The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-11-06

/
ships from the payment of tolls. But
| Great Britain insisted that this piece
of legislation was in effect a discrimina-
ton against British ships and a plain
| violation of the terms of the Hay-Paunce-
| fote treaty. That compact between Eng
J land and the United States was made
| as direct result of surrender of certain
rights England had to another inter-
oceanic canal in Nicaragua and the UNI
/ derstanding was that if Britain relin-
| quished her rights, America would not
| discriminate against her. There has
! been much debate as to whether the
treaty actually promised that America
/ would not discriminate against Great
/ Britain as between foreign nations other
! than the United States or whether the
| promise not to discriminate included
! American shipping. Some international
lawyers argued that of course America,
los the owner and builder of the canal
{ had the right to do as she pleased about
/ tolls and that the discrimination did not
apply with respect to our own ships.
Other authorities argued to the contrary.
Senator Lodge and Elihu Root who also
was in the senate at the time. made ell
| Oquent speeches saying the law ought to
/ be repealed. Indeed. President Wilson
found Republican as well as Democratic
support in both houses of congress when
/ he declared that America could not af-
| ford to take advantage of other nations
by insisting upon selfish Interpretation
i of an ambiguous article in any treaty.
/ He also limited at large and vital ques-
/ tiouS of diplomacy when he said that the
! law ought to be repealed and friendship
with Great Britain maintained on ac-
! count of matters of far nearer and
more delicate concern. Just what Mr.
/ Wilson meant by the foregoing phrase,
was never publicly explained though it
/ is commonly supposed in Washington
q RTIt
aims friendship because of the delicate
relationship between Japan and the
| United States.
The world doesn't know how close
| America and Japan came to war that
year and the friendship of Great Britain
with her powerful navy was deemed ex-
| tremely important to the United States
especially in view of the Anglo-Japanese
offensive and defensive alliance. Sim
ilarly England had an anti-Japanese
problem to meet in her own Canadian
and Australian dominions and the wisest
| diplomacy of the moment seemed to be
u firm hand Of friendship and n pooling
| Of interests between America and Great
| Britain. The Irish American and Ger
| man American societies fought President
| Wilson on the issue and rallied all their
| friends in congress but Mr.. Wilson won
out and that part of the Panama canal
| act cXempting United States vessels
| from the payment of tolls was repealed.
| Circumstances have changed to some
| extent since 1913. In the election which
| has Just closed millions of Americans of
| Irish descent iocked to the Harding
standard Aside from the fact. however,
| that the new presidents position has
| pleased those in our population who are
opposed TO everything British, the de-
termination to revive the controversy
| does not have its origin in that quarter.
Somebody's influence urged the revival
Of the matter when the Republican plat
| form was written at Chicago last June.
| Here is the pledge in that platform We
-ccommcnd that all ships engaged in
aoastwiSe trade and all vessels of the
| American merchant marine shall pass
through the Panama canal without pay
ment of tolls
Moreover. the speech of acceptance of
Senator Harding in Marion last July
contained the following paragraph. Il
ike that recommittal to thoughts of
America first which pledges the Panama
canal an American creation, to the free
use of American shipping. 1t viii add
70 the American reawakening.'
Doesn't Senator Harding realize. it
will promptly be asked, that the rela-
tions between Japan and the United
States over the California situation are
still strained and that the Importance of
an Anglo-American understanding is as
great as ever The answer is that the
pTPNltlelil eject tN lbt'tiS 10 llAEhlldtP the
whole question in a friendly manner
with Great Britain. For instance. it
might be advantageous to England to
have a definite understanding with the
United States on the question of naval
armament. With Germany helpless the
american navy alone stands as a pos
Sible competitor. England needs every
cent Of her budget for things other than
naval armament and she would. it is ar
guCd. save a great deal if she were as
sured concerning the American naval
building program.
That is just an idea which the presi-
ient-elect is said to be considering as a
sort of quid pro quo in the settlement of
the Panama tolls question. Also there
are questions of tolls in the Suez and
other British waterways which could be
adjusted in a general discussion of the
whole subject.
Senator Harding has been impressed
with the necessity of securing advan-
tages for the American merchant marine
and the visit to the Panama canal is the
beginning of thorough study of the en-
tire subject by the next president of the
United States. What Great Britain
will do or say about it is quite another