Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1914-03-05
TO PRESERVE INTEGRITY
THE PRESIDENT SAYS THIS IS
THE ONLY COURSE TO BE
PURSUED
OTHER NATIONS WATCHING
THEY WILL NOT HAVE HIGH RE-
GARD FOR AMERICA If SHE
DOES NOT YIELD

Washington March president
Wilson personally appealed to con
gress, assembled in joint session to-
day, to sustain the national honor of
the United States in upholding treaty
obligations by repeating the Panama
tolls exemption against which Great
Britain protests. He asked congress
to do that in support of the foreign
policy of the administration, and add
ed that an exemption for American
ships not only was a mistaken eco
nomic policy" but was in contrayen-
tion Of the Hay-P -Pauncefote treaty.
Il shall not know how to deal with
other matters Of even greater delicacy
and nearer consequence if you do
not grant it to me ia ungrudging
measure" said the president.
The large thing to do is the only
thing we can afford to do; yolun-
tary withdrawal from a position ev-
erywhere questioned and misunder-
stood. We ought to reverse our ac-
tion without raising the question
whether we were right or wrong, and
so once more deserve our reputation
for generosity and the redemption Of
every obligation without quibble or
hesitation
President Wilson's address, the
shortest he has yet delivered to CON
gress-exactly 42O words, was as fol
lows:
Gentlemen of the congress:
Il have come to you on an errand
which can be very briefly performed,
but 1 beg that you will not measure
It's Importance by the number of SEN
tences in which | state it. No COM
munication / have addressed to con-
gress carried with it graver or more
neutrality-suspicious. to the inter
est Of the country, and come now to
speak on a matter with regard 70
which l am charged IN a peculiar de-
gree, by the constitution itself, with
personal responsibility.
Il have come to ask for the repeal
Of that provision of the Panama Canal
act of August "a, 1912. which exempts
vessels engaged in the coast-w1se
trade of the United States from pay
ment of tolls, and to urge on you the
justice, the wisdom and the large pol
icy of such a repeal with the utmost
earnestness of which | am capable.
Tn my own judgment very fully
considered and matureIy formed, that
exemption constitutes a mistaken eco
nomic policy from every point Of
view, and is, moreover, in plain con
travention Of the treaty with Great
Britain concerning the canal, conclud-
ed on November 10, 1901. But have
not come to you to urge my personal
views. l have come to state to you a
fact and situation Whatever may
be your own differences Of opinion
concerning this much-debated meas
ure. it's meaning is not debated out
side the United States Everywhere
else the language Of the treaty is CIV
en- but one Interpretation. and that in
ferpretation precludes the exemption
Lam asking you to repeal. We con
scented to the treaty; its language
was accepted. if we did not originate
1t, and we are too big, too powerful,
too self-respecting a nation to inter-
pret with too strained or refined a
reading the words Of our own prom
dses just because we have power
enough to give us leave to read them
as we please. The large thing to do
is the only thing we can afford to do,
q voluntary withdrawal from posi-
ton everywhere questioned and mis-
understood We ought to reverse our
action without raising the question
whether we were right or wrong, and
SO once more deserve our reputation
for generosity and the redemption Of
every obligation without quibble OF
hesitation