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Show ENGLISH PAPERS TALK FIGHT Tho English papers are greatly dls turbed over the announcement that the United States government is to exact a toll on foreign chips passing through the Panama canal, while American Am-erican vessels are to be exempted from charges. A number of the London Lon-don dallies have threatened to bring down the wrath of John Bull on Uiu offending head of Uncle Sam, if the canal tolls are maintained. They direct di-rect attention to the Clayton-Buiwoi treaty, which provided that neither country should have exclusive con trol over an Atlantic-Pacific canal, and that neither should occupy, fortify, forti-fy, colonize or assume dominion over tho territory through which such canal ca-nal should pass. In 1S81 Secretary of State Biainc contended that any Interoceanic canal across the Americnn isthmus should be under the control of tho United States, and that the Clayton-Eulwpr treaty should be modified In view ot ; the changed conditions since 1S50. In I the following year Secretary Frcllng-huysen Frcllng-huysen contended that the treaty w:;s I no longer binding on either party. .o which Lord Granville, on the part r.j Great Britain, objected that It mint be binding since It had never been abrogated. The controversy continued until the signing of the Hay-Paunccfotc treaty. November IS, 1001, definitely superseding super-seding the Clayton-Eulwer treaty. The new treaty provided that the United States should build the canal and have tho exclusive right of providing pro-viding for its regulation and management. manage-ment. For the neutralization of the canal the United States adopted substantially sub-stantially the rules laid down In the convention of Constantinople regarding regard-ing navigation of the Suez canal, thus providing that the new canal should be open to vessels of commerce and war of all nations; that It should never nev-er be blockaded nor any act of hostil ity be committed In it; that vessels of war of belligerents should not revic-tual revic-tual o'r tako on stores In it, unless ab solutely necessary, and that no belligerent bellig-erent should disembark troops or munitions mu-nitions of war In the canal, except under special circumstances. It was furthermore agreed that no change of territorial sovereignty or of international interna-tional relations of the country or countries coun-tries traversed by the canal should affect af-fect the principle of Its neutralization. Under this treaty, there Is nothing to prevent the United Stales favoring American shipping, although the ships of all nations, other than those flying the Stars and Stripes, must be accorded accord-ed equal rights. The canal has been constructed at a cost of a third of a billion dollars, borne wholly by the American peoplo, and there should be compensating benefits ben-efits the free passage of American ships, for instance. The British threat Is not alarming as U could not be enforced. Great Britain would be attempting self-destruction to Invite a conflict with th. United States. This country Is too resourceful re-sourceful in men and wealth and war Material to be challenged by Great Britain, or any other European nation na-tion against which there aro so many dogs of war to be unleashed at Its heels while facing the tremendous task of warding off the United States forces. But, above all, neither nation would sanction war over canal tolls, i- |
