Evening journal., 1914-02-09
CONGRESS WILL
NULLIFY FREE
CANAL TOLLS
Wilson So Confident He Will
Not Send Message on
Subject
PRESIDENT SILENT
ON LITERACY TEST
RY JOHN EDWIN NEvIN.


Staff Correspondent OF the United
Press.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9.--The free
tolls provision of the Baltimore plat
form has been nullified by interna-
tional complications, and as re-
suit it is up to the Democratic party,
in President Wilson's opinion, to dis
regard the declaration.
The President believes that con-
eress will repeal this section Of the
canal tolls bill. So confident is he
Of this that ne confided to >..llers TO-
day that he would probably not be
required TO deliver special message
10 Congress on the question.
The various stories that the en-
dorsement OF tAe free tolls for Amer
ican coastwise shipping provision
was quietly slipped into the plat
form, ioker-fashion, failed to sir the
President. The plank, in his opinion,
might have been all right at the time
the platform was adopted, but the
foreign relations of the United States
have changed since then. Conse-
quently he believes there is no rea-
son why the endorsement at Balt-
more should be considered binding.
The President did not explain 70
his callers today what the change IN
foreign relations has been. He made
Il plain, however. that he believed
when a question gets to be an inter-
national one, instead of national, il
must he handled from a broad guage
standard. Then he proceeded to MAKE
a mystery of the entire matter by
saying that the only nation that had
protested against free tolls had been
Great Britain. and it was not press
ing the matter by seeming content tC
wait this country's pleasure.
The President admitted that he has
told Senator Smith, of Soutn Carolina
chairman of the Senate Committee on
immigration just how he feels per
sonally about the educational test o.
the Burnett bill now ending in th'
Senate. But he maintained his reti
cent attitude and declined to let bis
views become public. 10 Is understood
however. that he suggested to Smitl
that a way could be found of modi
flying the literacy problem so tha
both sides would be satisfied.
The President hopes to be able 4
announce the complete membershi
OF the Federal Reserve Board no
later than the first of March. He toll
his callers that while he has exam
iued the qualifications OF various per
SONS suggested for the place he ha
made no final selection. Secretary d
the Treasury McAdoo will be back 4
Washington next week Then tn
President will take up in real earnes
the selection of the board. Will
touring the country mapping out tn
reserve cities the Secretary of tn
Treasury has also been busy lokin
over certain men whose names hav
been suggested to the President 70
appointment
The administration is admittedl
better satisfied with the Mexican sii
Nation from the standpoint of th
Uonstitutionalists. While the Pres
dent has had no first hand report iroi
General villa since the State ID,
parment notified the Constitution
ist general that he would be held pei
sonally responsible for the safety ,
uon-combatants and foreigners. III
official reports from the America
officers on the border and the Amei
can consular Representatives are th'
villa is now carefully protecting a
foreigners. They say that even d
Spaniards. against whom villa h;
expressed bitter enmity, are now b
Ing protected.