New-York tribune., 1921-10-11
Measure to Exempt U. S.
Coastwise Shipping l.
Approved After All-Dav
Debate; Goes to House
Lodge, i'm Minority,
Asks Arbitration
Harding and Some Lead
ers Would Delay Action
Pending Arms Council

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"ASHlNGTON, Oct. 1O.-After an
ail-day debate the Senate to-day passed
the Borah bill, intended to grant free
tolis through the Panama Cnnal for
American coastwise ships. The vote
was AZ to 81.
Inc measure now goes to the House
where it will encounter long and indef-
mite delay and where it may be pigeon.
holed during the life Of this Congress-
President Harding and some of the Re-.
publican leaders are unwilling to see
the bill passed while the Conference on
Limitation Of Armament is pending.
The debate was in many respects a
repetition Of the discussion which
stirred the Senate seven years ago
when Woodrow Wilson, as President
was insisting on the repeal of free
tolls. 1t was marked by strong denun
citation of the bill and vigorous de
fensc Of it,
Senator King offered one amendment
requesting the President to take steps
toward arbitration Of the free tolls
question between this country and
Great Britain. He offered another
providing. in lieu of free tolls for =
SUBSIDY OF S2,O00,0O0 a year for Ameri
lcan coastWlse shipping. Both were
defeated without Z roll call
funnlng through the speeches in op-
position to the Borah bill was a note
or warning that it would be unwice
policy to enact law for free tolls fo,
American shipping on the eve Of the
Conference on Limitation Of Arna
ment
The vote was as follows:
How Senate Voted
For the bill-Repubicans-B BoraN
Calder, Cameron, Capper. Curnmins. Curtis
EdSe, Elkins, Ferneld France. Freling
huysen. Sooding. Uarreld. johnson. Kei.
lH9sg l'add. La Toilette, Lenroot. McNary
Oddie. Page, Penrose poindexter. Shorf
ridge, .Sinoot. Sutherland, Tovnsend wat
son OF Indiana; Weller, Wiuis-S5. Demo
GInth-A iit Asnurst, Rroussard, Harrison Ken
drlck, Ransdell Reed. Robinson, Shields
STANLEY; Underwood, Walsh. Of Massachu.
setts Walsh, OF Mortana--i9 Total. a.
Against the bill-Republica nsOfer,a "a, ,lo.
See. Gold, Dillingham;. Ernst, Hale, Ken.
y9n. sl,, keyes' Lodge. McCormick, McCumber
Wadsworth, Warren---17. Democrats@
caraway. Culberson, Fletcher. Glass. Har-
rs deNfn. Hitchcock, Jones' OF New Mex
pitt,nnan. Posnerene, shenpard. Simmons Simmons
smith. Trammell, Watson, Of Georgia
W!llia1ns--2o Total. 81.
Senator Cummns, Of Iowa, in the
nrst speech OF the day, declared he
would support the bill.
'The United States has the right and
- may sometime become its imperative
duty" he said, "to pass our ships
through the canal on more favored
terms than those of any other nation
The Senator said that the President
aud the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion or the Shipping Board should
regulate the use of the canal by Amer
lean vessels. He pointed out that in
the recent fiscal year American coast
wise vessels using the canal paid toll
Of S1,46l AT and said free tolls, there
fore, would mean n subsidy to Ameri-
can coastwise shipping of nearly 81
100000 a year
Lodge Opposes Action
Senator Lodge, in brief speech, OPP
posed the bill. He asserted this coun.
try had "legal right" TO pass yes
sells through the canal free of tolls, hut
that in spite of this he did not be-
lieve it the part Of wisdom or sound
policy to assert the right. He quoted
in favor Of repeal Of free tolls and said
he adhered to the views then cx-
pressed, that he was not willing to ex-
pose the United States to the "implica-
tion Of bad faith" simply because the
country has the legal power to provide
for free tolls. He said, further, that
American public opinion was radically
divided and world opinion was
against US.
Senator Lodge thought the matter
should 90 to arbtration He cited the
coming armament conference as
strong reason why the United States
should not exert its right at this time
He held there were "compelling rea.
Continued on page sevsn)