Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-03-06
Presidents Complete
Address 420 Words

President Wilson ADDRESS,, the
shortest he has yet delivered to CON
eress-exactly APO words-was as fol-
lows:
Gentlemen of the Congress:
II have come to you on an errand
which can be very briefly performed
but l beg that you will not measure
its Importance by the number of SEN
tences in which l state it. No COM
munication ! have addressed to Con-
gress carried with it graver or more
far-reaching implications to the inter-
est of the country and l come now
to speak upon a matter in regard to
which 1 am charged to peculiar de-
gree, by the constitution itself, with
personal responsibility.
II 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 eoastwise trade
of the United States from payment of
tolls and to urge upon you the justice
and the wisdom and the large policy
of such a repeal with the utmost ear
nestness of which l am capable.
I'm my own judgment. very fully
considered and maturely formed, that
exemption constitutes a mistaken
economic policy from every point of
view, and is, moreover, in plain con-
travention of the treaty with Great
Britain concerning the canal, concluG-
ed on Nov. IS, 1901. But 1 have not
come to You to urge my personal
views. I have come to state to you
q fact and situation. Whatever may
be our own differences of opinion con-
cerning this much debated measure,
its meaning is not debated outside the
United States. Everywhere else the
language of the treaty is given but
one Interpretation, and that interpre-
tation precludes the exemption l am
asking you to repeal. We consented
to the treaty; it's language we accept
ed, If We did not originate it, and we
are too big. too powerful, too-self-re-
specting nation to interpret with too
strained or refined a reading of words
of our own promises 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. a voluntary withdraw wal
from a position everywhere question
ed and misunderstood. 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 re-
demption of every obligation without
quibble or hesitation.
i ask this of you in support of the
foreign policy of the administration 1
shall not know how to deal with other
matters of even greater delicacy and
nearer consequence if you do not grant
it to me in ungrudging measure"
The Panama tolls question has been
a subject of dispute for nearly two
years. Diplomatic correspondence be-
tween Great Britain and the United
States found the question unsettled
when President Taft left office. Ex-
cept for an assurance to James Bryce,
then British ambassador, when he
left the United States a year ago. that
the question would be taken up in the
regular session of Congress, President
| Wilson has never directed any Off
cial communication to England on the
| tolls question. The President recent
ly told callers he had never discussed
the matter formally or informally with
| the British ambassador here, Sir Cecil
/ Spring-Ric because he believed the
obligation on the part of the United
States to repeal the exemption clause
was one which this government itself
should realize without outside infiu-
ence or pressure.
Administration leaders In both House
and Senate have assured the Presi
dent that with the delivery of a mes
sage by him showing that national
circumstances had arisen since the
measure was last debated. the Presi-
dents suggestion for repeal would be
met with prompt action.