The Washington times., 1914-12-08
THE MESSAGE.

1t is no longer a message; 1t is
"The Address of the President" On
the whole, it is to be hoped that it
will always remain an address rath-
er than a message. Messages got to
be so long and tiresome that nobody
read them in the newspaper or lis
tened to them when they were read
in the dreadful monotone of the
reading clerks of the houses of Con-
gress; provided, OF course, that some
humanitarian without fear of lese
majestic didn't interpose to prevent
even the reading by the clerk.
President Wilson has made the
message into an address, delivered
in person; and he has limited it to
lengths that have made it quite pos
sible for auditors and readers to fol-
low it through to the end, and under
stand what he was saying.
The address given today is the
longest Mr.. Wilson has yet made be-
fore Congress. 1t comes at time
when the whole world will take a
peculiar interest in its observations,
and it indicates that the President
wants one more strenuous perform
ance from his faithful Sixty-third
Congress. If it has been hoping for
a little relaxation of psssure, it is
disappointed.
The President wants the program
of conservation legislation, begun in
the last session, completed; as il
should be. He stands firmly by his
proposal for a Government merchant
marine, legislation for which end is
pending; and he adds as an extra
inducement, that whenever the con-
ditions in our foreign trade are such
that profits may be made from it
the Government should withdraw
and let private enterprise earn the
profits. Perhaps it will be found
practical to let the Government &c
in on that basis of sharing the losses
but not the profits. 1t will be gen,
orally doubted. If the Government
goes into the overseas shipping bust
ness, it is quite likely to remain in
The effectiveness and general salts,
faction of Government operation OF
the steamship line controlled by the
Panama Railway Company have es'
tablished pretty firmly the notion
/ that the Government does that sort
of thing rather well. 1t is not al
| all likely that when the time come:
for profits instead of losses, the
| Government would be disposed Il
step out. At any rate, in present
conditions, the country needs the
ships. The experiment of giving
American registration to foreign
ships has had some trial. The pros
pect of getting satisfactory results
from it should be reasonably clear b!
this time. If it is not going to NEE
the national emergency-ando on tn
whole it does not appear likely to d.
so-then Government ships are yer.
certain to be tried, sooner or later
The need of them, or of some Othe
ships, under the American flag, i
great, and every week of expanding
. foreign trade makes it greater.
, There will be disappointment il
some quarters at the President
, pointed suggestion that he is no
ready to hep pass rural credits leg
islation. This means, of course, tina
nothing will be done in this direc
ton. The proposals have not bee
so far formulated and crystalline,
that the Executive feels satisfied t
let such an important measure b
written into the laws. 1t must b
hoped that as compensation for tn
delay a better law will ct length b
possible; but the need is now an
serious.
Coming to national defenses. tn
President opens the subject aroun
which this session seems most likel
t to pivot. Are we prepared for war
OF course, he says, we are not read
: to put a nation of trained men i
the field. And he adds that wv
never shall be in time Of peace, 5
long as we retain our present polit
= cal principles and institutions" PEI
} haps the President IS not as fami
: lar with the Swiss military syster
+ as is his general staff. That syster
t does maintain "a nation Of me
d trained to war" and it doe mairtai
r it under a government whose polit