The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-10-28
ETHICS, NOT
| EXPEDIENCY
Morality Is to Be the Basis
of Our Foreign
Policy
OUR DEALINGS
SO GOVERNED
President Wilson Attacks
Material Interests
Influence

son announced to the world yesterday
4 that the governing motive OF the United
States in its relationship with the coun-
tries of this hemisphere would be NOR
atty and not expedieney. | want to
take this occasion to say" he declared,
/ shat the United States will not again
seek to secure one additional foot of
territory by conquest"
\ The president, in speech before the
southern commercial congress, delivered
veiled attack on what he termed "the
/ material interests" that had influenced
! the foreign policy OF some governments
4 in their relation with the nations of
Latin America. Though MIR. Wilson did
not mention Mexico as the afflicted coun-
/ try, he devoted his entire speech to a
| description of the degrading influences
which foreign eoncessionaires had had
upon the internal affairs OF some of the
Latin American countries. With the
Mexican situation uppermost in the
| presidents mind at this time, his adj
dress was interpreted as an afraign
ment Of thoe financial Influences which
4 it had been charged have secured in
some eases recognition for the Huerta
government.
1 The president declared that ii would
be the duty OF the United States TO
assist the nations OF this hemisphere in
an emancipation" from tine material
interests OF other nations. SO that they
might enjoy constitutional liberty unre-
strained.
The president spoke extemporane-
ously.
! Il came" he Said, mot to speak for
the South, because the South has the
! gift OF speaking for herself. ! came here
because | would speak OF our present
and prospective relations with our neigh
bors to the South. The future is going
to be very different for this hemisphere
from the past. Those states lying to
the south which have always been our
neighbors viii be drawn closer to each
other by common tics Of understanding
Interests do not tie nations together
it sometimes separates them; but sym
pathy and understanding do bind them
together,
"fou hear of concessions to foreign
capital in Latin America, but you, don't
hear Of concessions to foreign capital IN
the United States. They are not grant
ing concessions. They are invited to
make investments. 1t is an invitation,
not a privilege, And states that are
obliged to grant concessions are in the
condition that foreign interests are apt
to dominate their domestic affairs. Such
a condition OF affairs is apt to become
ntolerable. And 1t is emancipation
from this inevitable subordination which
we deem it onr duty to assist in. Their
self-respect, their achievements. in spite |
Of these difficulties, deserve nothing but |
the admiration and applause OF the
world
Il rejoice in nothing so much as that |
they win be emaneipated and we ought |
to be the first in taking part in assist |
ing in that emancipation
The president diqfessed to point out |
that the department of state recently |
had "tried to serve in that wise,i bat |
mentioned no specific instance
"ln the future" he continued "the |
nations to the south of us will draw |
closer and closer to us because OF those |
circumstances of which | am speaking |
We must prove ourselves their friends |
and champions on terms of equality and |
honor. We can't be fast friends on any
other terms than those OF equality. And I
we must show ourselves friends by com
pretending their interests, whether they
square with our interests or not. It
is a very perilous thing to determine
a foreign policy in terms of material
interests. 1t is indeed degrading thing.
"The development of constitutional
liberty and world human rights, the
maintenance of national integrity as
against material interests that is our
creed. ! want to take this occasion to
say too, that the United States will
not again seek to secure one additional
foot of territory by conquest IL win
devote herself to showing an honest and
fruitful use of the territory she has
and she must regard it as one of the
duties of friendship to see that in no
quarter are material interests made SUI
perior to human liberty and national
comfy.
Il say this merely to fix what our
real relationship should be. It is rela-
tionship of a family of mankind devoted
to the relations from which human lib
erty springs. We have seen material in
terests threaten constitutional liberty in
America, so we know how to sympathze
| would rather belong to a poor nation
that is free than rich nation which
has ceased to love freedom. Morality
and not expediency is the thing that
must guide us, and we must never con-
done iniquity."
The presidents speech was constantly
interrupted by applause. He rode
through crowded streets bowling and,i
nodding to cheering throngs.