Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-02-19
Bristow Turns Suffrage Discus
sion into Debate on Repeal
of Tolls Provision.
REPUBLICANS To TIE DEFENCE
Charge Is Based on Refusal to
Aid Women, and Proposal
That Party Reverse
Canal Plank.

Washington, Feb N.-AcCusing Prosi
dent Wilson of inconsistency in his views
.of the binding effect Of the democratic
platform and charging that greed of the
railroads and the .udacous claims of
Great Britain seem far more potent with
our President than the appeal Of the
womanhood of the nation Senator Brs-
tow republican, Of Kansas, turned dis
cusson of woman suffrage in the Senate
to-day into a vigorous debate on the
proposed repeal of the free tolls provision
of the Panama canal act.
Senator Bristow's attack brought to the
defense Of the President several repuo-
ran as well as democratic senators, while
g. served also as the signal for opening the
fight within the democratic party against
repeal Of the tolls exemption provision.
Senator Chamberlain Of Oregon, demo-
orat, dram. q .. 4. declared that he would
not "stultify" himself by telling his con-
stituents that he had not kept his plat
form pledge on the toll question because
the President of the United States does
not agree with me"
CHARGES INCONSISTENCY.
While senators were thus engaged
in the first open discussion of the APP
preaching battle in Congress over the
of the Panama policy, the President
himself was engaged with leaders of
the House of Representatives who are
opposed to repudiatng the declaration
of the party platform. lie discussed
the situation with Majority Leader
Underwood and Pnrresnntative TIitch
EN- Of North Caroline but so far as
could be learned dill not convert them
to his view that the provision grant
ing free tolls to American vessels
violates the Hay -Pauncefote treaty
and EN- barrasses the administration
in its foreign relations.
Senator Bristow based his charge of
Inconsistency against the President on
the ground that he had told the suf-
fraGists he could not advocate their
cause because the Democratic party
had not expressed itself in the matter,
while he proposed that Congress should
reverse itself on the tolls question
despite the fact that the party had
| endorsed its action. In this connection
the Kansas senator mentioned the ref
erence in the Baltimore platform fav-
| oring "a single presidential term" and
| asked whether the President would
| interpret this plank in harmony with
his position as to suffrage, or as to
canal tolls"
SAYS RAILROADS IN FIGHT.
When Senator r5ristow said that the
transcontinental railroads had for years
been behind the fight against free tolls
for American ships and intimated that
they had influenced the President, Sena-
tor Lodge of Massachusetts, republican
member of the foreign relations commit
tee, declared that the President was ac-
tuatel in his attitude on the tolls ques-
tion solely by his desire to restore the
United States to it's former prestige
among nations The President does not
like to the United States an outlaw
among the nations" added the Massa-
chusetts senator.
When the tolls question came up, SEN
ator Bristow said it was not brought be-
fore the President by the good women
of the country but by a representative
OF the English government whose action
had been instigated by the American and
Canadian transcontnontal railroads and
British shipping interests" He quoted
the Baltimore platform in its endorse-
ment of the toll exemption policy for
American ships and declared that the
President In recent letter to Mr. Mar
bury Of Baltimore had declared the ex-
from every point OF view"
HAVE RIGHT TO LIFT TOLLS.
1T is true that we have expended about
four hundred millions of our own money
tn constructing this canal in our own ter
ritory and that the democratic House
of Representatives, a republican Senate
by an overwhelming majority, Mr.. Taft,
the President of the United States, and
the democratic national convention all
thought we had perfect right to permit
our own ships engaged in our domestic
commerce to go through free of tolls If
we saw fit to do so. But England claims
that this must not be done without her
consent, though her ships cannot engage
IN our domestic commerce and she has
not directly or indirectly invested a dol
lar In the construction OF the canal"
Concluding after frequent Interruptions.
the Kansas senator declared that 'the
fight to save the grip OF the transcon-
tinenta railroads cannot be hidden be-
hind our relations to foreign countries or
the skirts of the President of the United
States"
Senator owen of Oklahoma said the
conscience of no democrat was bound by
the Baltimore platform on the tolls
question because 1t did not represent the
sober judgment Of the party on that
point.
Senator Chamberlain of Oregon, who
voiced the first formal opposition to the
PresidenL W.-H+u tne party ranks. said
RAILROADS BLOCKED CANAL.
at is a matter of history that the rail
ways of this country, particularly tn,
transcontnental railways, prevented th'
construction OF tho Panama canal 10
years and when the question of grantnl
coastwise vessels freedom from tolls wal
under discussion In the Senate those of III
who knew the lobbyists Of the railway