New-York tribune., 1918-03-08
Best Way to Shorten War
Is to Prepare for Hard
One, He Warns
Choate's Appeal
Repeated by Beck
For Gods Sake Hurry
Up" He Cries at Mcr-
chants Meeting

From t!aghung walls and crowded
galleries in the Hotel Astor banquet
hall where Joseph II. Choate welcomed
IofFrc and Nivani a scant six months
ago tho words that were his dying ap-
peal to America came cchoing yester-
day aftcrnoon-"Fo Gods sake hurry
up"
Again !. was the members council
Of the Merchants Association Of New
York. jamming the big room two thou
sand strong, which sent the chairs fly
ING as it leaped up en- masse to cheer
the cry. This time it had sounded in
another voice. In place of the hgur-
ci Mr.. Choatc, it was James NJ Beck
former Assistant United States Attor-
uey General, who stood before the
council as its spokesman. Ii place of
the French Commission it was Lord
leading, Lord Chief Justice of Eng
land and British High Commissioner
and Ambassador Extraordinary to the
United States, whom the association
was honoring.
Where there had been hundreds of
the flags of France to futter greet
ing to Nivian and JofFre only one tri-
color was now on display among the
manifold Stars and Stripes and
Union Jacks. Yet for the sake of the
absent ally that solitary tricolor had
the place OF honor. Lord Reading was
directly beneath it as he delivered his
message from overseas.
prepare for Long War
IN the message there was nothing
Of the sensation. The climaacteric point
was bi. OF advice that has been
heard often before and one that Amer
ica has come lumberingly to hecd-to
make short war prepare for long
war. Nividiy, nevertheless, Lord Read
Ing pictured what the war has meant to
England and what the advent of the
United States now means to his coun-
trymen.
Every man you send over" he said,
Is more than one American. He is
:aore than one soldier going to the
trenches. He is message from you to
Us over there to be OF good cheer, to
remember after all that there is pop
ulation OF 10000 900 behind him.
The entry Of America into the war
has at least, apart from all its great
resources and the moral inspiration
that it has been to the Allies. cleared
cur vision Cor US. 1t has enabled US
10 see truly. clearly, the goal for which
We arc striving. 1t has enabled us to
realize. perhaps even better than we
did, that our ideals arc the same as
yours.
BEFORE Lord Reading was introduced
By William c. Breed. the chairman, the
association sang america" to organ
accompaniment and pledged toast to
PRESIDENT and King.
Lord Readings visit to the United
States in 1915. when he came here as
Chairman of the committee which ne
sotiated the initial loan Of 100000, 900
which was Americas first contribution
70 the Allied cause, was recalled by Mr..
Breed
Only Starting to Get Ready
Had we been able to follow our
money with our armies then" he said,
"the issues might now be different and
We might now be considering, as a pos
siDic question. peace proposals. But we
are to-day only beginning to be ready.
j therefore seems a reasonable prop
os.tion that the discussion Of peace
proposals, at a time when America is
just about to add a fighting force to the
contest is utterly futile, and should be
prohibited unless we are ready to sur
render the principles for which we en-
.ered this var"
Few OF those who were there to hear
him needed the reminder that Lord
3eading was a man of the sort which