South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-08
WILSON MAKES 4
PLEA FOR PEACE
BEFORE CONGRESS
President in Message in Con-
greSS Touches on Extension
of South American Trade
and Merchant Marine.

efficiency and TO further economy. but
in this connection, ne points out that
there Is no waste Of money at present;
that as the government and country
grew more and more money is needed
TO meet the national expenses.
The president did not mention
trusts or recommend and legislation
touching upon business.
The message in full follows:
Gentlemen Of the Congress:
The session upon which you are now
entering will be the closing session of
the Sixty-third congress, a congress. I
venture to say, which will long be re-
membered for the great body of
thoughtful and constructive work
which it has done, in loyal response
TO the thought and needs of the coun-
try. / should like In this address to re-
view the notable record and try to
make adequate assessment OF it; but
no doubt we stand too near the work
that has been done and are ourselves
too much part OF It to play the part of
historians toward it. Moreover, our
thoughts are now more Of the future
than of the past.
While we have worked at our tasks
OF peace the circumstances of the
whole age have been altered by war
What We have done for our own land
and our own people we did with the
best that was in US, whether of char
acter or OF intelligence, with sober
enthusiasm and a confidence in the
principles upon which we were acting
which sustained US a. every step Of
the difficult undertaking; but it is
done. 1t has passed from our hands
II Is now an established part Of the
legislation OF the country. Its useful
ness, its effects, will disclose them
selves IN experience. What chiefly
strikes US now, as We look about us
during these closing days OF a year
which will be forever memorable in
the history OF the world, is that we
face nsw tasks, have been facing them
these six months. must face them in
the months 20 come-face them with
out partisan feeling, like men who
have forgotten everything but COM
mon duty and the fact that we are
Representatives OF a great people
whose thought is not Of US but of what
America owes to herself and to all
mankind IN such circumstances as
these upon which we look amazed and
anxious.
Europe VIII Need Our Help.
War has interrupted the means Of
Grade not only but also the processes
OF production In Europe it is destroy
ing men and resources wholesale and
upon q scale unprecedented and ap-
palling. There Is reason to fear that
the time is near, If it be not already
ct hand, when several OF the coun-
tries or EHrope viii ind 1t difficult to
do for their people what they have
hitherto been always easily able to do,
many essential and fundamental
things. At any rate they will need our
help and our manifold services as they
have never needed them before; and
we should be ready, more fit and
ready than we have ever been.
II Is Of equal consequence that the
nations whom Europe has usually sup
manufacture and commerce Of which
they are in constant need and without
which their economic development
fialts and stands still can now get only
q small part OF what they formerly i'm
ported and eagerly look to US to supply
their all but empty markets. This is
particularly true OF our own neighbors,
the states, great and small. OF Central
and South America. Their lines OF
trade have hitherto run chiefly athwart
the seas. not to our ports, but TO the
ports OF Great Britain and Of the older
continent Of Europe. do not stop to
inquire why, or 70 make any comment
on probable causes. What interests us
Just now is not the explanation, but
the fact, and our duty and opportunity
tn the presence OF il. Here are mar
kets which We must supply. and we
must find the means Of action. The
United States, this great people for
whom We speak and act, should be
ready. IS never before, 10 serve itself
and to serve mankind: ready with it's
resources, its energies. its forces Of
production. and its means Of distribu-
ton.
We Need Ships.
II is a very practical matter, a mat
Ger OF ways and means. We have the
resources, but are We fully ready to
use them? And IL we can make ready
what we have. have we the means at
hand TO distribute il? We are not fully
ready; neither have We the means OF
distribution. We are willing. but we
are not fully able. We have the wish
70 serve and to serve greatly. gener-
ously; but We are not prepared as We
should be. We are not ready 70 mo-
biliEe our resources at once We are
not prepared TO use them Immediately
and at their best, without delay and
without waste.
To speak plainly we have grossly
erred in the way in which we have
stunted and hindered the development