The Wilson times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1896-19??, 1918-12-17
PolNCARE's TOAST TO
AMERICA AND PRESI-
DENT AND MRS. WILSON
AND OUR PRESIDENTS
REPLY.
Wilson to POincairo

Wilson to POincaire
Following is the text of President
Wilson's response to President Pom
oo;co,s oddroco. ~!
"Mr. President: I am deply in
debted to you for your gracious
greeting. 1t is very delightful to
find myself in France and to feel the
quick contact of sympathy and unaf-
fected friendship between the rep
resentatives of the United States
and the representatives of France.
"You have been very generous m
what you were pleased to say about
myself, but feel that what I have
said and what I have tried to do has
been said and done only in an at
tempt to speak the thought of the
people of the United States truly to
carry that though. out in action.
From the first the thought of the
people of the United States turned
toward something more than the
mere winning of this war. 1t turned
to the establishment of eernal prin-
ciples Of right and justice. It real
lied that merely to win the war was
not enough; that it must be won in
such a way and the questions raised
by it settled in such a way as ID =
sure the future peace of the
and lay the foundations for the
! dom and happiness of it's many
Piles and nations.
"Never before has war worl
terrible a visage or exhibited n I'll
grossly the debasing influence Of IL
lict ambitions. I am sure that I
shall look upon the ruin wrought by
the armies of the central empires
with the same repulsion and deep
indignation that they stir in tho
hearts of the men of France and Bel
GUM, and I appreciate as you do.
sir, the necessity of such action in
the final settlement of the issues Of
the war as will not only rebuks
such acts Of terror and spoilation,
but make men everywhere aware
that they cannot be ventured upon
without the certainty of just pun
ishment.
II know with what ardor and en-
thusiasm the soldiers and sailors Of
the United States have given the
best that was in them in this war Of
redemption. They have expressed
the true spirit of America. They be-
lieve their ideals to be acceptable 10
be acceptable to free peoples every
where and are rejoiced to have play
ed in giving reality to those ideals
n cooperation with the armies Of
! the allies II
I'VE are proud Of the part Il ~
have played and we are happy 3
they should have been associa -
with such comrades in a comm T.
cause. II
ut is with peculiar feeling, NrS|
President, that I find myself n
France Joining with you in rejoicing
over the victory that has been won.
The tics that bind France and tho
United States are peculiarly close.
I don't know in what other comrade-
ship we could have fought with
more 2est or enthusiasm. It wifi
daily be a matter of pleasure with
me to be brought into consultation
with the statesmen of France and
her allies concertfng the measure
by which we may secure permanence
for these happy relations of friend
ship and cooperation and secure for
the world at large such safety and
freedom in its life as can be secured
only by the constant association and
fo-cperation of friends.
~ greet you not only with deep
personal respect but as representa-
tive of tn. great people Of France,
and beg t., bring you the greetings
Of anothe. grea. people to whom
the fortunes Of France arc Of pre-
found and lasting interest.
II raise my glass to the health q
the President Of tho French repub-
lie and to Madame Poincaire ana tho
prosperity cf France" .4