Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1914-02-19
president
OF INCONSISTENCY
lfIilSTON SAYS RAILROADS ARE
CONTROLLING WILSON ON CA
Nal TOLLS QUESTION
Debate Was Acrimonious
Democrats and Republicans Fire First
Guns over Repeal of Free Toll
Provision

WASHINGTON. Feb. 1S.-Accusing
President Wilson OF Inconsistency in
his views of the binding effect of the
democratic platform and charging
that greed Of the railroads and the
GndaciOus claims of Great Britain
~ A far more potent with our Presl-
d : than the appeal Of the woman
j u Of the nation" Senator Bristow,
\ Ihlican OF Kansas, turned discus
= OF woman suffrage in the senate
/ , n vigorous debate on the proposed
! 4 aal of the free tolls provision of the
Iama Canal act
enator BrlstOw's attack brought td
defense Of the President several
ublican as well as democrat sena-
y while II served also as the signal
q opening the fight within the dem
attic party against repeal of the tolls
'mptlOn provision Senator Cham
herlain Of Oregon, democrat dramL-
tically declared that he would not
'stultify' himself by telling his con.
stitucnts that he had not kept his plat
form pledge on the toll question, be
cause the president of the United
states does not agree with me-"
While Senators thus were engaged
I'm the first open discussion Of the APP
preaching battle in congress over tho
chief executives desire for reversal Of
the Panama policy, the president him
self was engaged with leaders of tie
house of representatives who are op-
posed TO repudiating the declaration
Of the party platform. He discussed
the situation with ma iority leader
Underwood and Rep Kitchln of North
Carolina but 80 far as can be learned
did not convert them TO his view that
the provision granting free tolls t.
American vessels violates the HAY
fauncefote treaty and embarrasses
the administration in It's foreign re-
lations.
senator Bristow based hts charge OF
Inconsistency against the President on
the ground that he had told the sur
fragists he could not advocate their
cause because the democratic party
had not expressed Itself In the mat
ter while he proposed that congress
should reverse itself ON the tolls ques-
uon despite the fact that the party
had indorsed its action In this con-
nection the Kansas Senator mention
ed the reference In the Baltimore plat
form favorlng "a single presidential
term" and asked whether the Presi-
dent would interpret this plank in
harmony with his position as to suf-
frage or as to canal tolls"
when Senator Brstow said that the
trans-contlnental railroads had for
years been behind the fight against
free tolls for American ships and intl-
mated that they had influenced the
president. Senator Lodge cf MaSsa-
chusctts, republican member Of the
foreign relations committee took the
floor to declare that the president was
actuated In his attitude On the tolls
question solely by his desire to restore
the United States to its former pres
tige among nations. The president
does not like 10 see the United States
on outlaw among the nations" added
the Massachusetts, Senator
Rcferring to the visit Of women suf-
fragists to President Wilson last De-
cembcr Senator BrIstow quoted this
from the Chief Executives reply to
their request 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 II, but I am not
at liberty until | speak for somebody
besides myself to urge legislation up
on congress"
When the tolls question came up.
the Senator continued. 1t was not
brought by the president or "by the
good women Of the country. but by a
representative OF the English govern
mcnt whose action has been instigat-
ed by the American and Canadian
trans-coutinental railroads and Brit
ish shipping interests" He quoted the
Baltimore platform in its endorse
pient Of the toll exemption policy for
American ships and declared that the
president I'm a recent letter to Mr.. Mar
bury Of Baltimore had declared the
exemption to be "a very mistaken poll
cy from every point OF view"
1T Is true that we have expended
about four hundred million of our own
money in constructing this canal on
our own territory aud that demo-
bougp Of ranrauaptat