The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-02-09
MORNING TALK
WITH PRESIDENT
Mr.. Wilson Makes Mystery
Out Of Panama Canal
Free Tolls Pro
vision.
---------
GREAT BRITAIN OBJECTS
GREAT BRITAIN OBJECTS
Declines to Give His Views on Liter.
acy Test Provision in the
New immigration
Bill.
IBy John e. Neyin. star correspond

1 ent or the United Press
/ WASHINGTON Feb. 9.--The free
tolls provision Of the Baltimore plat
form has been nullifled by internation-
al complication and as a result 1t is
Iup to the democratic party, 1t Is Pres
ident Wilson's opinion to disregard
1.-THE declaration. The president be-
lieves that congress will repeal this
section of the canal tolls bill. So
confident is he of this, that he confid-
ed to callers today that he would
probably not be required to deliver a
special message to congress on the
Iquestion.
!. The various stories that the en-
dorsement Of free tolls for American
coast-wise shipping provision was
quietly slipped into the platform,
joker fashion, failed to stir the presi-
dent. 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. Consequently he
believes that there is no reason why
the endorsement at Baltimore should
be considered binding.
The president did not explain to
callers today what the change in for
feign relations has been. He made 1t
lIlain;e however that lie believed that
when a question gets TO be an inter,
national one instead OF national. ii
might be handled from broad guage
standard. Then he proceeded to make
la 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 pressing
1.-THE matter, being seemingly content
to wait this country's pleasure.
The president admitted that he had
told Senator Smith of South Carolina,
chairman Of the senate committee on
immigration, just how he feels person
ally about the educational test Of the
Burnett bill now pending in the SEN
late. But he maintained his reticent
i attitude and declined to let his views
become known. 1t Is known howev-
er, that he suggested to Smith that a
way be found Of modifying the liter
acy problem so that both sides would
! be satisfied.
i The president hopes to be able to
announce the complete membership OF
the federal reserve board not later
than the first of March. He told his
callers that while he has examined
the qualifications of various persons
suggested for the place, he has made
no final selection. Secretary of the
Treasury McAdoo will be back in
Washington next week. Then the
president will take up in real earnest
the selection of the board While tour
ling the country, mapping out the re.
serve cities, the secretary of the treas
ury has also been busy looking over
certain men whose names have been
j suggested to the president for appoint.
ment
The administration is admittedly
concerned with the Mexican situation
from the standpoint of the constitu
tionalists. While the president has
had no first hand report from General
i Villa since the state department no
tilted the constitutionalist general that
he would be held personally respons
ible for the safety of non-combatants
and foreigners, unofficial reports from
the American officers on the border
and the American consular reports are
that Villa is now carefully protecting
4 all foreigners. They say that even
the Spaniards, against whom villa
has expressed bitter enmity, are now
being protected.