Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-06-12

The House passed the tolls repeal bill and
sends il 10 President Wilson for hi> ~ig-
nature.
Washington. ID. G.. june l2-Thc re-
peal of the Panama canal tolls exemption
act. for American coaStwi~c shipping
PASSED the Senate last night by vote of
30 to &c.
The measure now goes hack ~ the
House. which i expected 10 accept the
Simmons Morris amendment. specifically
rc>erving al right the United States may
have under the Hay Paunccfote treaty
BY vote Of 80 to %. the Senate pre-
viously defeated the amendment proposed
by senator Thomas T. Walsh VI Mon
tana. to allow the tolls dispute a. H. ear
ried TO the United States supreme court
The passage Of the bill J. regarded q
great victory for President Wilson. Eleven
Democrats fought II until the bitter end.
and but Thirteen Republicans voted for 1t.
4 bitter feeling shown when Senator
Nardaman Of Mississippi and senator
West came to blows. making a scene not
Witnessed on the floor cf the Senate IN
many years.
Senator Jones Of Washington had criti-
ci>ed Nardaman. when West took the floor.
those who voted for the bill were traitors
10 Democracy. senator A~hur~t "a
Arizona separated the two.
The question of making the Panama ca
nal free 10 American vessels was brought
TO the front when the House, on May %,
1912, Incorporated IN the act providing
for the establishment Of civil government
for the canal zone provision authorizing
the President To charge tolls 10 vessels
using the canal, with a proviso exempting
American coastwisc vessels from such
charges President Taft, in Il message "a
Congress had urged the exemption. The
bill had been reported TO the House pro-
viding tolls for All vessels but the excmp-
tion provision was adopted a. m amend
ment. This amendment was in the bill a
II went TO the Senate.
Before the bill passed the Senate, Great
Britain, on July IL. 1912, filed formal
protest against the proposed exemption.
The note transmitted to the State depart
mCnt contendcd:
"The British government thinks that to
allow American vessels 10 pass through
the canal without the payment of tolls
would bc 10 violate the Hay Paunccfotr
treaty whether the tolls are not collected.
or whether If collected they are refunded.
A. 10 the coa-twi-c trade. the British gov
ernment thinks il would be- difficult to
frame a provision which would not do in
justice to their interests
The Hay Pauncefote treaty superseded
the Clayton Bulwer treaty under which
Great Britain and the United States were.
jointly, 10 build the canal. The Hay
paunceiote agreement. after providing
rules for the regulation of the canal based
on the rules governing Suez canal traffic.
,et forth:
''The canal shall hc free and open ID
the vessels of commerce and of war of AL
nations observing these rules on terms of
entire equality. % that there shall be- no
discrimination against any such nation or
its citizens or subjects in respect of IN
conditions or charges of traffic or other
wise. Such conditions or charges of trait
fic shall be Just and equitable
The British note of protest started
lengthy diplomatic correspondence on thr
subject Great Britain throughout claimed
that the United States could not. under thc
terms of the treaty. make toll exemption
Of any vessels whether it, own. or Of 9th
er nations. Secretary Knox. who conduct
cd the correspondence for the United
States. m several lengthy notes contended
that the exemption Of American coa~twi-c
shipping was IN no way y discrimination
against other traffic using the canal. He
asserted that the exemption was in the ma
turc III subsidy. paid, not by imposing
the tolls for certain American vessels upon
other ships passing through the canal, but
\ by the American taxpayers themselves Al
paying for the maintenance Of the canal.
''rhe avoidance of possible friction
said the note. ''ha~ been one of the main
objects of those methods of arbitration
which the United States has been for ~
long foremost and consistent advocate .
Throughout the first year Of President
\ Wilson's administration there VIA cen
stant agitation for the repeal ~ the cx
emption clause. The President let II be