Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-11
PANAMA CANAL TOLLS
A Question of, World Precedent
and National Honor.
ns eeorge a. Taney.

been introduced. Nov. thanks ~ an
editorial in a wilmington paper, we
notice that three such bills have been
placed before tho Senate. ThoHo ~
favor of All tolls going into tho natlona
treasury should ba aroused and alarmed /
One-haif Of the traffic ~ the canal is
that of American ships. f0 free theBo
Of all TOLLS would b. tho operation of a
yaafly expensive utility upon half TOLLS.
Then the other haIf must como from
pubiic taxation. 10 few vessel own
era pay these tsxes7
Everybody assumes 20 pass judgment
on the ton question and most ~ theTp
without expert knowledge. They mostly
atart with tho idea that I'VE own tho |
canal why can't our ships go through
freafs' We own the Bs,atai system. why
can't All mail 90 freo7 Do we own the
canal aa completely AZ the postal sys-
tenn 10 we own II IN fee simple, free
from all obligations ard charged What
does the deed aay2 The I'ansni8 treaty /
is our main grant. but other rights SUP
port this We did not own The isfhmn5
and our power alone could not give it 70 i
US. we had to deal with other nations n i
so alone are sovereign ard can contr7t /
| the world Why did we obligafe our
/ selves to my natlon2 We have been |
! told that Roosevelt took lands from /
! Colombia and that We are going 70 pay /.
/ SIS .009 900 10 Colombia plus 2lo,o0o.ooo I
already 10 Panama. This does not show
that we owned and controlled the world. !
| why did we pay anything
We bought the right and got what
we bought and nothing more got what
| the title paperr gave aubtecl ~ me *
/ press conditions. this was our Panama
H. sHws
nH title against Colombia We have
held thIs little for II years. and n7T
close this % ~ a t25 000 Don release, i
colombia accepts IL.
There are 2s articles n rho Panama
treaty. and il 81 a complicated kind -
} fae simple title There are covenants and
cross covenants in il and we are not eo
r,overful and dia, .onorabie as ~ re-
ptidlate these treaty coverantE. why
ahould any suggest e? We are ont in
Inc aearehnght of the world; what win
IN. world say about our ownership
! | plea and the claim that We viii N as
,go please with The caual2 What rfn
! England and Panama say? For did
4 ,vn not build me canaI7" YeF hflt they
/ had an important part 10 Do IN granting
i ! The right n they had NJ interest Why
! / dld We make fools - ourselves ~ deai
ing with them7 we were compelled ~
? deal vsith thenaI We we're entirely r.
I tional.
Great men made 10Th treaties Whn
were they Mckinley and Hay and
tv,Nshirds ~ the Senate and again
RooeeveIt and Hay and two-fhirdz ~
the Ser ate Than al the people rati-
aed 4 when Congress voted The money
!. and directed the building of the canal
! what kind ~ q deed dtd we get2 Just
!, what the treaties gave and nothing less
], what did We promise Just what the
:, treaties lawfully say that we promised
can we take deed with cross GOV
= sunnts and hold The grant and ignore
the bind ing force n oar own covenants.
4 win those urging exemption ind0rse
+ any such performance in a private tran
x / aaction9 Not one n them would stanc
q ! FOR this in n private matter. Why A.
= tempt "a lead their country and thei
= neighbors into such an iliogical. an
n worthy course Of action There il onl'
I one kfnd If nnorality--the same for maj
sf and his nation. When n nation. cor
poraiion. purchases property L mus
7 perform its contracts or place itsel
i beyond al legality and hold its it'll
:" hv the power * might Since n
world war America cannot be placed j.
such an untenable position. Treaue
and deeds are no longer mere scrap
n paper.
Panama might not u her own powe
bo able 70 enforce her treaty against rs
but Will We ignore our contract on I'M
ground alone Nations having justlc
IS xith them. might he able 20 secure ln
4 teruational help. Just as Cuta DID =
e. 1895. and America did IN Y p. and 4
lg Panama lid in 1908. The world IS
AZ forceful institution and is often on N
he aide If right and justice. II wOul
re perhaps be on our side wnen We ii'
h. bv our treaties. II we violate ther
IL who can assure US? II Is grave erro
Sc 10 think that We went 10 Panama
defy the world. We went there unde
. a different pledge
= Read the history. read the Has
pauucefotp treaty and by all NEAR
read the Panama treaty. read VIII
Roosevelt said in his message ~ iso4
raad what John Hay said in 1903. y
panama Canal Tolls and Treaties. pag'
AZ "a. e5). Then finally read the DR.
i oosed treaty with Colombia. Do the;
Il show that we always have done vh'
Il We pleased with the canal? We bui
+ and own the canal for all legal pu
II noses. What have we been doing SIN
,a7to We have been operating II
Il canal for all a. one specific rate.
4 -. r2r,te7,ca car we refuse it, II 81
+ ah,,e7or the canal could We stiu nc
the right:
vbo+ eavs the Panama title dee
rAo +rst i Ne guarantee the iudepen
si -, ~ Panama The second
II T,.r,,,a s-rar+s US the use. occupati'
II and control OF zone OF land TOT q
construction and operation Of can
H for which we paid sl0.00o.o0O and a
| 10 pay an annual rent Of S25o,ooe.
+ then bought the lands for canai,
bv article % the title is TO be absolute
I excepting always the rights of tne
r3Iblic specifically secured under y
treaty.