The Cairo bulletin., 1914-03-06
CAIRO VITALITY
INTERESTED In
CANAL QUESTION
Concluded from Page One.)

President Wilson, pale and tn
from his recent illness, display
his usual courage and ~ usual CO
fidance in his own powers and !
own cause By looking Congress
The face in this emergency. .
lie has never fronted so well l.
and deeply set an opposition befoi
lie leads an unpopular cause an
as most believe. an unsound caus
If these leaders who never falt
and never shirk stand firm in tn
emergency it is regarded that
this latest battle Woodrow WilsC
will meet his first notable defeat ar
that the American idea will eel
brate a most notable triumph til,
Il has witnessed during the admit
strative year.
President Wilson's address.
the shortest he has yet deliv-
cred to .Congress-exactly 430
words-was as follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress;
II have come to you upon an
GRAND which can be very briefly
which can be very briefly per-
performed, but | beg that you
will not measure its import
ance by the number of SEN
tencas in which | state it. No
communication have addressed
to the Congress carried with it
gravar or more far-reaching
implications to the interest of
the country, and | come now to
speak TO you upon a matter
with regard to which am
charged in a peculiar degree,
by the Constitution itself, with
personal responsibility.
Fl have come to ask for the
repeal of that provision of the
Panama Canal act of August "a,
1912, which exempts vessels
engage in the coastwise trade of
the United States from pay
ment of tolls. and to urge upon
you the justice, the wisdom and
the large policy of such. a re-
peal with the utmost earnest
ness of which | am capable.
ain my own judgment, very
fully considered and maturely
formed. that exemption consti-
tutes a mistaken economic pol
ley from every point OF view,
and is moreover in plain con-
travcntion of the treaty with
Great Britain concerning the
canal concluded on November
IS, 1901.
but | have not come to you
to urge my personal views. |
have come to state to you a fact
and 4 situation. Whatever
may be our own differences of
opinion concerning 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
Interpretation precludes the ex-
emption | am asking YOU TO re-
peal.
I'VE consented to the treaty;
It's language we accepted, il We
did not originate it: and we are
too big, too powerful, too self
respecting a nation to interpret
with too strained or refined 6
reading the words of our owr
promises just because we hav,
power enough to give us leav,
to read them as we please.
"Tne large thing to do Is tn,
only thing We can afford to do
voluntary withdrawal from {
position everywhere questioned
and misunderstood. We ough
to reverse our action withou
raising the question whethel
we were right or wrong, aud 81
once more deserve our reputa
ton for generosity and the re
demption of every Obligation
without bubble or hesitation.
II ask this of you in supper
of the foreign policy of the adj
ministration. | shall not know
how to deal with other matter
of even greater delicacy an,
nearer consequence if you d,
not grant it to me in ungrudg
ing measure"