The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-06-11
ASSURES MEXICO
THAT AMERICAN
AIMS IN The WAR
ARE UNSE.LFISH
President Wilson Delivers
Personal Message Thru
Editors
fRv Associated Press.N

Washington, June 11.-President
Wilson's address here last Friday to
| a party Of Mexican newspaper edi-
tors which was given out for publ"
| cation in the United States today
is expected to be recognized as one
of his most important war utter
ances. 1t dealt almost wholly with
Pan -Amerfdanism by agreement
among the Americans and ii
was obvious the President took op-
portunity to send back to the Mexi-
can people through ninety or more
representative newspaper editors. q
personal message to emphasize the
disinterestedness ofNthe United States
in all it's part OF the fight for world
democracy.
1t was the Presidents wish that
his speech, inasmuch as it practically
was addressed to the Mexican peo-
pie. should be published in Mexico
first, to that end no copies were CIV
en- out for publication In this coun-
try until today although it was sent
to the embassies and legations
abroad.
The address was printed In Mexico
City yesterday morning and it was
the intention of officials in charge
OF the matter today not to give 1t
out for publication in American
newspapers. It was said that this
decision had been reached on the
Presidents wishes.
This decision. however, was re-
versed and the whole text was given
out by the committee on public in
formation The most important por-
tions Of the speech were ~cabled to
the United States from Havana last
night by the Associate ted Press.
In emphasizing the disinterested-
ness of the United States in the
world war, the President said:
One of the difficulties that I ex-
perienced during the first three years
of the war, the years when the Unit
ed States was not in the war, was in
getting the foreign offices of Euro
peap nations to believe that the
United States was seeking nothing
for herself that her neutrality was
not selfish and that If she came in
she would not come in to get any
thing substantial out OF the war, any
material object, any territory or
trade, or anything else Of that sort.
In some of the foreign Offices there
were men who personally knew me
and they believed, hope. that was
sincere in assuring them that our
purposes were disinterested, but
they thought that these assurances
came from an, academlG gentleman
removed from the ordinary sources
Of information and speaking the
idealistic purposes Of the cloister
They did not believe that I was
speaking the real heart Of the Amer
lean people. and knew all along
that was. Now, I believe that
everybody who comes into contact
with the American people know that
I am speaking their purposes"
AS a concrete example the Presi-
dent referred to his declaration that
he intended to stand by Russia
eve cannot make anything out Of
Russia at this time" he said. eve
cannot make anything out of stand
ing by Russia at this tine-The most
remote Of the European nations, so
far as we are concerned, the one
with which we have the least con-
nections in trade and advantage
And yet the people Of the United
States rose to that suggestion as to
no other than made in that ad-
dress. That is the heart of America
and we are ready to show you by
any act of friendship that you may
propose, our real feelings toward
Mexico" -a