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Show SECRETARY KNOX REPLIES, Secretary Kuox goes into tho detnila ' of the Pauama eannl toll (juestion at great length in his reply to tho British 3 protest, agaiuat t'reo j):us:igo for our j coastu'isc shipping. Tho general 'effoct of this reply, howovor, is an almudon nient of our independent position upon thai question. Secretary Juiox undertakes under-takes to rofuto a number of the assumptions as-sumptions of Mr. Grey, the British Kor-. Kor-. eign Minister, but finally conies round to 'the point that we are willing to have the differences inquired into by a com-: com-: pctent commission. Intrinsically, there might be no objection ob-jection to that sort of an inquiry, but the concession by us that wo are will-ing will-ing to submit our case to such an inquiry in-quiry is an abandonment of the position taken heretofore by President Taft, and is a signal triumph for British diplomacy di-plomacy as against our own. President Taff's position was I hat wo have of right a free hand in the Panama canal, having liberated ourselves our-selves from all entanglements with Great Britain under the Glaytou-Bulwcr treaty of 1SS0 through the Uay-Pauncc-fotc treaty. This position is now abandoned, aban-doned, and we seek excuse for the Congressional Con-gressional legislation of last summer, and relinquish our position that we have a free hand and eannoi, be called to accouut by anybody. Tn this view of the case, it is dear that the Ilay-Paunccfote treaty was a delusion and snare., and that whereas the L'nitcd States supposed that by that treaty we obtained an absolutely independent inde-pendent position, free from all obligations obliga-tions to Great Britain, we were bunkoed bun-koed in that 'belief, and are held liable to Great Britain for our management of the canal. This is a distinctly disappointing position, po-sition, and it is humiliating to see our administration abandon the position of independence that it has taken heretofore. hereto-fore. There is no proposition, of course, to submit any matters of difference to The Hague tribunal; what Secretary Knox proposes is an inquiry by an im- ( partial commission into the point of whether there are in fnct any differences differ-ences to submit. With rcspoct to tho other matters protested against by Minister Grey, it seems clear that Secretary Sec-retary Knox has made complete and overwhelming answer. The idea of Minister Min-ister Grey thai if our coastwise trade wore exempt from tolls, therefore licav-ier licav-ier foils would fall upon British vessels ves-sels passing through (be canal bocauo of the necessity of making up tho deficit, de-ficit, is fully met by Secretary Knox. Iso 6uch conditions have arisen, and it is impospiblo to anticipate matters of that kind and ncgotiato upon them as though they were matters of fact in-stend in-stend of. mere forebodings. Our coastwise coast-wise commerce, Secrotar' Knox points out. is in no "wiso in conflict with Brit-. i?h shipping, nor can it come in contact with it in any way. Secretary Knox's answer, thcrcforo, on this point appears to be complete; and yet, if we aro to have a commission of inquiry to see whether there are an3r real points at issue between this country and Great Britain on the Panama canal question, this poiut would necessarily come up with tho others. President Taft, in changing his position posi-tion from a claim of perfect independence independ-ence for this country to one whore he is willing to have the differences impartially im-partially inquired into, was based largely upon the assumption that what he had concluded heretofore would be the inevitable conclusion of any unbiased un-biased inquiry, viz., that the United States has a perfectly free hand and can manage the canal and regulate the charges for using it at its own pleasure. If wo could be a3 sure of an impartial tribunal as we are of one packed against us should we submit anything to The TIaguc tribunal, then there might be some encouragement to take President Taft's view. As it is, however, how-ever, we must confess to a certain degree de-gree of pessimism in referring a matter of national concern to the United States, to any sort oC commission made up cither in whole or in part of foreign commissioners. For, it seems to be the prevailing opinion throughout; the world that the United States is so rich, so big, so overwhelmingly powerful, that il ought to be plucked at every opportunity, and that when aii3r nation I has a chance to1 "do' the United' States il should not only be allowed but eucouraged and helped to plunder at will. |