South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-02-28
JUSTICE PLACED
FIRST BY WILSON
Address to Gridlron Club
Members is Held Secret
a Full Day.

WASHINGTON. Feb 2s-Pres't
Wilson told members and guests az
Gridiron club dinner Saturday
night that America ought 10 keep
out OF the European war lat the
sacrifice Of everything except this
single thing upon which her char
acter and her history are founded,
her sense OF humanity and justice"
The address was confidential since
the speeches al the dinner OF the
Gridiron club, composed Of news
paper correspondents are not re-
ported. Il was made public Sunday
night. however. with the consent of
the president and the club. because
many Of those who heard il urged
that II should go 10 the country
Speaks With Gravity.
The president spoke OF the ma
tion's affairs with unusual gravity.
His hearers. including many mem-
bers of congress. government oft-
cials. business men and correspond
ents. were brought TO their feet
cheering when ne concluded his ad-
dress
The address in part follows:
Your talk Mr. Toastmaster. has
been a great deal about candidacy
for the presidency. II is not "a new
feeling on my part. but one which
entertain with greater intensity
than formerly, that a man who
seeks the presidency OF the United
States for anything that il viii bring
10 him is an audacious fool TIE
responsibilities OF the Office ought 10
sober a man even before he ap-
proaches il. one Of the difficulties
OF the office seldom appreciated. 1
dare say, is that it is very difficult
to think while so many people are
talking and particularly while so
many people are talking in a way
that obscures codnse! and is entirely
of the point
Principle Not Expediency.
The point in national AFFAIRS.
never lies along the lines of ex-
pediency. II always rests In the
field Of principle. The United States
was not founded on any principle of
expectancy; it was founded upon a
profound principle of human liberty
and OF humanity and whenever it
bases it's POI cy upon any other foun-
dations tn 4 hose it builds on the
sand and pom solid rock
1T seer - b me that if you do
not thinF e things that lie be-
yOud anf s. from, and discon-
neCted 4 Is scene in which we
attempt X and conclude you
will inevi be led astray I would
"a great d Their know what they
are talkin out around quiet fire.
sides all this country than
what they Re talking about in the
cIoakrooms Of congress. would
a great deal rather know what the
men on the trains and by the way
side and in the shops and on the
farms are thinking about and yearn-
ing for than hear any of the VOcifeT-
Gus proclamations OF policy which il
is so easy TO hear and SO easy 10
read by picking up any scrap OF
printed paper. There is only one
way 10 hear these things and that IS
constantly 10 go back TO the founda-
tons Of American action. Those
foundations are not 20 be found in
any recently discovered sources.
Would Have Three Millions Think.
Sen. Harding was saying that
now that We ought to try when we
are a hundred million strong TO act
i'm the same simplicity of principle
that our fOrefathers acted in when
we were three million strong I
feard somebody say do not know
The exact statistics the pres
emit population of the United States
lis one hundred and three millions
If there are three million thinking
the same things that the original
three million thought, the hundred
million viii be saved for an illus
Jrious future. They We're ready to
stake everything for an idea. and