CHAPTER CXXI.

1913-1914

PASSING EVENTS, 1913-1914.

The Toll Question.-Treaty With Colombia.-The Passage of the First Ship Through the Panama Canal.-Professor Moore Resigns.-Nobel Peace Prize to Senator Root.— Mrs. Woodrow Wilson Dies.-Japan Sends Another Message in Reference to California Situation.-Ex-President Roosevelt Sues a Michigan Editor.-Another Attempt to Pass an Immigration Bill With a Literacy Clause.-Secretary Bryan's Peace Treaties.-One Hundred Years of Peace With England.-Colonel Goethals Made First Governor of the Canal Zone.-Colonel Gorgas Made Surgeon General.

The question of canal tolls again came up at this time. England claimed that the Hay-Pauncefote treaty declared that this government was to give equal treatment to the ships of all countries in the canal. That country now claimed that to allow United States coastwise ships to use the canal without paying tolls was to violate that treaty. There was a strong feeling throughout the country that England was playing small politics in its insistence upon the understanding of the treaty and doing it for the benefit of railroad and shipping interests of Canada primarily, even though there was a feeling at the same time throughout the United States that coastwise ships should not be exempt and that the toll should be on foreign as well as domestic shipping. But England's insistence upon a point that was purely internal made many feel and hold a natural resentment. There was, however, a feeling too, that since we had signed such a treaty we must comply with its terms. Congress passed a bill which put a

toll on all ships. This settled the question, but it left considerable ill-will against Great Britain.

In the belief that the canal should be opened in an atmosphere of good-will a treaty was made with Colombia by which the United States agreed to pay that country $25,000,000 and also to give it certain rights in the use of the canal for any damages and any grievances that country may have had through our support of Panama at the time of its secession. In August, 1914, the Cristobal made an initial trip through the Panama Canal. Thirteen hundred and seventeen ocean going vessels passed through the canal the first year, the receipts from tolls aggregating $5,216,149.26. During the first year the canal was closed for many months because of slides of the unsettled earth.

Professor John Bassett Moore resigned as counselor of the State Department, the Hon. Robert Lansing taking his place. Senator William J. Stone, Missouri, at about the same time became chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, left vacant by the death of Senator Bacon of Georgia.

The award of the Nobel Peace Prize was made to Senator Elihu Root for the year 1910. The prize was not announced until the end of the year 1913. The report of the Norwegian Committee explained the selection of Mr. Root chiefly on the ground of his work in the pacification of the Philippines and Cuba and his handling of the American-Japanese dispute over California.

On August 6, 1914, Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, the president's wife, died. It was a great affliction to the president and it brought a high test of his character, wisdom and moral power. But the compelling force of public duties, unusually pressing at this time, sustained and even helped him greatly.

Japan had prepared another note on the California

situation. It defended the position taken by that government that the land ownership bill violates the Japanese-American treaty. The special arbitration treaty with that government, which would have expired by limitation in July, was renewed on June 28th. Despite the bellicose attitude of jingoes in both countries both governments had maintained an even and mild tone throughout the dispute.

Ex-President Roosevelt had been the subject of malicious and offensive rumors and slander as to his supposed excessive drinking and profanity. A Michigan country editor had given voice to these charges with a persistency worthy a better cause. It was one tangible definite place to strike at these rumors, which cropped up everywhere and were circulated by men who hated the colonel. It happens that Colonel Roosevelt is extremely temperate in every way. The ex-president decided that the best way to meet these charges and put a stop to them was to bring a suit for libel. This he did. The Michigan editor and his counsel decided that they could not go on with the case for lack of evidence and in view of the convincing character of the testimony on behalf of the colonel, the latter's vindication was complete, and he generously waived all damages. A little later in the year the colonel left for South America on a hunting and exploring expedition. He visited a number of the South American countries and was given a great welcome everywhere, cementing the friendships between those nations and this country, whose unofficial representative he was.

Another fight was made this year for the passage of a bill including the literacy test for immigrants. The measure passed both houses and came before the president. The latter held a hearing on the measure in January, 1915. There were mass meetings held throughout the country against the measure. The

bill was vetoed because of the literacy test clause and also because it did not grant asylum for political offenders. An attempt to pass the measure over the president's veto was unsuccessful.

Secretary Bryan in the meantime had been working toward a better understanding between America and other countries. In the main his peace plan called for investigation and deliberation before any acts of hostility. With the signing of the treaty between the United States and Paraguay it brought the number of countries with whom such a treaty had been signed to twenty-eight. Thirty-nine countries had been invited to make such a treaty.

In May, 1914, a treaty with Nicaragua had been signed which called for the payment to that country of $3,000,000 to be used on public works and education in return for the exclusive right to construct an interoceanic canal across that country and to use the Gulf of Fonseca as a naval base.

Secretary Bryan's peace plans were given the importance and prominence they deserved when on September 15th the ambassadors of Great Britain, France, Spain, and the minister of China met with the secretary at the State Department and affixed signatures to peace treaties providing for ample investigation of questions of difference arising and for submission to impartial inquiry. Mr. Bryan's idea is to treat international disagreements in other than a military way.

One hundred years of peace between Great Britain and the United States was celebrated throughout the summer in both countries. One Anglo-American Exposition was held in London and there were other celebrations throughout both countries. The exhibit at London was later transferred to the Panama Exposition.

1

Colonel Goethals was named first governor of the Canal Zone and was promoted to be a major-general. At the same time Dr. Gorgas, through whose magnificent efforts at sanitation much of the success of the canal was due, was promoted, with the rank of brigadier-general, to be surgeon-general of the army.