The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-07-12
WILSON LEADER
OF THE WAR
Herbert Asquith Pays Trib-
ute Before American
Officers
PRESIDENT KEEPS
STEADY HAND
And a Clean Tongue-Sub-
marine Menace at
an End

London, July IL Sincere praise Of
President Wilson's leadership in the war
and his advocacy of league Of nations
after the war was given by Herbert Fl.
Asquith, former premier, in an address
Wednesday night at the National Lib
era club. The occasion was a "hospi-
| tally dinner to American officers" at
which 500 prominent Englishmen were
hosts The dinner resolved itself into a
meeting of ovation for the president.
| Vice.Admiral Sims, commander OF the
American naval forces in the war zone,
paid tribute to the cooperation of the
British and American nayies and de-
clared:
@The submarine menace is now at an
end, for we are destroying them faster
than the Germans can build them
Major. General Biddle, commander OF
the American forces in England, evolved
| long cheers when he announced that
| American troops were stationed at from
| 10 to so different points in England and
! Scotland.
Former Premier Asquith, in the course
Of a speech urging the Importance Of
| ItSiutub W AtSpub ihCh VI q iNdSAN Va
nations as "the most urgent of all peace
problems said:
"The United States as nation has
had the very good fortune that in the
supreme crisis of her national history the
man whom she most needed for inspira-
| ton and guidance has always appeared.
Thus came Washington and Lincoln.
Washington and Lincoln are illustrious
names which have passed into history.
We must not attempt to anticipate his
tory's judgment upon men still living,
but will venture to say that President
Wilson has been the head of the Amer
lean government in times no less trying
than any in its annals,
President Wilson has taken the great
est decision of our age, and has carried
his people with him in it. Moreover,
he has laid before the world the grounds
for his decision, the reasons which justi
fed and compelled it and the spirit in
which 1t was adopted. He has done this
in state papers which are worthy to live
side by side with the most inspiring
utterances of his most famous prede-
cessors.
at Is one thing to embrace a good
cause. 1t is another to push it to vic
torious issue. If a nation is to hold its
own on the battlefield these days it must
be equipped on the sea and land with
the strongest battalions, the best and
fastest ships, adequate organization of
transport and supply and even with a
superiority in all the manifold mechan
ical devices for aggression and defense
which the hellish ingenuity of moders
warfare has devised.
America has had her difficulties They
have not stified, but have stimulated her
energy, and we grasp the opportunity
tonight of acknowledging our unbound
ed admiration Of the magnificent con-
tribution America has made, il making
and will continue to make in ever.in-
creasing measure. Here, again, we CRATE
fully trace the guiding hand and driv-
ing will of the president.
Probably the world owes It's great.
est debt to President Wilson for helping
men whose vision has been blurred and
blinded by the smoke Of the battlefield
to lift up their eyes and to look through
it and beyond it. It is very difficult in
time OF war to keep a steady head and
a clean tongue. President Wilson does
both We cannot ask ourselves too often
what we are fighting for. President Will
son has done more than any other states
man to concentrate the minds Of his own
people, of the allies, and even of enemy
peoples upon league of nations as our
dominating world aim. There can be no
clean peace which does not clear away