Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-12-04
Wilson's Message Touches or
Mexican Situation.
OUTLINES AMERICAN POLICY
Urges Speedy Currency Legislation
and Favors Choice of Presidential
Nominees by Popular Vote.

NiSllllISlohs y -. III LIS lilSS
sage. delivered at a joint session OF
the houses Of congress at the begin.
ming Of the second session Of the Six.
ty-third congress, President Wilson
urged immediate currency legislation
devoted considerable space to the
needs Of the farmers and referred tC
the Mexican crisis. The Sherman
antitrust law, he said, should be
changed SO thai its exact meaning
would be clearer. The president also
urged the choice of presidential nomi.
nee by the direct vote of the people
expressed at primaries. On the Mexi
can situation the president said, in
part:
There can be no certain prospect OF
peace in America until General Huer.
ia has surrendered his usurped au.
thority in Mexico. Until it is under:
stood on all hands, indeed, such pre-.
tended governments will not be coun.
tenanced or dealt with by the gov.
eminent of the United States. We are
the friends of constitutional govern.
ment in America. We are more than
its friends; we are its champions, be.
cause in no other way can our neigh.
bors to whom we would wish in
every way to make proof of our friend.
ship work out their own development
in peace and liberty. Mexico has no
government. The attempt to maintain
one at the City of Mexico has broken
down, and a military despotism
has been set up which has hardly
more than the semblance of national
authority. 1t originated in the usurpa.
ton of Victoriano Huerta, who, after
a brief attempt to play the part of
constitutional president, has at last
cast aside even the p%retense of legal
ght and declared himself dictator.
by his actions Euerta has forfeited
the respect and the moral support
even of those who we're at one time
willing to see him succeed. Little by
little he has been completely isolated.
BY a little every Gay his power and
prestige are crumbling, and the col
lapse is not far away. We shall not,
l believe, be obliged to alter our pol
icy of watchful waiting. And then,
when the end comes, we shall hope
to see constitutional order restored in
distressed Mexico by the concert and
energy of such of her leaders as pre-.
fer the liberty of their people to their
W ambitions"
Currency Legislation Urged.
President Wilson urges the immedi.
ate passage of currency legislation,
He asserts that business interests OF
the nation are waiting on the expected
law before making large new invest.
ments or developing resources. The
president also calls attention to condi.
tons as they exist at present, which
make it very difficult for the farmer
to finance his crop. He urges in his
annual message provisions that will
safeguard the farmer, help his credit
and prevent a repetition of the neces.
sity for the government to deposit
large sums of money in the Southern
and Western states so as to aid the
producer, as was the case last fall.
The presidents policy toward the
Philippines is made clear. He urges
the development of the Philippines, al
ways keeping in view ultimate indie
pendence of the islanders. While he
does not believe they are ready fol
self government today he believes thai
eventually they will be. He points
out improvements that have recently
been made by calling attention to the
fact that more natives have been ap
pointed on the Philippine commission
than was the case previously.
On the question Of direct elections
the president says:
Il urge the prompt enactment O.
legislation which will provide for pri
mary elections throughout the coun
try at which the voters of the sew
eral parties may choose their nomi
ees for the presidency without the in
%tervention of nominating conventions
I venture the suggestion that this leg
islation should provide for the reten
ton of party conventions, but only fol
the purpose of declaring and accepting
the verdict of the primaries and formu
lating the platforms of the parties
and suggest that these convention!
should consist not of delegates chose1
for this single purpose, but of tn,
nominees for congress, the nominee.
for vacant seats in the senate of tn,
United States, the senators who's,
terms have not yet closed, the nation
al committees and the candidates TO
the presidency themselves, in orde
that platforms may be framed b,
those responsible to the people TO
carrying them into effect"
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