The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-12-02
Paramount Duty to Attend Conference
 Says President


 triumph may now forget that and de- light our thoughts of the story of what our men did. Their officers un- derstood the grim and exacting task they had undertaken to perform with audacity, efficiency and unhestitating courage that touched the story of con- voy and battle with imperishable dis tinction at every turn whether the en- terprise were great or small-from their chiefs, Pershing and Sims, down to the youngest lieutenant; and their men were worthy of them-such men as hardly need to be commanded, and go to their terrible adventure blithely and with tn equick intelligence of those who know just what it is they would accomplish.
 "I am proud to be the fellow coun- tryman of men of such stuff and val or. Those of us who staid at home did our duty. The war could not have been won, CT gallant men who fought it given the opportunity to win 1t otherwise. But for many long day we shall think ourselves 'accursed were we not there and hold our manhoods cheap while any speaks that fought with these at St. Mihiel or Thierry. The memory of | those days of triumphant battle will go with those fortunate men to their graves; and each will have his fav- I orlte memory.
 "Old men forget; yet all shall be i forgot, but he'll be remembered by i the feats he performed.
 What we thank God for is that our men went In force into the line of battle just at the critical moment when the whole fate of the world seemed to hang in the balance and threw their fresh strength into the ranks of freedom in time to turn the whole tide and sweep off the Hateful struggle-turn 1t once for all, 50 that thenceforth it was back, back, back for their enemies always back, never again forward. After that 1t was only a scant four months before the com manders of the central empires knew | themselves beaten; and now their very empires are in liquidation.
 And throughout it all, how fine the spirit of the nation was What unity of purpose, what untiring zeal. What elevation of purpose ran through all It's splendid display of strength; it's untiring accomplishment. I have said that those of us who stayed at home to do the work of organization and supply will always wish that we had
 been with the men whom we sustained by our labor; but we can never be ashamed. It has been an inspiring thing to be here in the midst of fine
 men who had turned aside from every interest of their own and devoted the
 whole tof their trained capacity to the tasks that supplied the sinews of the
 whole great undertaking.
 The unselfshness, the great devo-
 tion and the distinguished capacity
 that marks their toilsome labors day
 after day; month atfer month, have
 made them fit mates and comrades o1
 the men in the trenches and on the
 sea- And not the men here in Wash.
 ington only. They have but directed
 the vast achievement. Throughout
 innumerable factories upon innumer.
 able farms, in the depths of coa
 mines and iron mines and copper
 mines wherever the stuffs of industry
 were to be obtained and prepared, il the shipyards on the railways, at tht docks, on the sea, in every labor tha was needed men have vied with eacl
 other to do their part and do 1t well . They can look any man-at-arm Ill the face and say we also strove tt win and gave the best that was in u to make our fleets and armies sure 0 their triumph!
 And what shall we say of tn women-of their instant intelligence
 folr 74nC touched; their capacity for organiza | ton and cooperation which gay | their action discipline and encourag '' ed the effectiveness of everythin they attempted; their aptitude a tasks to which they had never be Il fore set their hands; their utter self sacrifice alike in what they did an
 in what they gave? Their contri button to the great result is beyon appraisal. They have added a ne0
 lustre to the annals of America S womanhood.
 The least tribute we can pay ther is to make the equals of men in polit
 ical rights as they have proved them II selves their equals in every field c a practical work they entered.
 l. These great days of complete 8, achievement would be sadly marre 'e were we to omit that act of justice r. Besides the immense practical service h they have rendered. the women of tn l. country have been the moving spirit
 in the systematic economies by whic
 our people have assisted to supply tn
 suffering peoples of the world an
 armies upon every front with foo
 and everything else that we had thf ., might serve the common cause. Tn S details of such a story can never |
 fully written. but we carry them
 our hearts and thank God that we ca
 say that we are the kinsmen of sucl III And now, we are sure of the grea le triumph for every sacrifice WE IT made. It has come; come in it's con ,e pleteness and with the pride and il L. spiration of these days of achievemel ke quick within us we turn to the tasl IL of peace again-a peace secure again IS the violence of irresponsible mol le archs and ambitious military coterie
 and made ready for a new order, ft It. new foundations of justice and ia he dealing.
 ed We are about to give peace, n, elf only four ourselves but for the oth of peoples of the world as well, so far ce they will suffer us to serve them. Its is international justice that we see 30 not domestic safety merely. O1 of thoughts have dwelt of late upon Er ,o- rope. upon Asia. upon the near al ia. the far east, very little upon the ac lee of peace and accommodation tn he wait to be performed at our ov he doors. While we are adjusting our T Ire lations with the rest of the world are it not of capital importance that Y