Evening star., 1914-05-18
|NS|STSONR RIGHTS
Of j. s. IN CANAL
Senator Sutherland Declares
No American Vessels Need
Pay Tolls.
PRESENT NOT THE TIME
TO CONSIDER ECONOMICS
Declares if Congress Yields Now Su-
premacy Over Waterway Can
Never Be Asserted.

Basing his argument entirely upon thu
ground that the United States has the
right under the Hay-Pauncefote treaty
to exempt its coastwise vessels, and alst
Its overseas vessels. from the payment o.
tolls through the Panama canal, Senator
Sutherland of Utah today addressed the
Senate in opposition to the Panama
canal tolls repeal bill. Senator Suther
land did not attempt to discuss the prob
lem from the economic standpoint.
Il shall vote against the repeal of thu
| exemption clause" said Senator Suther
land, "basing my vote primarily upor
what l conceive to be the necessity O.
reasserting with emphasis the American
right under the treaty, and leaving my
self free to consider the economic sid'
of the subject when. if ever, it may b.
determined solely upon it's merits.
Action to Be Final.
ITO vote for the repeal now would bs
| to concede in the most deliberate manner
our want OF legitimate power to ALLOW
| the exemption. Unless we are simply
playing with the subject, the action o
Congress upon this bill announces the per
| manent view Of Congress respecting it:
powers under the treaty.
Senator Sutherland criticised the mes
sage of President Wilson to Congress re
Sarding the tolls controversy.
According to the Presidents view,
continued Senator Sutherland. our for
mer action is regarded everywhere out
side the United States as a breach of oul
a finDq1 word If fhiS he frf1a
of our former action must be regarded
everywhere as an acknowledgment of oul
wrongdoing 1t is therefore idle to pre-
tend that ii the pending bill be passed We
can ever again with decency enact an ex
emption law
Senator Sutherland "poked fun at the
Simmons amendment to the repeal bill
which states that while repeating the ex
emption clause. the United States does
not relinquish any right which it may
have under any existing treaty.
Suspected of Coquetry.
The senator from North Carolina, Mr.
Simmons, is a serious-minded man, "
said Senator Sutherland, wholly without
guile Of purpose of evasion and there
fore may not lightly be charged with de-
sire to perpetrate a confidence game on
the trusting gentleman in the White
overmuch on the traditional obtuseness
Of the British mind in the presence of
an American Joke. But when we repeal
law for the express purpose of con-
Tossing that we had no right to pass
1t, the attachment of a string in the form
of a declaration that in SO doing we have
no intention Of surrendering any right
seems SO inconsequentia1 that / am quite
unable to see how even the austere repu-
tation of the senator from North Carolina
II ha i0Sn
are indulgtng in a little legislative
badinage for the mere sake of the intel
lectual exercise.
When the lady of Byron's creative
genius, whispering Il will ne'er con
sent" consented, she proceeded under ne
self-delusions. She exhibited a certain
amount of verbal reserve, but there seems
to have been no doubt in the mind of the
yeracious recorder of the incident tina,
her capitulation was complete.
Yields, Without Yielding.
But this later, if not less enchanting
coouette. the senator from North Caro-.
lima. who. while yielding TO the presi.
dental Establishments. whispers into the
bill an amendments in The nature of an
ex post facto proviSo. seems to be laying
the foundation for a plausible but sps.
cious contention that he had not yielded
at all. but simply engaged in harmless
Irritation in support OF the foreign pol
icy of the administration. -
After discussing in detail the terms OF
the Clayton-B Bplwer and the Hay -Paunce-
fote treaties to show that the United
states IS entirely justified in the exemp.
ton of her commercial vessels as well
as in the exemption of her war vessels
from the payment of tolls through the
canal Senator Sutherland announced
that he favored submitting the question
to the arbitration of some disinterested
tribunal.
Il have very positive opinions on the
subject of the tolls exemption" said
Senator Sutherland, but frankly con-
cede that they may be wrong. The great
est lawyers in this body, as well as in
the country. entertain opposing Views
The question is fairly debatable. 1t is.
therefore. a matter which can never be
satisfactorily determined until it shall
have been decided by an impartial tri-
bunal. l have not the slightest hesita-
tion in saying that I would vote to sub
NIT 1t to arbitration
Debate to Be Continued,
rest today any doubt as to whether the
Panama canal tolls repeal bill debate
would extend beyond the present week
would address the Senate on that bill
Senator Chamberlain of Oregon one of
the strong opponents of the repeal bill
among the democrats, also gave notice
that he would speak on the repeal bill
Friday of this week.
Senator Kern. the democratic leader
had expressed the belief that the debate
on the tolls bill would close this week
AS the time draws near for a vote 1t Is
clearly apparent that the measure will
be passed By the Senate, though prob
ably in an amended FORM
A statement was isued last night from
headquarters of the democratic national
committee declaring that in response to
an inquiry by Senator Gore, 702 dele
gates to the Baltimore convention out OF
SCI heard from, have registered oppo-
sit.on to the free tolls plank of the
says that 127 delegates stand for the
free toll provision, and that letters from
thirty eight others are non-committal.
Williams for Arbitration
At the close of Senator Sutherland's
address. Senator Williams of Mississippi
gave his hearty Endorsement to a sug
gestion made by Senator Sutherland tina
the question as to the right Of thu
United States to exempt American ship:
| from the payment of tolls should be sub
mitted TO an impartial tribunal for arbi
| tration.
NO matter how the vote of this repea
| bill goes said Senator Williams, ''l
want this question submitted to an i'm
partial international tribunal. ] hop,
| that the senator from Utah will offer
resolution providing for the arbitration
| of this question. and for one will cheer
fully support it.