Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-31
President Wilson in Memorial
Day Address Discusses De-
mand for Preparedness.
ACID TEST IN ARMY BILL
FOR HEADS OF BUSINESS
Tolerant Of Love for Native Land
by Foreign-Bo But America
Should Be First.

| President Wilson in his Me-
mortal day address at Arlington
national cemetery yesterday
"solemnly summoned" all men III
the United States to get in accord
with the spirit of America, and
gave vigorous warning against
aggression.
| Citizens from foreign lands
who do not think of America
first, he said, must be cast out
of our tolerance.
Calling upon young men to perform
voluntary military service, he advised
the business men that they are soon
to be put to the acid test" for the
army bill now before him for sigma
ture fairly bristles with the interrosa-
ton point whether business men will
allow their employees opportunity to
enlist.
| America will not submit to agrees
sion either from within or without, said
the President. We are ready to fight
against aggression We are ready to
fight for our rights when they are
| coincident with the rights of man
and humanity
In reaffirming his declaration, made
last Saturday night at the banquet of
the League to Enforce Peace, that the
| United States is ready to become
partner in an alliance with nations to
nnh016 rights the President
said that America does not want more
| territory, but she does want all ma
| lions to realize and respect what she
stands for. One principle that must
| be respected is that small and weak
| nations have as many rights as larger
states.
| Wants No "EntangHng Alliances"
| In reply to criticisms based on Wash
ington's recently frequently quoted
warning against ''entangling alliances"
| the President said:
Il shall never myself consent to an
lentangling alliance, but would gladly
assent to a disentangiing alliance, an
alliance which would disentangle the
peoples of the world from these COM
binations in which they seek their own
| separate and private interests. and
unite the people of the world to pre-
serve the peace of the world upon
basis of common right and justice"
The President was vigorously ap-
Landed by the vast throng that over
flowed the amphitheater. The audience
demonstrated complete accord with the
convictions expressed by the chief
executive:
President Wilson was accompanied to
the ceremonies at Arlington by Mrs
Wilson, Miss Margaret Wilson, Miss
Helen woodrow Bones and his military
aid, Col w. w. Harris. The White
House automobile in which they
motored over was heavils Iaaen WIN
servatories.
On the platform with the Presidents
marty were seated members OF the
Ga binet and diplomatic representatives
of many nations.
Presidents Address.
The text of the Presidents speech
follows:
whenever l seek to interpret the
spirit of an occasion like this am led
to reflect upon the seas of memory. we
are here today to recall a period OF
our history which in one sense is so
remote that we no longer seem TO keep
! the vital threads of 1t In our conscious
ness, and yet is SO near that men who
played heroic parts in it are still Hv-
| ing are still about US. are still here to
receive the homage OF our respect ana ana
| which is past. to period the vital
questions of which no longer vex the
| nation to a period of which 1t may De
said that certain things which had been zen
| questionable in the anatrs OF the
! United States were once for all settled.
| disposed of. put behind us and in the
| course of time have almost been for
| gotten.
1T was a singularly complete work
| that was performed by the processes OF
blood and iron at the time Of the civil
war. and it is singular how the settle
ment has ruled our spirits since II was
made | see in this very audience men
who fought in the Confederate ranks
l see them taking part in these exer-
! cises in the same spirit OF sincere pa
on the side of the Union. and I reflect
how singular and how handsome
thing it is that wounds such as then
| were opened should be so completely
healed and that the spirit Of America
should SO prevail over the spirit OF d.
| vision.
| at is the all-prevailing and trium-
plant spirit of America. where by our
ments are set up and pulled down,
| where affairs are ruled by common
counsel. and where by the healing
| processes of peace oil men are united
| in a common enterprise of liberty and
of peace.
And yet. ladies and gentlemen. the
very object for which We are met to-
gether is to renew in our hearts the
spirit that made these things possible.
The Union was saved by the processes
| of the civil war. That was a crisis
which could be handled. II seems, in
no other way. but l need not tell you
that the popularity of this singular
and beloved country is that its task
its human task-is apparently never
| finished: that it is always making and
to Re, made.
Crisis Which Threatens.
And there is at present upon US a
crisis which seems to threaten to be
a new crisis of division. We know
| that the war which is to ensue will
be war of spirits and not of arms.
We know that the spirit of America
is invincible. and that no man can
abate it's power. but we know that
that spirit must upon occasion. be as
serted, and that this is one of the oc-
| casions
/ America is made up out of all the
nations of the world Look at the ros
tiers of the civil war. You will see
names there drawn from almost every
European stock. Not, recently, but
from the first. America has drawn her
blood. and her impulse from all thu
sources of energy that spring at the
fountains of every race. and because
she is thus compounded out of the peo-
pies of the world her problem is large
" a problem of union all the time a