Middletown transcript., 1915-05-22
THE PRESIDENT
REVIEW } FLEET
Battleships Engine s to Promote
Interests Of HUI nanity".
PATRIOTIC spirit + RAMPANT
Asks Nothing For Flesself Except
What She Has a Right To
Ask For Humanity
Itself.

New York.-PresddeAt Wilson, the
man on whom the eyes Of the world
are turned because of the International
situation, reviewed the Atlantic feet
In the Hudson River, and at a lunch
con rendered to him on shore by the
city Of New York told b distinguished
gathering of navy officers, army off,
GERS and civilians what the country
and its Navy stood for. The great bat
tleships that lay in the river, he said,
were engines to promote the inter-
ests of humanity"
"The inspiring thdng about Amer
ica," the President asserted, "is that
she asks nothing for herself except
what she has a right to ask for hui
man1ty itself. We want no nations
property; we wish to question no ma
TONS honor; we wish to stand self
ishly in the way of the development
of no nation. 1t is no. pretention on
our part to say that We are privileged
to stand for what every nation would
wish to stand for and speaking for
those things which all humanity must
DESIRE"
The spirit which brooded over the
river said the President, was "just a
solemn evidence that the force of
America is the force OF moral princi-
pie, that there is not anything else
she loves and that there Is not any
thing else for which sliA will contend. I"
Tribute To Daniels.
The President took occasion, in his
speech, to pay tribute 10 Secretary of
the Navy Daniels, who sat beside him.
Although the day was damp and
chilly, with occasional downpours of
rain, the weather abatei in no way the
enthusiasm with which New York
greeted the head of The nation. In
the forenoon he reviewed a land parade
OF 5000 sailors and marines from the
fleets 16 battleships and from the
moment he sat foot On shore until,
after the luncheon, he returned to the
Mayfower to review the feet, his prog
ress through the streets was a con-
tinuous ovation, remarked upon by
those who accomapnied him as the
most enthusiastic they had witnessed
since the Presidents Inauguration. He
was plainly touched BY the welcome
accorded him.
Everywhere the spirit of patriotism
was in evidence. Many men and wom-
en- seized every opportunity to tell the
President of their support in the pres
ent international crisis. Thousands
stood in the chill drizzle while the
brigade of sailors and marines
marched up Fifth avenue and during
the afternoon, with a cbld, damp wind
blowing across the Hudson, thousands
more thronged the slopes of Riverside
Drive and other vantage points to
watch the Mayhower al she passed up
the river between the grim gray lines
of war vessels.
The Presidents remarks at the
luncheon were greeted with tremend-
Gus applause.
The President said in part:
"This Is not an occasion upon which,
1t seems to me, that it would be wise
for me to make many remarks, but I
would deprive myself oil a great gratifi-
cation if did not express my pleasure
In being here; my gratitude for the
splendid reception which has been ac-
corded me as the representative of this
nation, and my profound interest In
the navy of the United States.
81 think 1t is the natural instinc-
tive judgment of the people of the
United States that they express their
power appropriately in an efficient
| Navy, and their interest is partly,
believe, because that Navy somehow
Is expected to expresB their charac-
ter, not within our own borders, where
that character is understood, but out
side our borders, where it is hoped
we may occasionally touch others with
some slight wisdom of what America
stands for.
but before l speak of the Navy
of the United States want to take
advantage of the frs public oppor
tunity l have had to speak of the Sec-
retary Of the Navy, to express my con-
f1dence and my admiration, and to say
that he has my unqualified support, fo~
have counselled with him in intimate
fashion. l know how sincerely he has
had it at heart that everything the
Navy does and handles should be done
and handled as the people of the
United States wish the I'm handled-be-
cause efficiency is something more
than organization.