Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-06-10

| cells engaged in commerce. Anyone
can see that you can, not defend the
| proposition that we do not pay tolls
on such vessels without admitting the
whole issue. And my distinguished
friend from Georgia (Mr. Adamson),
who has reported the pending bill, has
put himself on record, and hence was
! wise enough not to answer. In the bill
| which he reported to the Congress two
| years ago and which was amended by
the no-tolls provision, over his oppo-
sition and protest, he proposed to ex-
| cept from the payment of tolls oil ves-
sells belonging to the United States,
| including those of the Panama Rail-
road Co. (applause) engaged in COM
| merce and owned by that corporation,
the stock of which is owned by our
Government, and he then construed
the treaty that we were not bound on
the same terms as foreign nations.
In that Adamson bill, H. r. 21969 of
the Sixty-second Congress, which was
enacted into the Panama Canal act,
there was the following provision in
| section of the bill as introduced and
| as reported favorably by Mr.. Adam
son to the House:
authorized to prescribe, and from time
| to time change toll charges for the use
| of the Panama Canal by all vessels, ex-
cept those belonging to the Government
| of the United States dncluding those OF
the Panama Railroad Coz and the Gov
| which excepted vessels shall be charged
no tolls.
No preference shall be given nor dis
elimination shown, directly or indirectly
| to the vessels of any nation, its citizens
or subjects, other than vessels belonging
TO the Government of the United States
| dncluding those belonging to the Pana-
ma Railroad Coz and the Government OF
| the Republic of Panama, observing the
rules and regulations of the Panama
| Canal
In reporting that bill in the last
Congress, which bill as reported did
not exempt coastwise vessels from
the payment of tolls, Mr.. Adamson
said in his report:
This section requires that tolls shall be
imposed and operate uniformly, without
preference or discrimination, upon all
vessels of all peoples and all nations, ex-
cept vessels belonging to the Government
! of Panama and the Government of the
Panama Railroad, all the stock of which
is owned by the Government of the
! United States. These exceptions are
! made because the United States enjoys
/
well as the exclusive right of providing
! for the regulation and management OF
! the canal As such 1t is entitled to all
! the benefits and profits resulting from
| ownership and operation thereof. As
tolls paid out of the Common Treasury
| would instantly return to the same Com
mon Treasury, such performance would
be entirely useless, and in the exercise
| of common sense viii be omitted. We
charge other vessels because it is our
canal and our service. We pass those
! belonging to our own Government free
/ because the canal belongs to the Govern
ment. The ship and the tolls also belong
/ to the Government. The exemption COW
| ers the ships belonging to the Govern
/ ment of Panama because under the facts
! and the terms of the treaty with her
! which by our treaties with Great Britain
! we were authorized to make, she became
a quasi party TO the construction and
! operation. The canal traversing that Re
spublic, we could construct only by max
| ing terms with the Republic of Panama
! with conditions imposed in terms which
! render her situation akin and analogous
/ to constructor of the canal. Without
| her consent Il could not have been done,
/ and the exemption of her Government
owned ships conforms to both treaties,
/ and fairly and rightly so.
My friend from Georgia was then
| preserving what he usually has
common sense-which he has lost just
| now Laughter.) We pass those be-
/ longing to our Government free be-
/ cause the Panama Canal belongs to
/ the Government (Applause.) 1t was
| a right of ownership.
SUBSIDY TO FOREIGN VESSELS
Mr.. Speaker, just a word on the
subject of subsidies. Personally Il
never have favored the exemption of
| the coastwise vessels entirely from
payment of tolls; but when 1t comes
| to a question of subsidy, which gem
| tlemen talk so much about, what
| about the subsidy of foreign vessels?
We know that when we operate the
canal and maintain 1t and fortify 1t
and put troops upon 1t to protect it
/ and maintain the sanitation there
! that we never will have tolls
enough to pay back our ex-
penses, much less the interest
on the investment, and to that ex-
tent We are granting a subsidy to the
foreign vessels which use the canal
(appIause), which they get the benef1t
of for less than cost; and If it is a
subsidy to let an American vessel go
through, it is a subsidy to let for
eign vessel go through (applause);
/ and IL we grant a subsidy to the
| foreign vessel, may we not, II we de-
sire, grant it to the American YES
sells? (Applause)
HONOR AND THE DEMOCRATIC
PLATFORM.
Mr.. Speaker, just a word in regard
| 10 honor and the Democratic plat
form.
From the Democratic platform OF
July 2, 1912:
MERCHANT MARINE.
| We believe in fostering by consutu-
| ttonal regulation of commerce the growth
| of a merchant marine, which snail de-
! yelop and strengthen the commerclal ties
| which bind us to our sister Republics OF
| the south, but without imposing addl-
| tional burdens upon the people and with
! out bounties or subsidies from the PUP
! lie Treasury.
| We urge upon Congress the speedy en-
| actment of laws for the greater security
| of life and property at sea, and we favor
| the repeal of all laws and the abrogation
| of so much of our treaties with other
| nations as provide for the arrest and Inn
| prisonment of seamen charged with de-
| sertion or with violation OF their con-
| tract of service. Such laws and treaties
| are un-American, and violate the spirit,
| IL not the letter. of the Constitution OF
| the United States.
| We favor the exemption from toll of