The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-21
ACTION NEED OF U. S., SAYS ROOT
 TO UNION LEAGUE
President Waiting to Hear Peoples Will, Let Us
 Tell Him."

Tell Him."
 New York, March 21-Elihu Root, Charles E. Hughes and Joseph H. Choate, in stirring speeches at the Union League Club last night, declar. ed the nation is now at war with Ger many and the people must rally to defend themselves.
 Not since civil war days has there been such a night at the Union League Club. Cheers greeted the remarks of the speakers and the reading by Robert Bacon of the report of a special committee of the club on the need for immediate defense and na- tional service.
 Following the speech by Col. Roosevelt, who arrived at the meeting late, resolutions were adopted that the club ask the American people to face the fact that war with this country now exists by the act of Germany, and that the whole united weight of American loyalty must be concentrat- ed upon effective governmental ac- ton.
 Charles B. Hughes presided at the meeting. He delivered the first speech, which was followed by the reading of the report by MT. Bacon and then by speeches by MT. Root, MT. Choate and others. During MT. Roots speech the clubhouse echoed time and again with the applause and cheers by the 500 members who could get into the room where it was delivered. He said:
 1T wish to add one piece of evil dence to the statements of the report. MT. James w. Gerard, Ambassador to Germany, returning to this coun- try, received by. the mayor at the City Hall and responding to an address by the mayor, said the other day:
 When I came back to this coun. try it was positive shock to me to find that in the two years in which the world has been on fire we have done nothing to prepare for even reasonable means of national de- fense.'
 ''He said: That nation that stands opposite to Us today has probably mo less than 12,0O0,00O men under arms. have seen the Germans take more prisoners in one afternoon than there are men in the entire United States army And he said: There must be a public sentiment, if we are to main tain ourselves as a, Nation. If we had a million men under arms today, we should not be so near the edge of war
 Germany Is Making War
 1T have 8 deep conviction that we, none of us. not one of us, appreciates how serious the conditions are which cOnfrOnts us-nOt one of us really understands how fraught with good or i'll, with perpeuity of our fnstitu- tions, or with the ruin of our country, is the course of the American people within the next few months.
 '"The situation is a very extra ordi- nary one. Germany is making war upon us. There may not be technic- ally war because it may be that it, takes two to produce that; but Ger many is making war upon us, and we are all waiting to see whether we are to take it lying down. It is either, war or it is submission to oppression.
 Gradually a feeling is making it's appearances restiveness of the peo- pie of the country. Tens of thous- ands of young men are seeking op- portunity to prepare themselves for military service-to drill, to get the A B c of the service in order that they may do their duty by the. country when the actual fighting comes. Com mercial bodies, manufacturing bodies, professional bodies are meeting and discussing what they can do all over the country. There are multitudes of American citizens who are asking: What can do for my country now in this grave crisis.'
 ''They can do nothing except through the Executive Department at Washington. Nothing. No ship can sail; no regiment can march; no gun can be fired; no insult or injury can be repelled except through the Execu- tive Department at Washington.
 What is there we can do? Only this: We can perform the duty of @ free, self governing people by speak ing in clearia and certain tones, so that the spirit and the purpose and the will of a free people may be heard in Washington and our government may know that the American people will be behind it, supporting it, approving 1t, sustaining it in maintaining the honor and tho integrity and the inde- peldence and the freedom of our re- public.
 My diagnoeis of the situation is that the president wants to hear from the people. He has said so many times. He wants to hear whether the people of the United States want him, to go on and a,ct.N Let us answer to his want and tell him that the Amer ican people do want him not to dis cuss, not to plan, not to talk about what is going to be done, but to act
 Let US say to him, and if we say it, others will say it also, that we wish all the powers he has now to be exer- cised, and let us say to Congress and If we say 1t others will say it alss- that we wish to give to them all the additi o1lal powers that may be found needed for the exercise of the entire force of this great nation for the SUD- port of it's independence and its honor.
 ''It isn't merely a question as to