The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-04-10
"eE SURE you ARE RIGHT, THEN
GO AHEAD!"

OF the fandmd tOllS queStlOh VIC IOoh
il for a text In the position that we
have taken upon it We are as sure
that we are right as we are that we
are standing perpendicular upon the
earth.
To be certain about it we must be-
gin at the foundation.
The whole matter was threshed
out at the Baltimore convention. So
there is no shadow of doubt about
the position of the democratic party
on the question. In the erection of
that platform Mr. William Jennings
Bryan was the architect and master
mechanic. He was proud of his per-
Torrance and speaking of the sacred
ness of platforms he reckoned it as
much of a sin to lay violent hands
upon il to destroy and cripple it as
1t was to have lain violent hands upon
the lark of the covenant" to destroy,
dishonor and pollute that sacred YES
sci. He said that to do so was worse
than to commit a theft.
Mr.. Woodrow Wilson when a candi-
date endorsed that platform, and as
was shown in Saturdays Daily Ban
ner he told the farmers of the bene-
fits that would flow to them by the
enactment of congress of the exemp-
ton OF our coastwise vessels from
payment of tolls in passing through
the Panama canal.
Why did the democratic convention
at Baltimore make this plank so ex-
plicit and to be subject to no miscon-
struction? II was because it had gone
over the whole matter and was sure
of its grounds.
The delegates to that convention
remembered what David Crockett
said and acted upon his wonderful ep-
igram: BE sure you are right, then
60 ahead"
Let us make some citations:
A letter from Hon. A. Mitchell
Innes. charge d'affairs of Great
Britain, written to Secretary Knox,
closed as follows:
If the trade could be so regulated
as 10 make il certain that only bona
tlde coastwise traffic, which is re-
served for United States vessels,
would be benefited by the exemption
II may be that no objection could be
taken.
Is not that a practical admission
that the exemption of coastwise YES
sells passing through the canal with
out the payment of tolls is not
of the treaty?
OF course it is.
Here is what Senator Lodge of Mas
sachusetts said about it at the time:
When I reported that treaty my
own impression was that it left the
United States in complete control of
the tolls upon its own vessels. / did
not suppose then that there was any
limitation put upon our right to
charge such tolls as we pleased upon
our own vessels. or that we were in
cluded in the phrase "all nations"
Senator Chas A. Towne of Mime
sofa said:
Il remember distinctly my own feel
ing about the matter at the time,
which was that we retained under
the treaty full sovereignty over the
canal and over the incidents of its
ownership and control, including the
right to fortify and police it and to
regulate IFS use by vessels of com
merce. subject only to the condition
that all other nations should be treat
ed alike: and that this was the gen.
eTal understanding"
Marion Butler, United States SEN
aior from North Carolina said:
~ cannot agree with the position of
those who contend that the free tolls
law Is I'm violation of the spirit or the
letter Of the treaty | remember that
when the first section of the third ar
ticle Of the treaty was under consid-
Grafton. which provides that the ca
nal shall be open to the vessels of all
nations on the same terms. that sew
q
provision expressly exempting our do
nestle commerce done through coast
wise vessels
The prompt response to this prop
osition on the part of the senators
having the treaty In charge was that
such an amendment was unnecessary,
because the treaty was so understood
by the contracting parties"
Hon. George Turner, ex-senator
from Washington. said:
My recollection of the view taken
In the senate at the time of the rati.
heation OF the Hav-pauncefote treaty
Is substantially similar N that of SEN
atOrs Lodge. Bard. Clapp. Perkins.
Davis and others. ! am certain the
treaty. would not have been ratified if
there had been doubt in the mind of
ANYBODY that the treaty limited the
United States in the use which it
might make of its own canal for its
own purposes. The fact that the ca
nal was 20 be the exclusive property