Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-06-24
TOLLS REPEAL; ITS HISTORY.

wilson and his secretary of State,
Mr.. Bryan. The president held that
the bill passed by the democratic con-
gress last year, exempting certain
class of American vessels from pay
ing toll for passage through the
canal, as pledged by the platform of
the convention in which President
Wilson was nominated for the office
he now holds, was a violation of the
Hay-Pauncefote treaty between this
country and England, and our attitude
should therefore be reversed by this
new law, which he has now signed.
The presidents argument is knock
ed out by the senate amendment con-
tanned in the new law, which comedies
the demands of England but contains
clause admitting that we could ex-
empC our ships from paying tolls if
we wanted to without violating the
treaty.
The claim was also advanced that
the former law was playing into the
hands of the shipping trust. The
fact seems to be that it is this new
law which will do that, as shown in
the following comment from the Du-
buque Times-Journal:
Now just what does this alleged
shipping trust consist of?
ITO get at the root of this con-
troversy let us go back to a time
prior to the passage of the tolls ex-
emption bill. When the question OF
granting tolls exemption to American
coastwise vessels came up in congress
the strong argument used IN favor of
favorable action was the existence of
a shipping trust, but not the kind of
shipping trust the advocates of tolls
repeal have pictured. At that time
1T was shown seventy per cent
of the ships engaged in the American
COastwise trade were owned by the
RAILROADS. 1t was because the rail-
roads controlled all but twenty-five
per cent of the ships engaged in
coastwise trade that they were enabl-
ed to crush independent lines and
keep up freight charges.
1T was shown that it was the
practice of the railroads which owned
the seventy-eight per cent of the
ships to crush Independent lines and
stIfie competition. 1t was this fact !
that led the advocates of tolls exemp- |
ton to urge exemption for American |
Goaswise ships except. those owned |
by railroads. The bill passed by
congress provided that American
coastwise ships be exempted from
paying tolls, but that ships owned by
railroads must pay tolls. This ac-
ton was taken in the hope of en-
couraging investors to start in
dependent lines thereby breaking up
TIE rate monopoly the railroads main
tanned on land and water.
Let US consider another phase of
the controversy. When Great Britain
protested against the United States
exempting American coatswise ships |
from passing free through a canal
which was built by American money |
and American brains, some of our |
pro- British statesmen raised the cry |
that we were discriminating against |
foreign ships. Nothing of the kind |
was being done, as foreign ships are
not allowed to engage in American
coastwise trade. Not ton OF freight |
IS ever carried from one American
port to another by foreign vessel.
The exemption could not possibly do
any injustice to any foreign ship own
ers, but it would deal blow to the
railroads which have had monopoly
on land and water transportation.
Exemption would also hit railroad
running across Mexico. This rail
road is owned by Lord Cowdray,
brother -in-law of Earl Grey, the
British foreign secretary, who voiced
England's protest against tolls eX-
emption. This may be a coincidence,
but at any rate it is deeply significant
The president and Secretary Bryan
nave won their battle for tolls repeal.
They have repudiated the plank in
the Baltimore platform which declar-
ed for free tolls for American ships
Congress has admitted we have a
legal and moral right to exempt
American ships from tolls if we de-
sire, but has refused to do so because
the shipping trust bugabOo was raised.
All this has been done in the face of
the fact that the railroads of the
country own and control seventy eight
Der cent OF the ships engaged in the
coastwise trade, every one of which
would have to pay tolls under the
tolls exemption bill. The only bene
siciaries of tolls exemption would be
the struggling, independent steamship
lines and the American people. British