Arizona republican., 1914-05-31
Chief Executive and Chief of House Deliver Memo rial Day Addresses for G. A. R. In the Arlington Cemetery
WILSON WAS
 NOT EXPECTED
Had Previously Declined to Be Present, But Later Reconsidered, Fearing a Misconstruction Would Be Placed on Absence
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPArcH1

ASSOCIATED PRESS DISPATCH1
 WASHINGTON, May 3O.-President Wilson and Speaker Clark delivered addresses at the Memorial Day ser vices of the G. A. R. in Arlington cemetery. The president was not eX- pected to participate, but, fearing a false construction had been placed on his declination, he decided to attend and speak Before his decision had been communicated to those in charge, they had invited Speaker Clark to make an address, and he came from Atlantic City for this purpose.
 The reason for the presidents change of plans was explained in Secretary Tumutys statement, as fol- lows
 When the invitation was. extended by the committee representing the G. A. R. of the District of Columbia, the president informed the commit tee he did not think the occasion op- perfume for the delivery of an appro- priate address, and because of this he felt he must decline. Evidently, a false construction had been placed on his action, and therein lies the reason for this change of program. The president is not willing that his ab- sence be misconstrued.''
 The president was applauded when he entered the vine-clad amphitheater where the exercises were held, and again when Dr. J. K. Gleeson. com mander of the Department of the Potomac G. A. R., presented him to the great audience, made up chiefly of members of patriotic societies, who carried flags and wore the insignia of their orders
 In the introduction of Speaker Clark. Dr. Gleeson spoke of the Mis- souri leader as the man who has and who always fights in the open. Clarks reception was tumultuous He opened his address with an eX- pression of his appreciation for the i hearty greetings
 l President Wilson spoke as follows: | T did not come here prepared to make an address. The committee in 1 charge of the exercises of the day graciously excused me on the grounds | an address, but l will not deny myself the privilege of joining you in an eX- pression of gratitude and admiration for the men who perished for the sake of the union. They do not need our praise They do not need that our admiration should sustain them. There is no immortality that is safer than theirs. We come not for their sakes, but for our own, and in order that we may drink from the same springs of inspiration which they themselves drank.
 "A peculiar privilege came to the men who fought for the union. There
 is no other civil war in history the stings of which were removed before
 the men who did the fighting passed
 from the stage of life. So that w'
 owe these men something more thai A legal re- esta blishment of the union We owe them spiritual re-establish'
 ment off they not only reunited tho
 states, but they reunited the splrlt'
 of men, Their unique achievement
 unexampled anywhere else in the an
 nals of mankind is that the very mel
 whom they overcame in battle Joif
 in praise and gratitude that the unloi
 was saved. There is something pecu
 liarly beautiful about that.
 Whenever man who is stlll try
 ing to devote himself to the serVlc'
 of the nation comes into presence
 like this" the President continued "or into a place like this, his splrl , must be peculiarly moved. A man date is laid upon him which seems t'
 speak from the very graves them . selves. There is this peculiar dis tinction belonging to d soldier, tha < l he goes into an enterprise out O which he himself cannot get anything $ at all. He is giving everything h
 hath, even life, in order that other : may live, not in order that he himsel
 may obtain or gain, prosperity. Jus
 as soon as the tasks of peace ar
 performed in the same spirit of sel
 sacrifice devotion peace societies wi \ not be necessary. Every organiZatio z or society will be a guarantee C
 peace.
 Therefore. this peculiar thin
 comes about.we can stand here, an praise the memory of these soldier 0 in the interest of peace. They st
 us an example of self sacrifice, whic l. if followed in peace will make
 unnecessary that men should folio IF war any more. We are reputed t " be somewhat careless in our discrim nation between words in use in th q English language, yet it is interestin II to note that there are some word , about which we are very careful II We bestow the adjective 'grea (Continued on Page Eleven.)