The Washington herald., 1914-04-20
MORE DELEGATES
URGE THE REPEAL
Of the Baltimore Convention
Members, 504 Sustain
the President.
LETTERS GIVE OPINIONS
Representative Bailey Wonders How
Free Tolls Plank Got Into
the Platform.

More than one-half of the delegates to
the Democratic convention in Baltimore
in 1872 have written letters to Senator
Gore, of Oklahoma. indorsing the Pan
anna tolls repeal bill advocated by Fresi-
dent Wilson, according to a statement
made public yesterday by authority of
the Democratic National Committee. Mr..
Gore undertook a poll OF the Baltimore
delegates to determine whether they sub
scribed to the plank In the party plat
form that commended the exemption
clause of the canal act
There were 1,0s4 in the convention that
naminated Mr.. Wilson. OF this number
504 have written Senator Gore, sustaining
the position of the President on the tolls
question and urging the repeal of the
exemption clause. Ninety-eight delegates
have written letters opposing the Presl-
dents position. Twenty-three delegates
were noncommittaI in their letters to SEN
ator Gore. Commenting on the returns,
the statement issued at the Washington
headquarters of the Democratic National
Committee said:
THE fact that more than half of the
delegates 10 the Baltimore convention
have made responses and that they stand
with the President in the ratio of more
than five to one in his position against
subsidy. is highly pleasing to those Demo-
Gratis who have led the fight for repeal
OF the free tolls plank Of the platform"
Letter. Made Public.
A week ago the committee made
public letters from delegates approv-
ing the tolls repeal bill Another batch
of these letters was given out last
night. Among those who indorse the
administration bill is Representative
Warren W. Bailey. of Pennsylvania,
who was a delegate to the convention
and a member Of the committee on
resolutions that framed the platform.
Mr.. Bailey begins his letter with the
statement that ne is AT a loss to eX-
plain how the free tolls plank got in
the platform.
Your inquiry regarding my attitude
on the Panama tolls question finds me
still wondering how the toll exemp-
Fion plank ever found its way into the
Baltimore platform" wrote Represent
ative Bailey. Tt had no business there
and was in clear violation of the, whole
spirit of Democracy, and absolutely
contradictory of the next preceding
paragraph but one in the same plat
form. That Democrats now should
hesitate to repudiate that spurious
declaration and to stand with Presi-
dent Wilson in an honorable respect
for treaty obligations Is beyond my
understanding. 1 know. as a matter
OF fact, that the tolls exemption plank
was not intended originally as a decla-
ration of policy. 1t was merely de-
signed as a recital OF fact Of one OF
the things which a Democratic Con-
gress had performed. the suggestion
havinr seq s ade that exemption of
coast rr ling from the payment
of TO us n achievement of the
Demo 80 iG1.~ ~ad of being. as il was.
an &C - G.u' of the Republicans in
a com .'r.. tG= y ith a majority of DEM
ocrats re use"
Dele ..s " er sections OF the coun-
try wrote similar letters to Senator Gore.
"All OF this talk of laying down to Eng
land is pure poppycock," wrote W. L.
Walton, OF North Dakota Democrats
and Republicans here are right with the
President on this proposition"
Edward c. Sohngen. OF Hamilton.
Ohio, wrote: While IL is true the plat
form favored free tolls for our coastwise
vessels it also opposed subsidy. What
is this but bonus to the ship owners?
II We want to make the ship owners
them each year. and at the end of the
lect from them?'
Il should have voted against free tolls
if ! had been a member of Congress"
wrote William D. Jelks. former governor
of Alabama Besides being a bad
economic policy, I think the free tolls
proposal is in bad faith with other ma
tions."
Judge John W. Kintzinger, of Iowa
wrote in part as follows: Il am opposed
to free tolls on the Panama Canal In