Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-05-07
aENAroR o'ooRMAN WARNS PAR
TY ASSOCIATES AGAINST
EXEMPTION REPEAL.
sHows hAY.PAUNcEForE
TREATY DOES NOT APPLY
c.n.I Built in United States Territory
& Aeouirsd After Treaty Was Formu'
,.t.d-ere.t Britain Once in Same
Position o'Gorman Argues That
Railroads Are Back Of Effort.

washington, May 7.-senator o'Gor-
man. chairman Of the interoceanic
canals committee, and leaders OF the
forces opposed to the repeal OF the toll
.rempt,on clause Of the Panama canal
act, gave the senate today the legal
economic and political reasons Tor MS
position.
\ I'M three hour speech the senator
discussed exhaustively every phase OF
the subject. He discovered no ground
q, international law which would for
hid exemption Of American coastwlse
Sships from toll payment. saw behind
Me repeal movement the hand OF tne
,ilroads, and declared that failure
l s;rnosc q tax could not be called a
Sdbsidy.
sss rha senator warned his democratic
colleagues that TO repeal the eXemp-
Efion was to violate the pledges OF the
, Baltimore platform and to reverse the
verdict of the people wnen they elected
SDras,dent Wilson last November on
that pla torn.
Sees Danger to Party.
Sanato, O'Gorman said that mas
lmuch as former Presidents Roosevelt
hnd Taft and preceding congress
t,rreed that coastwise vessels should
be exempt, another congress should
think twice before giving its approval
to the repeal bill. for 1t in turn might
(find itself reversed by congress YET
10 be elected.
..rhis question Of tolls said the SEN
rtot lis but an incident in great con-
4 " now in its initial stage. which
L n determine the control Of the Pan
\ ..n,.scanal for all time. The construc-
,isionhof the canal will rank among the
worlds wonders, but the opinion OF
inanktnds will pronounce the surrecder
BE our sovereignty over it colossal
IIunder and triumph Of British dip.
{omacy.
II know there s vague suspicion
sihat diplomatic reasons require this
rational abasement. but my judgement
maturely formed and based upon such
information as is availab BILE. is that the
Eravity of our international relations
mas been grossly. tho unconsciously.
Exaggerated. The American people
s.ant peace. but they fear no power
II earth Shadows can not disturb
trave man. They should not alarm
trave and intrepid people.
President Not Supreme.
E"No sena tor questions the patriotism
and high purposes of the president, but
II legislation is to be made dependent
4 upon his will alone, no one can pre-
aict the mischief to which such q
precedent will expose this government
In future years. I believe that the
passage Of this bill compromises the
.Eignity and honor of the country, and
before the deed is consummated, en-
i Ter my solemn protest against what I
/ conceive to be betrayal of the Amer
\ lean people"
Treaty Does Not Apply.
< Senator O'Gorman further sought to
{yhow that exemption Of American
lsoastwise vessels is a wise. economic
! policy: that IL such vessels fall within
I lhe terms Of the Hay -Pauncefote
N treaty. exemption does not constitute a
violation thereof and that the canal
has been constructed on territory over
which the United States is sovereign.
while the canal contemplated in the
treaty was to be built on alien soil, and
| therefore the treaty Is inapplicable.
\ "Exempting coastwise craft from the
l payment of tolls he con1L.ueu, will
reduce the cost Of shipping thru the
canal to a minimum, and thereby COM
{ pei competing roads in the United
!, states and Canada to reduce their rates
TO q competitive basis. The more ex-
'pensive you make water transportation
The greater latitude you extend to the
ailroads In the fixing Of their rates.
Place toll on the domestic shipping
ind for every dollar you collect by way
toll you enable the railroads to make
corresponding increase in their rates.
was hoped by some that the exemp-
spn to the :coastwise trade might be
lllowed In the near future by like
femption TO the few American ships
Pw engaged in the foreign trade, but
fny this privilege to the coastwise
fssels now and you make 1t forever
hpossible to confer it upon the ships
hgaged In overseas trade.
AZ to Benefits.
Il know It is said that free tolls will
imply enrich the shipowner and con-
no benefit on the producer and con-
inner. Well. IL free tolls will not de-
ease the cost to the consumer. impos-
il tolls on the other canals of the
ountry viii not increase the cost to
ne consumer. suppose you will make
lour system uniform. Perhaps this is
art Of . program to impose tolls on
}e shipping Of the other canals of the
tuntry."
The senator argued that 1t is a we'll
rown principle Of international law
lat conditions in any international
Teement cease to be obligatory when
he tsate Of facts on which they were
funded has ceased to exist or has been
.anxed. He pointed out that when the
n1ted States became the sovereign of
ie Panama canal zone and II became
nitcd States territory. the Hay
euncefote treaty no longer bound the
bnited 0tates.
orjt9ln Can't Complain.
- back ~ this contention, the