Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-13
President Reveals Principles
Of Party in Speech at
West Point.
SLAMS UNPATRI0TIC
Those of Divided Allegiance
Not to Be Tolerated.
His Warning.


address since the presidential
campaign began, today discussed
preparedness, militarism, Ameri-
canism, the causes of the war in
Europe, peace, the Monroe doc.
trine, divided allegiance and the
ideals of America. He declared it
is the present imperitve duty OF
the United States to be prepared.
adding, mankind is going to know
that when America speaks she
means what she says
The president said the United States
today should not be a clustering ma
ton, a nation with "a chip on its Shout
ders,' but calm nation which will
withhold its hand as long as possible
and strike only for victory.
The presidents address ran through
the almost entire list of subjects dis
cussed by former Justice Hughes in
his telegram accepting the republican
nomination, and he declared that the
United States is ready to join with other
nations to see that the kind of justice
it believes in is given.
Shaking his finger emphatically the
president told the graduates of the
military academy and large audience
that nobody who does not put America
first can be tolerated. He added, how
ever, that true Americans should set a
good example.
War Not an Accident.
The president declared the present
war did not come by accident, but that
it had to come. The United States
wants nothing from Europe, he said,
and there is nothing she wants which
she must get by war. He sounded a
warning that no man can tell what the
next day will bring forth in the worlds
events.
The word "Americanism" was used
today by the president for the first
time in recent addresses. He con-
stantly referred to the West Point
graduates, to whom he was speaking,
but referred more to national and in
ternational problems. He warned the
graduates against militarism.
The presidents speech was frequent
|
cheered as he concluded.
Days OF Responsibility.
In his speech the president said:
Il look upon this body of men who
are graduating today with peculiar
interest. l feel like congratulating
them that they are living in a day not
only so interesting because fraught
with change, but also because so re-
sponsible. Days of responsibility are
the only days that count in time, be-
cause they are the only days that give
test of quality. They are the only days
when manhood and purpose is tried
| out as if by fire.
Il need not tell you young gentle
men that you are not like an ordinary
graduating class of one of our univers-
tiles. The men in those classes look
! forward to the life which they are TO
| lead after graduating with a great
many questions in their mind. There
| is no conjecture for you. You have
enlisted in something that does nat
| stop when you leave the academy, for
you then only begin to realize it and
you can look forward with absolute
/
will be obliged to do.
This has always been true Of grad
uating classes at West Point but the
certainty that some of the older
| classes used to look forward to was a
very dull certainty. Some of the old
days in the army if any were not very
interesting days.
Many Possibilities.
But in your case there are MANY
extraordinary possibilities, because
| gentlemen, no man can certainly tell
you what the immediate future is go
ing to be either in the history of this
country or in the history of the world
II IS not by accident that the present
great war came in Europe. Every eie.
ment was there and the contest had IL
come sooner or later and it is not go.
ing to be by accident that the records
are worked out but by purpose-by the
purpose of the men who are strong
enough TO have guiding minds and in.
dominitable wills when the time fol
decision and settlement comes.
L. 5. Must Play Its Part.
And the part that the United States
is TO play has this distinction in it
that it is TO he in any event disinter-
ested part. There is nothing that the
United States wants that 1t has to gel
by war but there are great many
things that the United States has e
do. 1t has to see that its life is moi
interfered with by anybody else who
wants something.
america fortunately, does know
what she wants to do with her force
! Continued on. Paga, Evel