The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-04-02
CLAUDE Kl1CH!E'S ATTITUDE.
Reasons Why He Can't Support Repeal
OF The Free Tell Act

sentative Olduuo hlCcnln, OF NOrt0 |
Carolina. who is slated to succeed to
the position of Democratic House
leader upon the retirement of Rep
resentative Oscar w. Underwood at
the end of this session, outlines at |
length his reasons for opposing the
administration bill repeating the ex-
emption clause of the Panama canal
act.
Mr.. Kitchin is one of a group of
Democratic leaders, among them
Mr.. Underwood, Speaker Clark and
Senator O'Gorman who are hostile
to this administration measure.
While the North Carolina member
does not make the charge that the
administration is serving the inter-
ests of the transcontinental railways
he declares that these railways are
chiefly interested in having tolls
levied on American coastwise vessels
using the Isthmian waterway.
Mr.. Kitchin argues that there can
be no discrimination in permitting
American coastwise vessels to use
the canals without payment of tolls
for the reason that foreign vessels
are not permitted to engage in the
coastwise trade, Mr.. Kitchin sums
up his argument as follows:
''The President has changed his
position Shall change, simply be-
cause the President has? Or shall |
follow the Democratic path, where
my reason and conscience leads? If
President Wilson hsd not taken the
soSiticn for repeal the proposition
! would not receive a Democratic vote
in the Senate, and certainly not ten
per cent of the Democratic vote in
the House"
Mr. K1tchin recalled that when tie
Panama canal bill was ssacted upon in
the Senate, the exemption clause
was adopted by vote Of "a to II.
Every single Democrat present
y led tor It. iWenty-Euu1 IN number +,
d Ii twenty Republicans, " said Mr.
! III, chm An analysis of the eleven
Jvppoolng vo,vo<io ln.eI estfng Root,
Penroee, Oliver, Crane, Wetmore,
Brandegee, Lodge, etc, names at
once suggestive Of the influences of
railroads, big business, and special
privilege, constituted the eleven.
These men nave been condemned by
me public generally, and especlaii.
Dy the Democratic party, for years,
as champions, in the Senate, of rail
roads and special interests. They
opposed it in the name of national
n nor,' but at the same time were
serving the transcontlnental rail
roads, including the Canadian Pa
cliic, whose only competitors for
transcontinental freight will be the
coastwlse vessels through the canal.
Mr.. Kltchin insisted that Great
Britain, in one of it's notes had ad.
mitted that free tolls to American
coastwlse vessels was in no sense
vlolative of any treaty obligations
} Mr.. Kitchin quoted the British note
of July 8, 1912, as follows: IF the
t trade should be so regulated as t.
5 make it certain that only bonafide
t coastwise traffic would benefit by
r this exemption, it may be that M
t objection could be taken
4 ''Tnis was both diplomatic ad
b mission that exemption from tolls Q
i our coastwlse vessels would not vic
J .ate the treaty and diplomatic sug
l. gestion to Congress to eliminate tn
is Objectionable propositions proteste'
# against, and confne the exemptio
S 20 our coastwise traffic
MIR. Kltchin denied emphaticall
= that free tolls amounted to the pay
ment of subsidy to American coas
wise vessels.
'The exemption act applies til
= same policy to the Panama canal ;
has been applied since the beginnin
r of the government to every othx
r. waterway in the United States,"
r. said.
n MIR. Kitchin said that followir
Il the adoption of the exemption clau
:, in 1912 1T was almost universal
of approved by the American people
Contining, he said: The thr,
ia parties and the three candidates f
y the Presidency-Wilson, Taft al
ke Roosevelt expressly approved al
indorsed, during the campaign
o's 1912, the exemption provision we a
Sc now asked to repeal"
Mt, The North Carolina member I
MI ferred to a conference with t
nd President in which he informed t
les President that he could not see
ans way clear to support the repeal b
ole The President understands a
thoroughly appreciates my pc
18th tion," said MIR. Kitchin. Il t,
boxuouor that xuhiIo 1u.,