The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, 1914-04-14

OF the democratic floor leader, Mr., Un-
derwood. II is also supported by the !
Hon. Champ Clark. speaker OF the
honse. Prior to the election the tolls
exemption plank had the indorse-
ment OF President Wilson. who, In
speaking to meeting at Washington
Fark, N. j., on August Is, 1912. an
proved OF the exemption in no uncer-
tam terms What the Presidents
reasons are for changing his views,
] do not know, though am sure that
he is entirely honest in lis present he
.iet ana Is actuated by patriotic mo-
tiVes. Not only was approval given
to this plank prior to the election by
the president. but stress p:as laid nm
on II by other Democratic speakers.
particularly those who were cam
palsning In the far west Conseuuent-
iy the argument first advanced nv
some OF the overzealous proponents of
the repeal that the tolls exemption
plank was carelessly incorporated In
the platform must be abandoned in
the light of the facts. The matter
was fully considered in the subc0m
mittee OF the platform COMMITTEES at
baltimore. or this sub committee.
Hon. William Jennings Bryan was
chairman, and am informed that tho
credit of placing this plank m the
plauorm was due to Mr. Bryan.
Is II Subsidy?
1T is, of course. unnecessary 10
state that the democrats rational
convention does not make priiicip;es
for the Democratic party On the
contrary, the convention only drrlarea
what those principles ara, and is, I'm
effect, the high court of appeal in the
party for the enunciatlon pf it's rrinci-
pies. Some of my friends favoring
Tolls claim that free tolls for Amerl-
can coastwise vessels passing through
the canal constitute a subsidy. and
that the Democratic party is opposed
to subsidies. II Is true that the
Democratic party is opposed 10 subsi-
dies. In the 1912 platformthis plank
was inserted:
1--WE believe in fostering, by com
stitutional regulation OF commerce
which shall develop and strengthen
the growth OF merchant marine
| which shall develop and strengthen
the commercial ties which bind MS
TO our sister republics of the south,
but without imposing additional bur-
dens upon the people and without
bounties or subsidies from the public
treasury
1T VIII be disputed nowhere that
the Democratic party-and very prop-
erly, In my Opinion-is opposed 10
subsidies hut Is 1t to be supposed that
Mr.. Bryan and his sub-cummittee. as
well as the national convention at Bal
timore which adopted the platform
pianks In IL, embraced In the same sub
with these two separate and distinct
planks In 1t, embraced in the same
subdivision headed Merchant Marine,
did not know the difference between
subsidy and the policy which has
been maintained by the United Rtatea
Tor more than q hundred years OF
giving a monopoly 70 American ships
of the coastwise trade?
One object In building the canal
was to lower the rates of transpofta-
ton between Atlantic ana Pacific
coasts by allowing the c1astWise traf-
Tic through The canal to develop a
competition OF rates with the railroads
wholesome for both patries and OF
benefit particularly 10 the people of
THO country. IL we charge a toll on
our coastwise vessels much of this
benefit Will be lost, and the object OF
the transcontinental railroads in
seeking 70 nullify the advantages ap-
cruing from the canal will be accom-
plished. However, leaving out OF ac-
co:irt AL auestios of whether from
an economic point of view exemption
OF tolls will prove OF benefit or not, I
am unalterably opposed to committing
this country to the policy OF allowing
any outside interference in the con-
duct of our domestic affairs, and such
the regulation OF our coastwise traffic
assuredly Is. The Hay-Pauncefote
treaty is an international treaty, deal
ing solely with international quea- !
tions, and can not be construed es-
necie!iy iE the light OF later events
to wit, the purchase by the, United
States of the Panama canal zone--to
include coastwise traffic passing
through our own territory"