Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1913-12-05
PRESIDENT WILSON'S MESSAGE

Washington, d. c., Dec. 2.-Placing
particular stress upon the necessity
of extending rural credits and touch
Ing lightly on the Mexican situation,
President Woodrow Wilson today de-
livered In person his message to the
Sixty-third congress.
The full text of the message fol-
lows:
Gentlemen Of the Congress: In pur-
suance of my constitutional duty to
give to the congress information OF
the state of the Union" i take the lib
erty OF addressing you on several mat
ters which ought, as 1t seems to me,
particularly to engage the attention of
your honorable bodies, as OF all who
study the welfare and progress of the
nation.
l shall ask your indulgence If / ven
ture to depart in some degrees from
the usual custom of setting before you
IA formal review the many matters
which have engaged the attention and
called for the action of the several
departments of the government or
which look to them for early treat
ment in the future, because the list is
long, very long, and would suffer In
the abbreviation to which / should
have to subject it.
/ shall submit to you the reports of
the heads OF the several departments,
In which these subjects are set forth
in careful detail, and beg that they
may receive the thoughtful attention
of your committees and of all members
of the congress who may have the
leisure to study them. Their obvious
Importance, as constituting the very
substance of the business of the gov
eminent, makes comment and empha-
sis on my part unnecessary.
Country at Peace.
The country, | am thankful to say,
Is at peace with all the world, and
many happy manifestations multiply
about us of a growing cordially and
sense of community Of interest among
the nations, foreshadowing an age of
settled peace and good will. More
and more readily each decade do the
nations manifest their willingness to
bind themselves by solemn treaty to
the processes of peace, the processes
of frankness and fair concession.
So far the United States has stood
at the front of such negotiations. She
will, l earnestly hope and confidently
believe, give fresh proof of her sincere
adherence to the cause of international
friendship by ratifying the several
treaties awaiting renewal by the sen
ate. In addition to these, it has beer
the privilege of the department o
state to gain the assent In principle
of no less than 81 nations, represent
ing four-fifths of the population of th'
world, to the negotiation of treaties
by which it shall be agreed that when
ever differences of interest or OF pol
icy arise which can not be resolved b!
the ordinary processes of diplomac.
they shall be publicly analysed, dis
cussed and reported upon by tribuna
chosen by the parties before eithe
nation determines its course of action
Only One Standard.
There is only one possible standar,
by which to determine controversial
nations, and that is compounded o
these two elements: Our own homo
and our obligations to the peace of tn,
world A test so compounded ough
easily to be made to govern both tn,
establishment of new treaty obliga
tons and the Interpretation of thos.
already assumed.
There is but one cloud upon gu
horizon. That has shown itself to tn.
south of us, and hangs over Mexico
There can be no certain prospect O
peace in America until General HuertS
has surrendered his usurped authority
in Mexico; until ii is understood on al
hands, indeed, that such pretended
governments will not be countenancec
or dealt with by the government oil
the United States.
We are the friends of constitutional
government in America; we are more
than its friends, we are its champions;
because in no other way can our
every way to make proof of our friend
ship, work out their own development
in peace and liberty.
Has No Government.
Mexico has no government. The at
tempt to maintain one at the City OF
Mexico has broken down, and a mere
military despotism has been set up
which has hardly more than the sem
blance of national authority. 1t origi-
mated in the usurpation II VictoriaDo
Huerta, who, after a brief attempt to
play the part of constitutional presi-
dent. has at last cast aside even the
pretense of legal right and declared
himself dictator.
AS a consequence, a condition Of az
fairs now exists in Mexico which has
made it doubtful whether even the
most elementary and fundamental
rights either of her own people or of
the citizens of other countries resident
within her territory can long be sue
csssfully safeguarded. and which
threatens, if long continued. to imperil
the interests of peace. order and toler-
able life in the lands Immediately to
the south of US.
Evan IL the uSurner had succpadad