The New York herald., 1921-10-09
PANAMA TOLL BILL
TO PASS ON MONDAY
Senate Majority for Exemp-
tion of u. s. Ships Re-
ported as IL Votes.
PARTY LINES IGNORED
McCumber Says Proposed
Action Is on Par With
Germany's in Belgium.
SEES U. s. LOSE IFS NAME
Ransdell Denies Moral Ques-
ton Is Involved or Other
Nations Can Protest.
PARTY LINES IGNORED
SEES U. s. LOSE IFS NAME

Special Despatch to THE New York HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., Oct. 8.
Lively debate to-day on the Borah
bill exempting American coastwise
trading vessels from payment Of Pan
anna Canal tolls indicated clearly that
the Senate, unless it changes it's mind
over Sunday. is determined to pass the
measure and send it to the House
Monday. Prediction was made that
the bill would pass by margin of
about dozen votes.
Although President Harding would
prefer to settle the question through
diplomatic channels. he has taken no
hand in the contest in the Senate. 1t
is generally believed that the measure,
after it passes the Senate. will be side
tracked quietly in the House until
after the armament conference.
Party lines will be swept aside in the
vote Monday. just as they were when
President Wilson in 1914, procured re-
peal Of the free tolls clause of the
Panama Canal act. Approximately
tv' We Republicans are expected to
vol against the Borah bill, while the
Democrats, it was reported, will split
about even.
In the discussion to-day Senator Nc
Cumber Of North Dakota charged that
passage OF the Borah Bill would con-
stitute an act of bad faith on a par with
Germany's violation of Belgian neutral
ity, which plunged the world into war In
1914.
Parallel With German Act.
1.-The world has branded Germany as
dlshonorable nation because, with the
exigency of great war before her, in
which military necessity was the con-
trolling question, she declared that her
treaty with Belgium was but "a scrap
Of paper" said Senator McCumber.
Without any such exigency before us.
and without even an attempt being made
to secure a modification of our solemn
obligation, we are asked to declare that
the Hay-Pauncefote treaty shall be
| treated as a mere scrap of paper. Our
| physical power to do this Is Just as
unquestioned as was the physical power
of the German Empire to break its
treaty obligations with Belgium.
What would W ethink OF q PROPOSE
tion OF taxing the American people to
build railroad from New York to San
Francisco, taxing them to maintain that
railroad. and then providing that trains
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
should operate freely without any ex-
pense or any tolls over that line of
railway, and that no other railroad COM
pany should have the right to run its
trains over this sacred track without
| the payment Of tolls to meet tn einterest
on tn einvestment and the cost of up
keep?
Now that Is exactly what we propose
to do with reference to our coastwise
vessels. The American people have paid
for the canal. They are paying the in
teres tupon the investment. They are
paying for the upkeep. And we say to
certain line Of vessels, the only monop-
oily in existence created by authority of
Congress You shall have the use of
this route without the payment Of a
cent There is no excuse for II. Trans
portation rates will not go down by
reason of the remission. These vessels
having the monopoly will charge every
cent the traffic will lbear, and they will
do this, tolls or no tolls"