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Show DENIES CHARGES MADE I IN A DEBATE ON TOLLS I IBBBBBBBBBl President Takes Umbrage At Story Of Bargain With Great Britain Washington, March 30:'-rre8ldcnt Wilson declared today, that onjiccouni of tho contradictory 'statement.". In tho Baitlptore platform, Democrats should hnvono hesitation in voting for tho repcnl of the Panama canul tolls exemption. Tho President emphatically characterized charac-terized tlio exemption as a subsidy and pointed out that ono phmk In the Bnltlmoro platform expressed opposition oppo-sition to any subsidy direct or Indirect, Indi-rect, while another plank declared for tolls exemption. Tho President asserted as-serted there should lio no doubt nmong Democrats as to which should tnko precedence, f Tho Prosldent reiterated that tho exemption never was a policy of tho Democratic House, becauso It was passed through a coalition of Republicans Repub-licans and n minority of Democrats tho majority of Democrats voting against It on tho grounds that It was n subsidy. Tho President explained that oven If the International situation to which ho roferred In his messago had not arisen ho would havo been opposed to te tolls exemption" as against Democratic Dem-ocratic doctrine. But ho Indicated hOwoyerr Ihatjf It were not for tho. International situation bq did not feel that It would have been proper for him to question tho acts of a previous administration. Regrets Tone Of Discussion ' The President declared ho wanted lit express his 'regrot that what had promised to be a dignified contest with genuine differences of opinion seemed to bo degpnerntlng In his opinion, op-inion, into an attempt to discredit tho administration. IIo remarked that whllo It mndo all tho more certain tho result In fnvor of the administration, ho thought it a great 'Pity that public affairs should be handled In that way. Ho d'd not think all the opponents of the repeal fplt that wny, but such color liac' been Interjected Into the controversy and he did not understand the motives mo-tives for It. Tho President snld he had no enxloty over any political frlc- 'Lbbbbbs Hon In tlio Democatlc party over tho result, and referred to tho repeal con- ijaH test' ns not a capital bperat'in,r'bilt bbbbbbI Just a convalcsehce. ''' ' !'.'' ' iH Mr. Wilson let (t be known 'that he M was unqualifiedly opposed 4 to any ' compromlso or amendments, such a H have beon proposal In tho eena'to. lie ' H is' for n straight repcnl without' cqhlv-' H ocntlon. 'H Terms Story of Bargain An Insult ,H Tho Whlto House later authorized lH quotntlon of what tho President had H said fa answer to tho charge that ho '1 had made n deal with Sir1 William ipH Tyrell, prlvato secretary to Sir Ed- H ward Grey, tho British forulgn gecrn- jH i B tnry. Tho President had been naked ILH If 'tho chargo wero truo nnd replied: Ibbbbbb! Of course, Hint answers Itsolf. It fM Is Just tho crowning insult of a num- M ber of Insults wh'jch havo been In- traduced In this debnto. This whoio tH IbbbbbbI thing reminds mo of n story I used il to bo fond of telling of n very of- Ibbbbbb! foctlyo, debalor I need not say whero ILbbbI this happened who sent a challenge M down Into a county very hostile In M him In debnto. Tho pcoplo down M there did not'llko tho Job very much jH but they, put up tho man they liked LbbI best and who Is generally put up iH on such occasions, A great big luisliy ILbbI fellow whom they called Tom. Tho ifll challenger was glyen tlio first hour 11 of the two hours, allotted to tho do- IIibbbbI bato and bo had not got mow than trl half way through his speech when (IiLbI It became ovident that ho was con- 'IibbbbI vlnclng' the audience, when ono ot ?M Tom's partisans In the bnck ot tho iLaBBBi room cried out: Tom, Tom, call him H ' a liar and mako It a fight. That Is jB tho stage this 1ms reached. !iJiB Tho President's auditors asked him nasi If he was going to fight, nnd ho smll IIbbbbI Ingly answered that ho did not Intend H H Representative Knowland of Ci'll- Lbbi fornla Issued a statement tonight dp- fLI clarlng that If President Wilson hnd bbbbbI read his speech Instead of tho nows- M pnpor headlines ho would have known H that he charged no trade or den!. Ho IbbH snld ho merely called attention lo IH facts concerning the visits of British IH representatives to Washington and H asked whether tho Panama canal was jH the price of the elimination of Hucrtn. bbbbb! BBBBi |