The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-28


 paredness and the future of the railroads
 He said the Presidents last message to Congress had encouraged the railroad men to hope that a wise solution of the
 railroad problems might be reached through sincere governmental study of the reciprocal relation of the carrier and the carried.
 Shortly before the speaking began, Mrs
 Wilson, accompanied by Miss Margaret
 Wilson, the Presidents daughter, and Dudley Field Malone, collector of the port of New York, entered a balcony box over
 ooking the banquet hall. As they ap- peared, the President arose with the other guests and joined ia the applause which greeted them.
 TO RAILROAD MEN
 In his address at the Railway Busi-
 ness association banquet President | Wilson said
 The eXactions of my official duties have recently been so great that it has been very seldom indeed that could give myself so great a pleas ure as that which I am enjoying to- night. It is a great pleasure to come and be greeted in such generous fash ion by men so thoughtful as yourselves and so deeply engaged in some of the most important undertakings of the nation; and l consider it as a privilege to be permitted to lay before you some
 
 l give our most careful and deliberate l consideration. The question, it seems to me, which most demands clarifica- tion just now is the question to which l your toastmaster has referred-the question of preparation for national defense.
 q say that it stands in need of clarification because, singularly 1 enough it has been deeply clouded by l passion and prejudice. It is very sin l gular that question: the elements of | which are so simple and so obvious, 1 should have been so beclouded by the | discussion of men of high motive men 1 of pure motive, men of purpose as 1 handsome as any of us may claim and yet apparently incapable of divesting | themselves of that sort of provincial l ism which consists in thinking the contents of their own minds to be the contents of the mind of the world For, gentlemen, while America is a very great nation, while America contains all the elements of fine force and ac- | complishment, America does not con stitute the major part of the world.
 CANNOT ALTER WORLD
 We live in a world which we did | not make, which we cannot alter, which we cannot think into a different con- | dition from that which actually ex- | ists. It would be hopeless piece of 1 pfONlHClduSm to suppose CndI, because we think differently from the rest of the world, we are at liberty to as- sume that the rest of the world will permit us to enjoy that thought with out disturbance.
 ] Tt is surprising circumstance also l that men should allow partisan feeling l or personal ambition to creep into 1 the discussion of this fundamental | thing. How can Americans differ about I the safety of America?
 And I, for my part, am ambitious ! that America should do a greater and | more difficult thing than the great nations on the other side of the water have done. In all the belligerent coun- tries men, without distinction of party, 1 have drawn together to accomplish a successful prosecution of the war. Is | it not more difficult and a more desirable thing that all Americans should put partisan prepossession aside and draw together for the successful prosecution of peace? I covet that dis | tinction for America and I believe that i America is going to enjoy that dis 1 tinction.
 TRIBUTE TO MANN "Only the other day the leader of | the republican minority in the House | of Representatives delivered a speech 1 that showed that he was ready, and I 1 take it for granted that the men be- | | lines in order that all men may act 1 with a common mind and impulse for ] the service of the country. And l want, upon this first public occasion, 1 to pay my tribute of respect and obliga- i tion to him.
 q find it hard, indeed, to approach l this subject without deep emotion, | gentlemen, because, when we speak of America and the things that are to be conserved in her, does it not call | wonderful picture into your mind? America is still young, she is not even | in the heyday of her development and 1 power. Think of the great treasure | of youth and energy and ideal purpose 1 still to be drawn from the deep sources 1 from which this nation has always drawn it's light
 "Think of the service which those l forces can and must render to the rest l of the world Think of the position into which America has been drawn l almost in spite of herself, by the cir cumstances of the present day She l alone is free to help find things wherever they show themselves in the world And she is forced, also. wheth- 1 CT she will or no, in the decades inn mediatelv ahead of us, to furnish the world with it's chief economic guid- ! ance and assistance.
 EMPLOY MONEY WELL 1 It IS very me 10 foluelHpel Whoe iOSoio will be back of that assistance. Economc assistance in itself is not necessarily hano- l some It is legitimate thing to make l money. Money brings with it power which may be well or i'll employed. And It should 1 be the pride of America always to employ 1 her money to the highest purpose And, vet if we are drawn into the maelstrom 1 that now surges across the water and | sWjrls even in the western region of the world we shall not be permitted to keep a free hand to do the high things that we intend to do And it is necessary that we should examine ourselves and so order 1 that we can make certain that the tasks l immediately upon us will be performed and well performed.
 | America has been reluctant to match 1 her wits with the rest of the world. When | I face a body of men like this, it is almost 1 incredible to remember that only yester- l day they were afraid to put their wit nesses into free competition with the l world The best brains in the world afraid | to match brains with the rest of the world. We have preferred to be provin- l cial We have preferred to stand behind protecting devices. And now we are thrust {, out to do on scale never dreamed of | in recent generations in America, the | business of the world.
 we can no longer be a provincial na | tion.
 Let no man dare to say if he would speak the truth that the question of prep | aration for national defense is question l of war or of peace.
 PASSION FOR PEACE | "If there is one passion more deep @f. f.1I