The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1914-04-11
MORAL ASPECTS OF TOLLS
QUESTION.

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the party emblem. Instead of acting
in concert marching in solid phalanx,
each donkey balks on his own especial
account, braying loudly at the same
time.
The tolls question is not matter
for settlement by individual opinion
today, or for a party platform to de-
termine by a rashly constructed plank.
1t is simply a keeping of faith, as out
lined by treaty, and democratic ad-
ministration, spelled with either a
small or a big D., must attempt to do
this, if it would maintain it's own char
acter for sincerity and fair dealing.
The President has been very careful
in following the dictates Of the party,
a notable case being his refusal to as
sumo the initiative for the Democratic
party concerning woman suffrage, but
the tolls privilege as proposed is a
! fundamental breach of national morals
and good faith, which is not properly
one for party decision. In another
column is given an account OF how
the United States came to build the
Panama canal at all, and Mr., Wilson,
informed Of this history in every de-
tail, is well aware that the ethics of
| the question was established, not by
him of course, or by the Democratic
platform, but by the circumstances at
tending the signing of the treaty.
When course Is right or wrong, there
is no question of which to take, and If
the congressman knew history as well
as they do politics, they would be in
no doubt as to what would be their
proper course.
To put the case in every day terms:
| Suppose two men need bridge over
a stream, one living near by and the
other more distant. The latter Sc
cures his site, and is getting ready to
build, when the other man comes along
and says: Don't build there. I have
location that is lots better" The
two look over the situation amieably
and Man No. concludes that his
neighbor is right. VERY well. Go
ahead. Build your bridge. 1t is all
right with me, so long as you charge
every body the same toll"
The course in such a case is plain
enough, and in every day life would
not furnish grounds for dispute. The
bridge-builder would understand that
his people to the remotest generation
would not be exempt, by this agree.
ment, from paying toll. He, as pro-
prietor and as one individual, might be
exempt, but not his entire kindred
What obscures the question, nation
ally, is that a nation besides being
in one sense of the word an individ-
ual is composite, composed of many
persons. 1t should be obvious that a
treaty deals with nations, considering
each as individual not as many in one.
Uncle Sam, as an individual may
have certain proprietary rights, but
the people of the United States must
not involve their individual needs with
his as nation.
Only small part of the nation
would be benefited by relief from tolls
The United States as a whole would
lose, and at time when it. should be
getting in returns on it's 100000, 900
outlay, This ship subsidy would build
up great merchant marine trust. The
average man may judge for himself
whether he is most helped by the Unit
ed States collecting tolls from a few
for the benefit of the nation, or that
men, like Rockefeller for instance,
should have their oil ships go through
the canal tollfree. Not once in hun
dred years would the average man
reap any advantage whatsoever by the
rich ship-owners' immunity. Hence
there is no occasion for any one, ex-
cept the private individuals directly
interested In running ships-and the
politicians working for them-to get
into fine frenzy over the tolls ques-
ton. No American right is imperiled,
by coastwise ships paying toll any
more than 1t is when people pay fare,
as they do, every day without objec-
ton on Uncle Sans Panama railroad,
or pay two cents every time they mail
letter. Equal rights to all is secured
by requiring the ships to pay toll, rath-
er than letting them go through free.
Should the merchant marine of the
United States need building up, there
are surely other means of giving it
national encouragement than by break
ing treaty faith.