South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-05-17

WASHINGTON, May 17.-Pres't
Wilson Tuesday night made public a
frank and intimate review of his
three years in the white house and
Eis impressions of foreign and do
mestic problems. delivered confiden-
TALLY Monday night before Wash
ington correspondents gathered at
the National Press club. He spoke
of the difficulties Os the presidency
and particularly of the motives
which have guided his handling of
the European situation.
America, the president said. is for
peace because she loves peace and
believes the present war has car
ried the nations engaged so far
that they cannot be held to ordinary
standards of responsibility"
But he added the United States
has grown to be one of the great
nations of the world and therefore
must act more or less from the
point of view of the rest of the
world"
IF / cannot retain my moral in
fluence over a man except by occa-
sionally knocking him down" ne
said. IF that is the only basis on
W hich he will respect me. then for
the sake of his soul / have got to
occasionally knock him down"
Kept Awake at Nights.
The pre- adent declared ne mad
been kept awake nights consider
ing the European situation, because
there might come a time when the
United States would have TO do what
il did not desire TO do. and the
great burden Of my spirit has been
that it has been up to me to choose
when that time came" He added
that he did not conceive that he
had been elected president to do
az he pleased. IF / were il would
have been very much more inter-
esting." he said.
Impressions OF public men as a
class were given frankly by the pres
ident with the comment that some
grew and some .swelled. He also
discussed the relations of the news
papers 10 the affairs OF the nation
and sounded a warning that false
information about foreign affairs
was more than likely to lead to
trout Die
The presidents remarks. as orig
inally delivered. were read by him
carefully before they were made
public. but no important portions
were eliminated. and the wording
was not changed substantially.
The president said in part:
Variety of Citizenship.
There is a singular variety among
our citizenship. it is true. greater
variety even than I had anticipated;
but. after all. we are stepped in the
same atmosphere. we are all sur
rounded by the same environment.
We are all more or less affected by
the same traditions and. moreover,
we are working out something that
has 10 be worked out among our
selves and the elements are there
10 lie dealt with at first hand.
But when the fortunes Of your
own country are. so 10 say. subject
o. the incalculable winds of passion
that are blowing through other
parts Of the world. then the strain
is of a singular and unprecedented
kind. because YOU do not know by
what turn of the wheel OF fortune
the control OF Things is going 20 be
taken out Of your hand: il makes
Eo difference how deep the passion
OF the nation lies. that passion MAJ
bc overborne by the rush of fortune
in circumstances like those which
now exist that YOU feel the sort Of
/ had almost said resentment
man feels when his own affairs
are not within his own hands You
can imasine the strain upon the
feelings of any man who Is trying
10 interpret the spirit OF his coun-
try VIXEN he feels that that spirit
cannot have its own way beyond
certain point. And one Of Il g great
est points Of strain upon 1le. if 1
may be permitted 10 point il out.
was this:
Two Peace Reasons.
There are two reasons why the
chief wish OF America is for peace.
one is that they love peace and have
nothing TO do with the present quar-
rel. and the other is that they be-
lieve the present quarrel has car
ried those engaged in it SO far that
they cannot be held TO ordinary