The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1913-07-11
SPEECH BY WILSON
PRESIDENT ADDRESSES GREAT
rHRoNc OK TAr oETTYs-
DuRa sGTTLLriELp.
PAYS TRIBUTE 10 VETERANS
Nation Does Not Stand G.iIl. Hc Say,
and orders Of the Day for the
Peoplo Are Laws on Statute
Books.

anu OTurFH W HV Sey
People Are Laws on Statute
Books.
Gettysburg, Pa, July 4.-President
Wilson's address today was the chief
| feature OF National day In the celebra-
ton OF the semi-centennial OF the Bat
tie OF Gettysburg. It was heard by
vast crowd Of old soldiers and others
and was warmly applauded.
The presidents address follows:
Friends and Fellow Citizens: need
not tell you what the battle Of Gettys-
burg meant These gallant men In
blue and gray sit all about US here.
Many OF them met here upon this
ground in grim and deadly struggle.
Upon these famous fields and hillsides
their comrades died about them. In
their presence 1t were an impertinence
to discourse upon how the battle went,
how It ended, what 1t signihed! But
80 years have gone by since then and
crave the privilege Of speaking to
you for a few minutes of what those
so years have meant
What have they meantf They have
meant peace and union and vigor, and
the maturity and might OF great ma
ton. How wholesome and healing the
peace has beenl We have found one
another again as brothers and com
rades In arms, enemies no longer, gen.
erous friends rather, our battles long
past, the quarrel forgotten-except
that we shall not forget the splendid
yalor, the manly devotion of the men
then arrayed against one another, now
grasping hands and smiling into each
others eyes How complete the union
has become and how dear to all of US,
how unquestioned, how benign and
majestic, as state after state has been
added to this great family of free
men! How handsome the vigor, the
maturity, the might of the great ma
ton we love with undivided hearts ,
how full of large and confident prom
ise that life will be wrought out
that will crown Its strength with gra-
cious justice and happy welfare that
will touch all alike with deep content
ment! We are debtors to those so
crowded years; they have made US
heirs to mighty heritage.
Nation Not Finished.
But do we deem the nation COM
plete and finished? These venerable
men crowding here to this famous
field have set us great example of
devotion and utter sacrifice. They
were willing to die that the people
might live. But their task is done
Their day is turned into evening. They
look to us to perfect what they estab.
lished. Their work Is handed on to
US, to be done In another way but not
In another spirit. Our day is not over.
1t Is upon US in full tide.
Have affairs paused? Does the
nation stand still? Is it what the so
years have wrought since those days
of battle finished rounded out. and
completed? Here is a great people
great with every force that has ever
beaten in the lifeblood of mankind
And 1t is secure. There is no one
within It's borders, there is nc
power among the nations Of the earth
to make 1t afraid But has 1t vel
squared itself with its own great
standards set up at its birth, when Il
made that first noble, naive appeal t.
the moral judgment of mankind t
take notice that government ha,
now at last been established which
was to serve men. not masters? It /
secure in everything except the salts
faction that its life is right, adjuste,
to the uttermost to the standards O
righteousness and humanity. TIL
days of sacrifice and cleansing ar
not closed. We have harder thing
to do than were done in the heroi
days of war, because harder to Sc,
clearly, requiring more vision, NOR,
calm balance Of judgment a NOR,
candid searching of the very spring:
OF right
Tribute to Their Valor.
Look around you upon the field 3;
gettysburg! Picture the array, the
hSleo heats anu agony OF battle col.
umn hurled against column. battery
believing to battery! Valor? Yesi
Greater no man shall see in war. and
self-sacritice, and loss to the inter.
most; the high recklessness of exalt.
ed devotion which does not count the
cost. We are made by these tragic
epic things to know what it costs n
make a nation-the blood and sacr,.
fice OF multitudes OF unknown men
lifted to a great stature in the view
OF all generations by knowing no ,inn,,
to their manly willingness 10 serve
In armies thus marshaled from tbo
ranks of free men you will see as 4
were, nation embattled. the leaders
and the led, and may know. II Won
will, how little except in form its
action differs in days Of peace from
its action In days OF war
May we break camp now and ba q,
ease? Are the forces that fight for IN,
>>1~"~-~~~-~e~~~~>-~~~-~~@
Smashing Force Of the Sea.