Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-30
PRESIDENT WARNS
THAT NATION MAY
Be DRAWN INTO WAR

d. UnHVvWIUW WIN
Continued from First Page.)
him to maintain the honor of the
United States.
Have you reflected that a time might
come when l could not do BOTH he
asked. Have you made yourselves
ready to stand behind your govern
ment for the maintenance of the honor
of your country?
The Speech in Cleveland.
President Wilson's address follows. in
part:
Il esteem it real privilege to be in
Cleveland again and to address you
upon the serious questions of public
policy which now confront US. l have
not given myself this sort of pleasure
very often since L have been President.
for hope that you have observed what
my conception of the office of President
is. do not believe that ordinarily
speaking it is speech liking office. l
nave found the eXactions of it such
that 1t was absolutely necessary for
me to remain constantly in touch with
the daily changes of public business.
and you so arranged-it that should be
President at time when there was a
great deal of public business to remain
in touch with.
But the times are such gentlemen,
that 1t is necessary that we should take
common counsel together regarding
them. | suppose that this country has
never found itself before in so singular
a position. The present situation of the
world would only a twelve-month ago,
even after the European war had start
ed, have seemed incredible, and yet
now the things that no man ANTICIPATED
have happened.
Difficulties Accumulate.
The titanic struggle continues. The
dlfficulties of the worlds affairs ac-
cumulate. 1t was. of course. evident
that this was taking place long be-
fore the present session of Congress
assembled. But only since the Con-
gress assembled has it been possible to
consider what we ought to do in the
new circumstances of the times. Con-
sress cannot know what to do unless
the nation knows what to do, and it
seemed to me not only my privilege
put my duty to go out and inform NV
FELLOW countrymen just what / under
stood the present situation to be.
What are the elements of the case?
IN the nrst place. and most obviously,
tWo-thirds of the world are at war. If
is not merely a European struggle: ma
tlons IN the orient have become in
vowed as well as nations in the west,
ana everywhere there seems to be
creeping even upon the nations olsen
gagged the spirit and the threat of war
All the world outside of America is on
nre. DO you wonder that mems imag-
nations take color from the situa ton?
Do you wonder that there is great re-
actlon against war? Do you wonder
that the passion for peace grows
stronger as the spectacle grows more
tremendous and more overwhelming?
World Will Never Be the Same.
And do you wonder, on the other
hand, that mems sympathies become
deeply engaged on the one side or the
other. For no small things are hap
pening. This is struggle which will
determine the history of the world, l
dare say. for more than a century to
come. The world will never he the
same again after this war is over The
change may be for veal or it may be
for woe, but it will be fundamental and
tremendous
And. in the meantime, we. the peo-
pie of the United States, are the one
great disengaged power, the one neu-
tral power. finding it little difficult
to be neutral, because like men every
where else we are human; we have the
have sympathies that are as easily
stirred as the sympathies of any other
people. We have interests which we
see being drawn slowly into the mael-
strom of this tremendous upheaval.
1t is very difficult for US to hold off
and look with cool judgment upon such
tremendous matters. And yet We have
held off. 1t has not been easy for the
government at Washington to avoid
the entanglements which seem to beset
it on every side.
Patience Has Been Required.
TT has needed great deal of watch
fulness and an unremitting patience to
do SO, but all the while no American
could fail to be aware that America
did not wish to become engaged, that
she wished to hold apart, not because
she did not see the issues of the strug-
gle, but because she thought her duties
to be the duties of peace and of sepa-
rate action. And all the while the ma
tions themselves that were engaged
seemed to be looking to US for some
sort of action. not hostile in character,
but sympathetic in character.
Hardly a single thing has occurred
in Europe which has in any degree
shocked the sensibilities of mankind
that the government of the United
States has not been called upon by the
one side or the other to protest and
intervene with it's moral influence if
not with it's physical force. So that
it is as if we were the great audience
before whom this StupendouS drama
is being played out, and we are asked
to comment upon the turns and crises
of the plot. And not only are we the
audience and challenged to be the UNI
pire so far as the opinion of the
world is concerned. but all the while
our own life touches these matters
at many points of vital contact.
Need of Mercantile Marine.
THE United States is trying to keep
up the processes of peaceful commerce
while all the world is at war and while
all the world is in need of essential
things which the United States pro-
duces. and yet by an oversight, for
which it is difficult to forgive our
selves, we did not provide ourselves
when there was proper peace and OPP
with a mercantile marine, by
means of which We could carry the
commerce of the world without the
interference of the motives of other
nations which might be engaged in
not our own. And SO the
carrying trade of the world is for the
most part in the hands of the nations
now embroiled in this great struggle
have gone to all quarters OF
the world. Americans are serving the
business of the world in every part of
it, and every one of these men. when
on fire, is our ward and we must see
to his rights and that they are re-