Albuquerque morning journal., 1916-02-28
Tells Newspaper Men and
Members Of Congress That
Nation Must Be Kept Out Of
War If Possible.
TO SAVE HONOR ONLY
WOULD He DRAW SWORD
Would Be Quite as Ashamed
to Act RashIy as to Be Open
to Charge Of Cowardice,
Is Declaration,

NV HoHNiN@ tpAbNst tFhttA hHAttu WiHM
Washington. Feb ~. president
Wilson told members and guests al
Gridiron club dinner last nisht that
America ought to keep out OF the Eu-
ropean war "at the sacrifice of every
thing except this single thing upon
which her character and her history
are founded. her sense OF humanity
and Justice
The address was confidential. since
the speeches mt the dinners OF the
Gridiron club. composed OF newspaper
are not reported 1t
was made public tonight, however. be-
cause many of those who heard 1t
urged that II should 10 to the coun-
try.
Checrcd by Guests.
The president spoke OF the nations
affairs with unusual gravity His
hearers, including several hundred
members Of congress. government Of
flciala business men and afreRpohd-
lents uern brought q t1eiS foet cheer.
Inc when ne concluded with these
wi rds,
"a would he Just ~ much ashamed
10 be rash as I would to he cou ard.
yaior Is sclf-respectlig. Nalor IL cir
cumspeet. Nal0r strikes only when II
Is right 10 strike. vaIor WIthholds IT.
self from all small implications and
entanglcmcnts. and waits for the grent
opportunity when the sword will flash
az n II carried the light of heaven on
It's hladc.'
Tho address In part follows.
Words on Presidency.
Your talk, Mr. Toastmaster. has
been great deal about my candidacy
for the presidency. II is not a new
feeling on my part but one which [
entertain with greater intensity than
formerly that u man who seeks tho
presidency OF the United states for
anything that II will hiring 20 him ~
nu atdacious fool. The responsible
ties Of the office ought 10 sober man
even before he approaches IT, One of
the difficulties Of the position sell
dom appreciated dare say. is that
il Is very difficult to think while so
many people are talking and particu-
larly while SO many people are talk
inc In n way that obscures counsel
and is entirely off the point.
Expcdiency Worthless.
"The point In national affairs. gem
tlemen. never lies along the lines OF
cxpediencs. 1t always rests In the
field of principle. The United States
was not founded upon any principle
OF expedence; Il was founded upon
a profound principle OF human lib-
crty and of humanity and whenever
II bases its policy upon any other
foundations than those II builds OF
the sand and not upon the solid rock
"lt seems to me that If YOU do
not think of the things that lie be-
yond and away from and diseonnect-
ed from this scene in which we at
tempt to think and conclude, you will
inevitably be led astray | would a
great deal rather know what they
are talking about around quiet fire.
sides all over this country than what
they are talking about in the cloak
rooms of congress. | would great
deal rather know what the men OF
the trains and by the wayside and
In the shops and on the farms are
thinking about and yearning for than
hear any of the yocifcrous proclama-
tions OF policy which II ia 80 easy
ia hear and 80 easy to read by pick
ing up any scrap OF printed paper.
There is only one way to hear these
things and that Is constantly To go
hack TO the fountains Of American
action. These fountains are not TO
be found IN any recently discovered
sources.
Simplicity Of Principle.
Senator Harding was SAYING just
now that We ouyht to try when We
are a hundred million strong to act
In The same simplicity Of principle
that our forefathers acted in when We
we're three million strong. heard
somebody say--f don't know the cx-
act statistics--that the present popu-
lation of the United states is one
aud three millions. II there
are three million thinking the same
things that the original three million
thought. the hundred million will le'
saved for an illustrious future They
were ready TO stake everything for
an idea and that idea was not ex-
pediencv but Justice. And the in
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