Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1916-05-12
Personal Prattle sssss. =; ss ss:..
John j. Carney
Contibutine Editor

SAuuCu tAlC CApl Coo ludl Tic
rights in the Canal Zone were given
to us to build and maintain the canal
and that the canal was to be open to
the world in accordance with the pro-
visions of the Hay-Pauncefote treaty
and all the stipulatiOns of that treaty
Now, there it is. What we have on
the Isthmus of Panama we have by
virtue of treaties which, at all events
undertake to declare the rule of equal.
ity, and those treaties were obtained
by representations that we ourselves
repudiated any desire or willingness to
have any special advantage to our
citizens. The grant to us was upon
the express stipulation that it should
be exercised in accordance with the
provisions of those treaties which lay
down the rule Of equality.
Whatever the Hay-Pauncefote treaty
means, we hold the Canal Zone for
that under a practical trust. We have
declared the obligations of trustee
in the most unequivocal terms; and
now for this problematical, doubtful,
alleged advantage of helping trade by
keeping the money out of our treas
ury from the coastwise vessels, we are
putting ourselves in the position of
falsifying every declaration we have
made for over half century, and fall
styling what at all events the world
at large believes to be our solemn
obligation. The world can appeal to
the plain words Of our treaties. They
can appeal to our obligation to hold
and use the Canal Zone in accord
ance with the terms of those treaties.
They can appeal to the repeated dec
larations on the part of our govern
ment as to the principles of absolute
equality in regard to all our dealings
with the canal and in their own judg-
ment we stand to be convicted of
insincerity, both to our express obi
cations and to our repeated declara-
lions and confessions.
Assume that gentlemen who think
this treaty ought to have different
Interpretation are correct, is it worth
while for us to put ourselves in the
position in which we stand now for
the sake of anything that we get from
this particular discrimination? We
have greater interests as a Nation
than the interests that can possibly
be subserved by this discrimination.
A business man can not advance his
fortunes by taking what the business
world considers a small advantage,
and that is more true of nation than
it is of an individual. We are doing
over four thousand million dollars of
trade with the rest Of the world, and
that trade is essential to the circula-
ton of the lifeblood of the country.
For all American producers, for all
American traders, both those who sell
and those who buy, the good opinion
of the people of the world for our
country is of the utmost importance;
that our country shall be respected;
that it shall not be regarded as be-
ing tricky or oversharp that the old
reproach of smart Yankee" shall not
be revived; and that the other ma
lions of the earth shall not consider
that it is not safe to make agree
ments with us, because if we do not
want to keep them we will be acute
and adroit to get out of them.
The country has a greater interest
in being regarded by the world as
fair and broad minded and high mind
ed than it can possibly have in this
little petty benefit to a part of the
people. The higher interests of the
country, the respect and honor and
dignity of the country are in danger
of being most seriously affected by
our holding on to what the world be-
lieves to be an unfair and unconscien-
tious treatment of this grave enter
prise on which we have entered with
the open declaration that it was for
the benefit of mankind. We can not
afford it. Our love for our country
our respect for the great power and
influence of uor predecessors forbid
it.
There are two things which it is
possible for us to do We have a
treaty with Great Britain under which
we agreed to arbitrate question aris-
ing from the Interpretation of treaties
Great Britain has challenged our right
to make this discrimination, and she
has gone on to give certain reasons
why she challenges it. With the rea-
sons that move her to challenge that
right we need not particularly con-
Germ ourselves. The State Depart
ment is dealing with them. But the
thing that concerns us is that she has
challenged our right to make this dis
elimination, she has challenged our
right under the treaty to charge tolls
against merchant vessels owned by
citizens of Great Britain while we re-
NIT tolls upon vessels owned by citi-
zens of the United States"
The report Of this committee hear
ing of Senator Root is contained in
Senate Document No. $50, 63rd Con-
gress, second session, copy of which
can be obtained by asking your con-
gresham for it.