OCR Text |
Show PANAMA CANAL AND TOLLS. The President's discussion ot" the Panama canal aud canal tolls iu bis message to Congress on Thursday, is a thoroughly enlightening and satisfactory satisfac-tory treatment of both questious. First, ho speaks of the tentative government gov-ernment established by tho President in the Canal zone, aud" shows the efficiency ef-ficiency of it. Tho main thing there, hoircvor, is the construction of the caual and the control of those engaged in tbat work. There is little occasion for the canal authorities to conic in coutact with general civil administrative administrat-ive questions, all the, rclatious existing being in the nature of those that como' between employer and employee. Tbc progress of work on tho canal is approvingly pointed out, and a look forward is taken to the time when the 50.000 or 60,000 population now iu the Canal zone .(which is forty miles long and teu miles wide) will have departed. There will be a few natives there, and the President's idea is, that the control of these and tho general control ol the zone "ought to approximate a military mili-tary government." Mo thinks that "with a few fundamental laws of Congress, Con-gress, the zone should be governed by ihe- orders of the President issued through the "War Department ap it is today;" and indeed, no bettor form or government, need be desired than that. Necessarily, the War Department, under un-der whoso auspices the canal. is being constructed, will rcmaiu iu charge of it for the control of the operations ot tbc canal, and for dredgiug aud repairs. re-pairs. Tbcrc would seem lo bo uo rea-eoo rea-eoo why the Civil Government should be segregated from the active aud responsible re-sponsible workings of the canal, for canal operatives will chiefly comprise tho population. As to tolls on the canal, the President Presi-dent thinks that "within limits which shall seem wise .to Congress, the power of fixing tolls should bo given lo the Prcsideut." He urges this because, in order to arrive at a proper basis for fixing the tolls there must bo some experiment, and this cannot, be. dono if Congress does uot delegate the power to one who can act expeditiously. Tbo President slates as to tho niat'tcr Of exempting ex-empting American shipping from tolls on the canal; "T am very confident. tha,t tbc United, States b'l's tuo power to relieve from "tho payment of tolls an' part of our shipping- that' Coligrcss deems wise;" and he argues: "We own the canal; il was our money thai' built it; we have the right to charge tolls for its use." He agrees that, these toils must be the same to every one. adding: "But when wo are dealing with our own ships, the practice of many governments of subsidizing their owu merchant vessels is eo well established estab-lished in general, that a subsidy equal to the tolls, an equivalent remission of tolls, can not. be held to he a discrimination discrimi-nation in the use of the canal." He cites the practice in the Suez Caual as making this proposition dear; aud he touches the main question when ho says: "Tho experiment in tolls to bo mado by tho President would doubtless disclose how great a burden of lolls coastwise trade, between tbc Atlantic ami Pacific coasts could bear without preventing its usefulness in competition competi-tion with the transcontinental railroad?." rail-road?." But, if we arc to give a subsidy sub-sidy to our shipping equal to the canal tolls, it is difficult to sec the relation rela-tion between thai subsidy aud the experimental ex-perimental effort to see how great a burden of tolls American shipping could bear and still be useful in competing com-peting with the transcontinental roads. Proposed tolls on that basis is ono thing; .subsidies which would clear the American shipping of tolls altogether is quite auothcr matter. Not only are these propositions entirely distinct and even antagonistic in themselves, them-selves, but they arc of such a character that one must give way if the other is accepted. Speaking further on this qnostiou, the President says that perhaps the tolls may have to be wholly remitted, adding: "J do not think this is the best principle, because I believe that the cost of such a Government work ns the Panama canal ought to be imposed im-posed gradually, but certainly, upon tbc trade which it creates and makes possible." And the principle at the basis of his recommendations is, as stated by him, "so far as we can, con-istent con-istent with the development of the world's trade through the caual. and the benefit which it was intended to secure to the Ua6t and West coastwise ! trade, we ought to labor to secure from the canal tolls a sufficient amount ultimately to meet tho debt which wc have assumed aBd to pay the interest." Whether the trade nsin the canal will develop the dimensions sufficient to meet this view of the President V is for tbo future to determine. But certainly that trade will have to be enormoiirf to meet both propositions, interest and priacijKil. The Prcsidont is very clear, however, on the 'whole question, and his message outircly disposes dis-poses of the proposition urged by Mr. John Barrett and others, that our treaties are such tbat wo are obliged to give the shipping of all the nationn pising through tho Panama Canal. preciely the wiino treatment that gie our own. There is no such obb gation, as tho President makes abundantly abun-dantly dear. |