The Washington times., 1914-05-07
DENOUNCES WILSON'S
STAND FOR REPEAL
Senator 0'Gorman Says Pos
terity viii Condemn Presi-
dents Judgment on Issue.

"I shall never furi the standard Of the
United States and lay It at the feet oi
a foreign power" declared Senator
OGorman OF New York, chairman oi
the Senate Interoceanic Canals Commit.
tee. in a speech this afternoon. attack
ing the. tolls exemption repeal bill.
~"The President Is discharging his duty
as he sees 1t. He has; his duties under
the Constitution to perform. and have
mine No one impugns his honor or
patriotism. simply challenge his
Judgment 1t cannot be vindfcated, and
posterity will condemn It. Z.
THE American people, not the British
government, restored the Democratic
party to power, and IL We retain power
1t will be by the favor and confidence
of the American people, and not by the
grace Of Great Britain. - :,
IF we prove recreant to our trust the
American people will render verdict
whose lesson will have a salutary in
A party platform should be regarded
as a. confession of faith. by the party
promulgeting 1t, and should be held
sacred and ipviolate, -
Pc - .. ? Cannot Be Excused.
( How can we hope to retain. the con-
fdence Of the American people. whom
we have no respect for our party
pledges? To what sinister influence will
the people attribute this duplicity on the
defense to say that delicate foreign re-
lat!ons justify the Reputation. There
can be no condition in our forStgn .af-
fairs that can excuse the abandonment
Of vital national rights. -:
tion of, sout ,coastwi2A vessels consti-
tutes q Wise economic policy and is not
affected by the Hay-Pauncefote treaty;
second, II coastwfse vessels fall within
the terms Of the treaty, the exemption
does not constitute violation thereof; |;
structed on territory over which the
United States exercises the power or
sovereignty, while the canal contem-
plated by the treaty was TO be built ON
alien soil, and, therefore, the Hay
Pauncefote treaty is imapplicabie.'
Traces the History.
Senator O'Gorman then traced the
diplomatic history Of the negotiations.
He declared the Ciayton-B -Bulwer treaty
Of 1850 to have been a blunder. in which
for nothing. He added that this treaty
did not include Panama, but only Gen.
trail America, of which Panama was
not, in lsJO, a part. Speaking Of the
inclusion of Panama in the Hay
Pauncefote treaty. by the inclusion of
the phrase by whatever route may be
expedient." he said:
This diplomatic blunder can be ex-
planned only upon the theory that our
negotiators did not know that Panama
was not part OF Central America in
1880. although the records of the State
Department would have disclosed that
fact -'sEs.
J -Dri,<txr. ,,,t %ha< tb>ra ro,,ld h. ar,
cording to estimates, a deficit of ST.
oO0 900 annually from the operation of
the canal. which had cost the United
States 800. .o6o, ,ooo, O'Gorman asked:
What is our status? Do We own
national mat % carst.fer. With no " special
privilege except to foot the bills and
to maintain sufficient military force
to defend the canal and preserve its
Is our only reward the
history of recorded time did any nation
ever act so improvidently as we have
acted, according to the view of the
British advocates?
Attitude Is Shocking.
The British contention is SO shock
ing to ones senses of justice. SO abhor-
that 1t needs more to estab-
and highly technical Interpretation
which is the sole reliance of those who
defend the British pretensions.
Every ton Of freight carried through
he canal at $l.20 a ton viii enable the
railroads in the United States
and Canada, as well as at Tehuantepec,
to charge at least that amount as
additional freight: ana on a freight car
fifty tons from ocean to ocean
he railroads will receive $50 more than
hey would II the ships went through
without the payment of tolls. 1t would
DC just as fair TO cry railroad subsidy
Under these circumstances as IL IS to
,harge ship subsidy