AMERICAN HUMOUR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 1 May 1913, Page 3

AMERICAN HUMOUR.

i MR ROOT ON "PHARISEES AXEHYPOCRITES." NEW YORK, January 18. Mr Root introduced into the Senatj a Bill amending the Panama Carnal Act so as to eliminate the provisions exempting 'American coasting vessels from the payment of tolls. It ivas against these provisions that the British Government strongly protested on the ground that they violated the terms of the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty , of 1901. Senator, Root made a striking appeal to the Senate to change its attitude towards u-e Panama Canal question, and asked it either to repeal the toll provisions and thus respect its treaty obligations to Great Britain or submit the question to arbitration. He said that when Congress last summer passed the law .vhioh discriminated against foreign , shipping passing through the canal and granted free tolls to American 1 coasting vessels, the measure had! not received due consideration. "We were tired and exhausted, and our I minds wore not working at that period," lie add:<l. ■ J M;r Root iak! the action of Con-; grass 'in. discriminating against for- j eign shipping had been a source of i great regret to multitudes of their j fellow-citizens, and had created a painful impression throughout the world. "Decent regard for the opinion of mankind was one of the motives inscribed by the people'of these Colonies in their great Declaration of Independence." MY "Root denied that the canal' zone was the territory of the United' States except in trust. "We secured that zone," lie said, "only be-i cause, a.s Mr Roosevelt explained at, the time, civilisation had the right' of - passage. We made ourselves the mandatory of civilisation to secure : that right. Far from being reliev- , od -of the. obligation imposed by the . treaties ivith Great Britain by. our ownership of the zone,, we have taken that property on trust. \ "We cannot be false to our obliga- j tions without being false to that confidence and that trust which.were, reposed in us. Of, what revolting; hypocrisy do we convict ourselves? Are we Pharisees ? Have we been in- ; sincere and false, pretending all these ' long veans ? Are we ready to admit ■ that our country, through our Con- j gress and our Presidents, has been.; guilty of false pretences and hum- , bug, and that we are talking to the gallerie®, uttering false words to se- ' cure applause , and the instant our interests are at stake 'falsifying all _ our declarations?" :