The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-03
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

Inc pEesldcHt abnua iheSsaSo
comes TO us in a new guise. Former
presidents were content TO call their
+ communications to congress "mes-
sages,r but President Wilson decided
70 read his own communications at the
Joint sessions and naturally has con
sidered it fitting to describe them
as addresses, The one which
he delivered yesterday at the
beginning of the second session OF the
Sixty.third Congress, is designated as
the address OF the President Of the
United States.
Again departing from the traditional
custom, the chief executive of the ma
lion confines his address TO q few sub
Iects treated IN general outline and
informs the Congress that the details
will be supplied by the heads of the
various departments.
TIE President deals with the most
important topic first. He re-states the
governments IS policy with regard to
Mexico, a policy which has met with
the approval Of practically the entire
nation. '"Thore is only one possible
standard by which to determine contro-
versies between the United States and
otbor nations he says, "and
that is compounded of these
two elements: Our own honor
and our obligations to tho peace of
; the world \ test so compounded ought
easily to be made to govern both the
, establishment of new treaty obligations
{ and the interpretation of those already
assumed.
The president then describes briefly
: the situation in Mexico, and declares
that at the present time "Mexico has
no governmcnt.'' He declares that the
attempt TO maintain one at the City
: Of Mexico has broken down and that
thcre is merely military dcspoiism
2 that has hardly more than the semblance
. of national authority. The following
sentence appears to have especial sig
nilicaucc. " AS consequence, con-
r dition OF affairs now exists in Mexico
even the elementary and fundamental
rights either Of her own people or Of
= be citizens Of other countries resident
within her territory can long he sue
: cessfully safcguardc1, and which threat.
: ems. IL long continued 20 impcril the
interests OF peace. order and tolerahle
ifc in the lands immediately south Of
us. The president seems TO say in
his sentence that the disorders in Mex.
100 are apt 10 spread 10 other Latin
American countries. But of more i'm
portauce is the statement that it is
doubtful whether even the most Gle
mentary and fundamental rights either
of her own people or of the citizens
uf other countries resident within her
territory can long be successfully safe.
guarded. If this be true then the
United States will be compelled to take
huch more radical action than it has
dp 10 date. Under the Monroe doc
;rine we are compelled TO safeguard
the interests Of foreigners in the Latin
the various nations the right to en-.
force their demands by military inter
veution or the seizure OF lands and
property. II, therefore, Mexico cannot
protect the most elementary and fun
damental rights Of foreigners resident
within her territory, the United States
must adopt some measures which will
fTa oil I'd 49, rla
president, however, in spite of this
statement, expresses confidence that the
power and prestige Of Huerta are crumb-
ling and that the collapse Of the die
tator s government is not far remote,
and he does not believe that we shall
be obliged TO alter our policy of
watchful waiting.' He appears to
be serenely certain that after Huerta
has ''erumbled' and fallen the Mexi-
can leaders will be able to construct a
stable government without the aid of
the United States.
Particular stress is laid upon rural
credits. While the president conceives
that the pending currency bill benefits
tns FARMERS IN thls respect, ne urges ad-
ditional legislation which shall permit
them TO use their credit resources as
"a foundation for joint, concerted local
action in their own behalf in getting
the capital they must use" He ex.
presses the opinion that the farmers
have sufficient funds this season to IA
cilitate the moving of crops, and
ascribes this TO the ftimely distribu-
ton OF its deposits" by the treasury