Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-03-21
FOREIGN Afr AIRS
WILL NOT FIGURE
IN FIRST MESSAGE
President Harding's Talk to Con-
gress TO be Generally OF a
Local Character.
KNOX ON CANAL MATTERS

sD..,al Dispatch From Every Evening 5
Washington correspondent
Washington, March u Foreign qucs-
,,,,,s will not he stressed lii President
uar,lipe's message to Congress, which
assemblies IN special session ot Aprll IL.
The tradition of reading the message to
both houses IN jOlnt session, revived by
Mr. Wilson. will bC followed hy PreSl-
dent Harding, who intends 10 make
some important recommendations on
ytarlff and taxation and purely domestic
matters IN his first message to o;lErcSS
These questions must I've settled very
promptlv. experts say because the business
of the country has assumed watching
and waiting policy aud hcsitatcS To ven
turr upon "A bg attcr-thc-war actiFuN
until thcrc Is an adjustment oi taNaii"o
and tariff II i believed that the foreign
questions such rs the payment oi 'h'
foreign loans and the administration dc
c,s,,n n to pcacc and a substitute for
tho League of Nations, Will not come
seriously before Scuate until late IN the
session. and. perhaps. not until the
regular session in December unless the
rcparatlon question Is definitely seulcd
before that time Nothing VIII be done
towards declaring war with Germany n IN
end aS proposed III the kncN resolution
until conditions abroad assume more
stable condition
There are plenty Of foreign aS wei as
domestic questions before the adminI7-
fratIan \o incoming administration lIa
faced such mountaIno of gravcl>SucS ~ the
realm at foreign affairs aS confront Iresl-
dent Harding and his Secretary ~ State.
Peace with Germany, recognition "i
Mexico. the Japanese question:. including
the cable rights on the island OF zap and
the prohibition Of japanese immigration,
leom on tho horizon Then here IS the very
controversial question of cNcmrtmg
AucrIcal coast Wise tradr from toils II
th, Panama canal which has been a
sahlrci II dispute with Great Britain for
ma1y wears and which President Harding
ul~i~t, he will settle 10 the advantage 81
american shipping. reversing the policy
~ Mr. Wilson
Ihcrr Is nothing ~ greater interest e
Nmcrleau shpping about t. enter upon
n,r of cNpa,.~ior duc the great huIld-
re r.rcha,t ships =, the government
h.rrr the var II Will 10 remembered
that Ir,~i Tort Nilsoniu IN l9l4insiStodthat
,ho ,\,n ption law hc repealed and tins
wa. done IS 4 VAR measure
III the Taft administration the law CN-
mpiug Amrrrau coast wise vessels NaS
PASSED h.t r,pcalcd at the hehcst of Nlr.
Nilsson. senator krnN who was Secretary
af state urd,r Taft advised that the
treaty rclt- were rot violated hy tho
exemption 'aW
Mon ~ AM ToIIs
senator knoN. vAo while >ccrctar, 81
~ttr ui.r President Taft conducted
ucr. .tIatIau~ with ~lr Edward Gray Sec
r,tar, - STATE TOR Foreign AtfairS. in hc
attcr part If 1912. at which tune the
Panama tolls controversy WAS nearing sat-
t-tsetar, adjustment diplomatically de-
ettc3 IL DISCUSS the probable outcome Of
r.pr0al 81 this dispute Indcr the I'M
coming administration tie consented
.vrycr d give hiS views upon the con-
traNcr~s a> hc figured 1t and IS convinced
th4tths uited StatrS can exempt imcrI-
.t vessels engaged ~ coast wisc traffic
ram tai- ultlolt Infringing upon the
Ia, r.l rcfotr tr,aty
ldouet consider that the issue i at all
changed hN Congress repeating the Law
u 1915. cNcmptlnc American vessels in
.uast trade from the tolls. said Mr..
kuoN IL thtaI~t9l~sior ot the canal ques-
tter. rav - F. Ills, past too much con-
liberation las i,cr gwen u treaties. cor
u.sp1ndtncc documents. opinions, beliefs
sHIIA t.tNAA tHH-it 90 NftAti4N Att4' i+AA
- the iuulo issue involved. This issue
ARISES oat 81 81, tremendous fact and one
hrief treat, a.fctin that fact The fact
s our Canal IL lau uAna and the treaty is
the one negotiated In 1901 bv John Hav
and Iari palrr,iotc This Is the oulv
treaty a@c,tIuC the issue aS il in explicit
terms ahrogated Tie Clavton-B -Bulwer
treaty TIN ouy one We ever had with
O.re4f Britain upor the subject Of an
ISthuIau csual II Is true that IL the p-e-
amblc q the later treaty Il Is recIted that
one 81 the thing the ncEntlatnrs IuteI ded
a. da was u include IL rs terms q provi-
eion fnr the neutrality Of the Canal as was
tempated ~ the earlier treaty. and
tins they dId h u third article
Th, controversy arises ont nf Great
Britain challenge ~ our night 70 exempt
Amcrieau cua~tvI,' vessels from the paw
neut 8. tolls Thu challenge Is prcdlcated
4pou ~, clam that IN the Hay-P Paunce-
tHte treatv We harg. ned away that right
I.cldrut a. agr ownership
~ am Wiling T. accept the definition
of the nature 81 tie >ue thus raised
gwen hV Two eminent gentlemen AIr
Richard Olnev has pat lu two 81 tcGce
the nature of Great Britain claim upon
ths. canal The claim oi Great Britain
SAID Mr. Olenv is H. effect a territorial
claim The rted state possesses ne
more costly and perhaps no more valu-
abe piece II TERRITORY than the Panama
anal. and Great Britain claim Is that
tho HaN-Paurrrfut, treaty not only en-.
cumhcrs that TERRITORY with equal right,
81 use of al other ratlons, but impresse.
upon Il q serN1tudc bv winch the nltec
~tates loses the free use q its own cana
foF q own vessels
stN.. Tdu-o-d (,roK ~, b1s r,r0+au+ r@atCr