTro-
duCtIve or used 10 subsidiz. >a-pp.uE in
terests that have an ahsn'a.. u.nuopuly
and need no subsidy what"'r~. and at
same time involve th,. nation u serious
treaty disCredit.
Every honorable and I.rl. rrl.T--S, NATIVE
of the American pr"py ,aEh' tu vote
for repeal Of tn" free. toll blrndrr. Those
who vote against - Irr PLAYING 10
galleries or are iu'IT' rent to. 0r disre-
gard national hnuur. h,.sI'l-s aiding to
deprive the peop., OF al return an their
enormous iuv-sJl1, ur.
As jh- United Srrir~ made Il specific
treaty with Great iir'raiu as - tolls on
the proposed carLL would il not seem
to be- au ~vidrnre "I American good