Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-24
TOLL VOTE RESULT
FEARED BY SOLONS
Democratic Representatives
Believe Their Reelection
May Be Menaced.
WORRY OVER THE RESULT
OF SUPPORTING WILSON
Speaker Clark's Attitude Awaited
With Keen Interest-Great
Forensic Battle Due.

While President Wilson, counting with
confidence upon enacting his Panama
canal tolls policy. feels gratified over his
prospective victory, the same cannot be
SAID of some of his humble followers in
'he House of Representatives.. who are
not laying that JUNCTION to their souls
The horrid thought is hesetting many
of them as they hear from home" that
they are in danger of being slaughtered
to furnish an administration holiday. The
Presidents victory" they fear. is likely
to be won at the expense of many a
democratic representative. whose re-
nomination is imperiled and reelection
menaced in obeying blindly the Prcsi-
dents demand for support Of his canal
policy. with it's mysterious allied foreign
contingencies.
One cannot be oblivious to the perturbed
state of the democratic rank and file over
this situation. 1t is manifest in all their
talks and conferences. when they are not
speaking for publication. They are COM
pairing notes. and to disturbing extent
it is evident that in many sections of the
country there are murmurs OF protest
from democrats against the administra-
tons canal policy.
Expect First Echo at Primaries.
1t is expected that naturally this re-
sentiment will first be made evident in the
renominating primaries, when ambitious
young asprants for congressional honors
will use the canal vote as a lever to pry
present occupants out of their seats. This
is the first hurdle to be taken; the water
jump will come in the election in the fail.
after the republicans have aroused the
country with their side of the issue
So marked has been the growth OF OPP
position to the Presidents policy since
it was first announced that the opponents
of the policy have been nightly encour-
aged and are praying for more time Tor
the country to wake UP to the situation
This fact has not been lost upon the
administration. and almost frantic ef-
forts are being made to jam the legisla-
ton through before the opposition can
gather headway.
Yet, with it all. no one has the haroi.
hood to predict that the President Will
lose in the end. The calm Judgment OF
politicians on Capitol Hill continues to re-
fleet the opinion that he can put through
his policy.
| ocratic representatives their seats in
| Congress is a subject for individual con-
sideration alone. it is said. and no man
ought to halt, at the danger of dying Tor
the good of the party. Napoleon never
counted lives to win a battle.
CLARK ATTITUDE interests.
Members of all parties in the House
are watching with keen interest Speaker
Clarks attitude on the tolls question, and
there is much speculation among the poll
ticians over his prospective course. He
is understood to be opposed 70 the Presi-
dents policy and intent upon voting
against it.
But that is not the question: the point
is, whether the Speaker intends to come
out in an aggressive fight against the
administrati ton. on this issue. with view
to political developments in 1916
Some of Speaker Clark's friends, who
are still resentful of the treatment he
received at the Bait imore convention
when the nomination was taken from him.
want him to enter the race for the next
presidential nomination. Those who
are of this mind see in the canal tolls
issue a golden opportunity for him TO
break with President Wilson and strike
cut fof himself They want him to
take n decided stand for what they
term a strong American policy and
build up a follc wing against the future.
Speaker Clark. a wary person with the
Missouri temperament strongly de-
veloped. isn't saying anything for the
moment. but there will be large at
tendance and close attention when he
addresses tns House on Panama tolls
Hope to Begin Debate Thursday.
There was no prospect of getting the
Sims bill to repeal the Panama tolls ex-
emption before the House today. Con-
sideration Of the rivers and harbors ap-
preparation bill dragged along again.
Administration leaders hoped the tolls
debate surely might begin Thursday.
Chairman Henry of the rules commit
tee was waiting to bring in a special rule
for immediate consideration of the repeal
bill with fifteen hours of general debate
and barring any amendments other
intervening motions except a motion to
recommit to the committee on interstate
commerce.
Communications Read in Senate.
Senator O'Gorman had read in the Sem
ate cha nber today letters and kilograms
commencing his opposition to the repeal.
One telegram from the New Orleans AS
ISOLATION of Commerce declared repeal
would be staggering blow to American
aspirations for re-establishment Of our
merchant marine" Another from the
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
urged the senator to fight repeal to the
last.
from former Senator Blanchard of Lous-
ana to Senator Thornton declaring that
public sentiment in Louisiana overwhelm-
ingly favored the repeal as urged by Pres
ident Wilson.
Great Forensic Battle Due.
Latest indica ations from the House of
Representatives point to the most pic
turesaue forensic battle seen for many
wears when the Sims bill to repeal the
exemption clause of the Panama canal
act is thrown into the arena and the
opposing elements begin to fight for
and against it.
The republicans, even those who will
vote for the repeal, think they can
have little fun filibustering and
the President. Mean
time. Representative Humphreys of
Washington has done his little bit to
help the republican cause along by
getting into the Record list of demo-
Gratis now in the House who voted for
the exemption of American coastwise
shius from tolls in the previous
sion. and who now are called upon by
the President to reverse their action.
Representative Oscar Underwood,
leader of the democrats of the House.
is expected to open the opposition to
Th1tr ,1atr ftxr.