New Britain herald., 1917-12-04

Washington, Dec. 4.--President Will
sons address to Congress today fol-
| lows:
! "Gentlemen of the Congress:
| Eight months have elapsed since
last had the honor of addressing you.
| They have been months crowded with
| events of immense and grave signit-
! cance for us. I shall not undertake to
detail or even to summarize those
events. The practical particulars of
the part we have played in them will
be laid before you in the reports Of
the executive department. Ishall dis
-cuss only our present outlook upon
these vast affairs. our present duties
and the immediate means of accom-
plishing the objects we shall hold
always in view.
II shall not go back to debate the
causes of the war. The wrongs done
and planned against us by the sinister
masters of Germany have long since
become too grossly obvious and odious
to every true American to need to be
rehearsed. But I shall ask you to
consider again and with very grave
scrutiny our objectives and the meas
ures by which we mean to attain
them, for the purpose of discussion
here in this place is action, and our
action must move straight towards
definite ends. Our object is on the
other hand. to win this war, and we
shall not slacken or suffer ourselves to
be diverted until it is won. But it is
worth while asking and answering the
question, when shall we consider the
war won?
From one point OF view it is not
necessary to broach this fundamental
matter. I do not doubt that the
\mcrican people know what the war
IS about and what sort OF an outcome
they will regard as a realization of
their purpose is it. AS nation we
are united in spirit and intention. I
pay little heed to those who tell me
otherwise. I hear the voices of dis
sent-who does not? I hear the crit
icism and the clamor of the noisy,
thoughtless and troublesome. I also
see men here and there fling them
selves In impotent disloyalty against
the calm, indomitable power of the
nation. I hear men debate peace
who understand neither it's nature nor
the way in which we may attain it,
with uplifted eyes and unbroken
speak for the nation. They do not
touch the heart of anything. They
may safely be felt to strut their un-
easy hour and be forgotten.
But from another point of view I
believe that 1t is necessary to say
plainly what we, here at the seat of
action consider the war to be for, and
what part we mean to play in the
settlement of it's searching issues. We
are the spokesmen of the American
people and they have right to know
whether their purpose is ours. They
desire peace by the overcoming or
evil by the defeat once for all of the
sinister forces that interrupt peace
and render it impossible, and they
wish to know how closely our
thoughts run with theirs and what
action we propose. They are impa-
tient with those who desire peace BY
anv sort of compromise-deeply and
indignantly imparted-but they will be
equally impatient with us if we do
not make it plain to them what our
detectives are and what we are plan
ming for in seeking to make conquest
of peace by arms.
believe that I speak for them
when | say two things:
which the masters Of Germany have
shown the ugly face, this menace Of
combined intrigue and force, which
we now see so clearly as the German
power, a thing without conscience or
honor of capacity for covenanted
peace, must be crushed, and if it be
not utterly brought to an end, at least
shut out from the friendly inter-
course of the nations, and, second.
that when this Thing and its power
are indeed defeated and the time
comes that we can discuss peace
when the German people have spokes-
men whose word we can believe, and
when these spokesmen are ready in
the name of their people to, accept
the common judgment Of the nations
as to what shall henceforth be the
basis of law and of covenant for the
| life of the world--we shall be willing
! and glad to pay the full price for peace
| and pay it ungrudgingly. We know
| what that price will be. 1t will be full
! impartial justiccjustice done at
| every point and to every nation that
| the final settlement must affect, our
| enemies as well as our friends.
| "You catch with me the voices of
| humanity that are in the air They
| grow daily more audible, more articu-
! late more persuasive. and they come
| from the hearts of men everywhere.
! They insist that the War shall not end