Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-11-16
WILSON APPEALS
FOR COOPERATION
PRESIDENT is OPPOSED TO
PEACE UNTIL GERMANY is
BEATEN.
Appeals to Worklngmen for co.opera.
ton in Conduct OF War-vlctory
Cannot Be Won Unless All Factions
Are United

Auditorium, Buflalo, n. Y.--The text
of President WiWlson's speech fol-
lows:
Mr. President. Delegates OF the
American Federation Of Labor. Ladies'
and Gentlemen | esteem il great
privilege and a real honor to be thus
admitted to your public councils.
When your executive committee paid
me the compliment Of inviting me
here | gladly accepted the invitation
because It seems to the that this
above all other times In our history.
Is the time for common counsel for
the drawing not only OF the energies
but of the minds OF the nation to-
gether thought that 1t was wei.
come opportunity for disclosing to
you some OF the thoughts that have
been gathering in my mind during
the last momentous months.
81 am introduced to you as the
president OF the United States and
yet | would be pleased II you would
nut the thought of the office into the
background and regard me as one OF
your fellow citizens who has come
here to speak. not the words Of au-
thority. but the words OF counsel, the
words which mer should speak 20 one
another. who wish to be frank In a
moment more critical perhaps than
the history Of the world has ever
yet known, a moment when II Is every
mans duty to forget himself, TO forget
his own interests, 10 fill himself with
the nobility of great national and
world conception, and act upon a new
platform elevated above the ordinary
affairs OF life. elevated TO whore men
have views OF the long destiny Of
mankind.
81 think that In order to realize
Just what this moment Of counsel Is
It is very desirable that we should
remind ourselves just how this war
came about and just what II is for
You can explain most wars very sim
ply but the explanation OF this is not
so simple. Its roots run deep into all
the obscure soils OF history and In
my view this is the last decisive Is
sue between old princlnle OF power
and the new principles OF freedom.
THE war was started by Germany.
Her authorities deny that they started
II But / am willing to let the state
ment have just made await the YER
dict Of history. And the thing that
needs to be explained is why Germany
started the war Remember what the
position of Germany In the world was
AS enviable a position as any ma
ton has ever occupied. The whole
world stood at admiration OF ner won
der full intellectual and material
achievements. and all the intellectual
men of the world went to school to
her. As university man, have been
surrounded by men trained in Ger
many. men who had resorted to Ger
many because nowhere else could they
get such thorough and searching train
ing. particularly In the principles NJ
science and the principles that under
lie modern material achievements.
"Her men of science had made her
Industries perhaps the most CONNIE
tent industries in the world. and the
label made in Germany was a guar
antee OF good workmanship. and OF
material. She had access to all tire
markets OF the world and every other
man who traded In those markets
feared Germany because OF her emec'
tive and almost inexhaustible compe-
tItIon. She had a place in the sun,
why was she not satisfied? What
more did she want? There was moth
ing in the world Of peace that she
did not already have and have IN
abundance.
1--WE boast OF the extraordinary pace
OF American advancement. We show
with pride the statistics OF the IN
crease of our industries and OF the
population of our cities. Well, those
statistics did not match the recent
statistics OF Germany. Her old cities
took on youth. grew faster than any
American cities ever grew; her old
Industries opened their eyes ana saw
A new world and went out for It's con-
quest; and yet the authorities OF Ger
many were not satisfied in her ine'h-
DDS OF competition. There Is 40 i'm
portant industry in Germany uDon
which the government has not laid It's
hands to direct 1t and, when neces'
atty arises, control II,
"All the while there was lying De-
hind its thought, in its dreams OF the
future, a political control which would
enable II In the long run to dominate
the labor and the industry OF the
world. They we're not content with