Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-04-27
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DRINKS TOAST To
PRESIDENT WILSON
Annual Meeting Pledges Our
Affectionate Sympathy and
Loyal Support"

New York, April 25.--Tn a toast Of
fered to President Wilson at the lunch
con in connection with The annual
meeting Of the Associated Press here
to-day, Frank p. Moves of Washington.
ID. c., president Of the organization,
rendered our aft donate sympathy
and our loyal support to the man who.
by virtue of his great office. is our
spokesman to the world and who
speaks for our rights and our honor AS
God gives him to see our rights and
our honor
Mr.. Noyes' audience included news
paper publishers and editors from al,
parts of the country. Nicholas Muir
ray Butler, president of Columbia Uni
versty, was the guest Of honor and
made the principal address at tn"
meeting. Mr. Noyes in his toast to
President Wilson said in part:
"On similar occasions in past years I
have dwelt on the heterogeneous char
acter of the membership Of the AS
sociated Press, mainly for the purpose
of emphasizing the fact that varied as
are our opinions. on one subject we all
agree that each and .very me is
| loyal American.
Our form of government provides that
the duty and obligation of voicinS the
opinion of this nation in its Intercourse
with foreign nations rests with and is
| imposed upon our chief magistrate
"When he speaks for us in the course
of that intercourse he speaks for all Of
| us.
1T is a very great indeed a very terri
bic responsibility, for n man TO bear at
any time.
To-day with a world drenched in blood,
writhing in anguish FOR those already
dead or MANNED the responsibility is i'm
measurably great, UNNECESSARILY terrible
1T is our custom at these annual gath
erings to drink but one toast:
| Il offer ii to-day with a fun heart.
81 give you the health of our President
! Woodrow Wilson"
| DR. Nicholas Murray Butler spoke on
| care We a Nation" In the course of his
remarks he said:
AT this moment, with a world war
| raging about us and a presidential cam
pagn opening in front OF us, with years
| full of fate stretched out for us to walk
| in we are not sure of our national unity
OF thought and feeling and purpose be
cause of the presence of disintegratinc
clements and forces which weaken our
, sense of unity at home and which de.
j privc us of the influence abroad whio II
attaches to unity at homo. The grave
| problem before the American people to-
day is that Of completing the process OF
| nation building. 1t is the problem OF
setting our house in order 1t is the
problem of integrating America 1t is the
problem of subordinating every personal
ambition, every class interest and policy.
every race attachment, to the ono
dominant idea of an America free, Just
powerful, forward-f IA ,u-, that SHALL stand
out in the history OF nations as the name
of a people who conceive the mission
, and their true greatness to lie in servic"
to mankind. We are the inheritors of i
great tradition. What poets and
philosophers have dreamed that We are
trying day by day to do. Our standings.
, our plumbers, our shortcomings are
many; but II We keep our hearts clean
and our heads clear he who thousand
, years from now writes the history of
liberty and justice and happiness among
men. will be able TO tell to those far
off generations the story of the rise and
influence of tho American nation"