Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-11-13
PRESIDENTS APPEAL
FOR UNITED ACTION

Auditorium. Buffalo. \. Y. Nov. IL
The text Of the Presidents speech to-
day before the American Federation OF
Labor follows:
"Mr. President. Delegates of the Am
erican Federation of Labor, Ladies and
Gentlemen:
II esteem it great privilege and
real honor To be thus admitted to your
public councils When Your executive
committee paid me the compliment of
inviting me here 7 gladly accepted
the invitation because it seems to me
that dis. above all other times in our
hiSjn Dry. is tho time for common coun-
sci for the drawing not only of the
energies but If the minds of the nation
together | thought that II was
welcome opportunity for disclosing to
YOU some OF the thoughts that have
bean, gathering in my mind dining. the
.4s--y-t- ~'p-,''s-s==77'yr71g:~
II am Introduced to YOU as the Presi-
dent Of the United States and yet
would he pleased if YOU would put
the thought of the office into tho back
ground and regard me- as one of your
fellow citizens who has come here to
tho words Of counsel, who wish to be
frank in moment more critical per
fap@ than the history Of the world
has ever Vet known a moment when
il is every mans duty to forget him
self With the nobility of a great ma
tional and world conception and net
upon 1o':' platform elevated above
tho ordinary affairs Of life. elevated to
Nhf,n b.i,-
tiny of mankind
II think that in order to realize inst
what this moment Of counsel is If
IS very desirable that VIC should re
mind ourselves just how this war ran,e
ABOUT are lust what it is for. You
can explain most wars verv simnly bnt
''e HEplahat'oh Of this war is not so
simple. It's roots run deep into all
IN" "hScnr" soils Of history. and in my
view i5I% IL Tho last decisive Issue he
tween The Old principles Of mower and
the new principles of freedom.
Awaits Verdict Of History
The war was started ~ Ga-,r
Her authorities deny that they started
". BHt am willing to let the state
mcht ! have lust made await the YER
dict o. history. And the thing that need.
70 he explained is why Germany started
the wlf. Remember what the positinn ~
Germany in the world was-as enyishle
Il position as any nation has ever occu-
pied. The whole world stood at ad,nira-
ton OF her wonderful intellectual and ma
ter1al achievements and all the inteIIec-
tuai men Of the world went to school 10
her As 4 university man | have been
surrounded 10y men trained in German,
men who had rcsorted TO Germany be-
cause nowherc else could they get such
thorough ANA searching training, partic-
ularly in The principles of science and the
PRINCIPLES that underlie modern material
achievements.
Her men Of science had made her in
dEStri2s !erhaps the most competent, IN
dustri3s IN the world and the label
made II Germany was a guarantee of
GOOD workmanship and Of sound ma
tCr!al She had access to all the mar
kets + the world and every other man
who traded in those markets feared Ger
many because of her effective and al
most Irresistible competition. She had a
place in the sun. Why was she not
There was nothing in the world Of peace
that she did not already have and have
in abundance We boast of the extra ordi-
nary pace ~ American Advancement We
show with pride tho statistics of the in
crease If our Industries aud of the pop
ulation Of our cities. Well, those Sta
tistiCs did NOT match the recent statis-
tics Of Germany. Her old cities took on
youth, grew faster than any American
cities ever grew her old industries OPP
ened their eyes and saw new world
and went out FOR its conquest: and vet
the authorities Of Germany We're not say
isfed You have one part Of the answer
to the question why she was not salts
fed in her methods Of competition,
There is no important industry in
Germany upon Y hich the government
has not laid it's hands 10 direct it and.
when necessity arises. control 1t. You
have only to ask any man whom You
meet. who is famiia: with the condi-
tinns that prevailed before the war
IN the matter OF information Il coInpe-
(Continued on Page 5-Coi y