Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-04-10
CONGRESS HEARS
WILSON MESSAGE
President Brushes Away All Imag-
mary boundaries.
EXECUTIVE A HUMAN BEING
Took Only Eight Minutes to Deliver
His Speech-Strain Of Sit
uation Is Relieved by
President.

URGES EARLY settlement OF
tariff matters so that business
may not be long held in sus-
pense.
OPPOSES RADICAL revision
that would tear down system so
carefully built up and which
would result in unsettled finan-
ciaI conditions.
BELIEVES INTERESTS have
too long been permitted to pre-
scribe their own protective
needs; and that monopoly has
resulted in many great indus
tries.
SAYS PRIVILEGES must be
abolished and "infant indus
tries" must be made to sharpen
their wits by competition with
the world.
MEETS CHARGES Of radical
revision with statemeht that
situation must needs be met by
heroic measures.
"OUR MOTIVES are above
Just challenge and only an Oc-
casiOnal error Of judgment
may be charged against u.s."
WANTS CONGRESS to feel
that the president is a real
human person, not q "mere de-
partment hailing the legislative
body from some isolated island
Of jealous power"
~ g R@ WSd"
Washington, April 9.-President
Wilson yesterday bridged the gap
that for more than a century has
separated the pilots of public bust
ness, the executive and legislative
branches of the government. Not as
a cog in machine, not as an i'm
personal political entity, not as a
mere department of government, but
as the human president, he went to
congress to speak about the tariff
Standing before the senate and
house of representatives in joint SEES
sion as no other president has done
for more than 100 years, President
Wilson stated simply and terselJ
what he thought should be done fol
the welfare of the country and asked
his legislative colleagues, man te
man, to keep the pledges OF theil
party.
With a sweep of decision thai
shattered precedent, the president
brushed aside all imaginary boun
daries between congress and the ex
ecutive office and rescued himself
as he expressed 1t, from that ESQ
lated island of Jealous authority,
which the presidency had come tt
be regarded.
Congress, somewhat startled the
other day when 1t heard that thu
president had determined to per
sonally deliver his message on thu
tariff, had prepared for ceremony
Of unusual Importance and such 4
was; yet when President Wilson ar
rived in the midst of the great as
semblage, riding through throngs o
cheering people in the streets, ant
later looking up into galleries crowd
ed with privileged ticket holders, h
seemed after all what he said HI
was, "a human being trying to co
operate with other human beings II
a common service"
When the much heralded inciden
was over, congress seemed pleased
and the president was delighted. H
expressed himself as impressed wit
the dignity of the occasion and som
of his eonfidantes later declare'
that he left the capitol greatly re
lieved to think that after all hi
precedent Rmashing had not beef
such a cataclysmic thing as som
older heads had predicted.
The message in full follows:
/ am very glad indeed to hav
this opportunity to address the tw
houses directly and to verify TO
myself the impression that the pres
ident Of the United States in person
not a mere department Of the gov
eminent, hailing congress from a
isolated island of jealous power
sending messages. not speaking nat
urally and with HIS own voice-tha
he is a human being trying to cC