Arizona republican., 1914-02-19
Senator Bristow of Kansas Turns Discussion of Free Suffrage Into Debate On Proposed Repeal Free Tolls Provision.
EXECUTIVE PLEADS
 PARTY LOYALTY
So Far As Learned He Does Not Admit Free Tolls to American Vessels Vio- lates Hayes-Pauncefoote Treaty.
ASSOCIATED PRESS DESPATCH


 WASHINGTON, Feb. 1S.-Accusing
 President Wilson of inconsistency in his views of the binding effect of the democratic platform and charging the greed of the railroads and the audaci-
 ous claims of Great Britain seem far more potent with our president than
 the appeal of the Womanhood of the nation,'' Senator Bristow, republican, of Kansas, turned the discussion on free suffrage in the senate into viz orous debate on the proposed repeal of
 the free tolls provision of the Panama canal act.
 BristoW's attack brought to the de- fense of the president several republi- can as well as democratic senators. It
 served also as a signal for the opening of a fight within the democratic party
 against the repeal Of the tolls exemp-
 tion provision. While the senators were engaged in the first open discus
 sion of the approaching battle in con- gress the president himself was en-
 gagged with the leaders of the house of representatives who opposed the repeal ing declaration of the party platform.
 He discussed the situation with Under wood and Representative Kitchin of North Carolina, but as far as learned, did not convert them to his views that provision granting free tolls to Amer jean vessels violates the Hayes Paunce- fote treaty and embarraSSeS the ad- ministration in it's foreign relations. Bristow based his charge of incon- sistency on the ground that the presi- dent told the suffragists he could not advocate their cause because the dem ocratic party had not expressed itself on the question, while he proposed that congress reverse itself on the tolls question, despite the fact the party en- dorsed it's action.
 Bristow asked whether the president interpreted the reference in the Balti-
 more platform favoring "a single presi- dential term as in harmony with his position in reference to suffrage and canal tolls'
 When Senator Bristow asserted that transcontinental railroads had for years been behind the fight against free |
 that they had influenced the president, Senator Lodge Of Massachusetts, a re- publican member of the foreign rela- tions committee, took the floor to de- his attitude on the toll question solely his attitude on the toll question solely ] by his desire to restore the United States to it's former prestige among the
 nations.
 The president does not like to see the United States an outlaw among the nations added the Massachusetts sen-
 ator
 Referring to the visit of the women suffragists to President Wilson last December Senator Bristow quoted from the chief executives reply to their re- quest for support of the equal suffrage constitutional amendment.
 When my private opinion is asked by those who are cooperating with me
 I am glad to give it, but I an&3not at liberty to speak for somebody else be- sides myself to urge legislation upon congress-
 When the tolls question came up the
 Kansas senator continued, it was not brought before the president "by the
 good women of the country but by rep
 resentative of the English government whose action had been instigated by American Canadian trans continental railroads and British shipping inter- ests''
 He quoted the Baltimore platform in it's endorsement of the toll exemption policy for American ships and assert i ed that the president, in a recent let ter to Mir Marbary, of Baltimore, had
 declared that exemption would be "a very mistaken policy from every point of view"
 Tt is true that we have expended | (Continued on Page Two.)