Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-12-02
Gentlemen Of the Congress-:

Gentlemen OF the Congress-:
The year that has elapsed since I
last stood before you to fulfill my con-
stitutional duty to give the congress
from time to time information on the
state of the union has been so crowd
ed with great events, great processes
and great results that I cannot hope
to give you an adequate picture of
its transactions or of the far-reaching
changes which have been wrought in
the life of our nation and of the
world. You have yourselves witnessed
these things as have. It is too soon
to assess them; and we who stand in
the midst Of them and are part of
them are less qualified than men of
another generation will be to say what
they mean or even what they have
been. But some great outstanding facts
are unmistakable and constitute in
sense part of the public business with
which it is our duty to deal. To state
them is to set the stage for the legis-
lative and executive action which
must grow out of them and which we
have yet to shape and determine.
AMERICAS ACHIEVEMENT
IN TRANSPORTING MEN.
A year ago we had sent 145,91s men
overseas. Since then we have sent L.
95o,6l3, an average of 162,542 each
May last to 245,s51, in June to 27S.-
760, in July to 307,182 and continuing
to reach similar figures in August and
September-in August 289,57O and in
September 257,438. No such move
ment Of troops ever took place before,
across three thousand miles of sea.
followed by adequate equipment and
supplies and carried safely through
extraordinary dangers of attack
Dangers which were alike strange and
Infinitely difficult to guard against.
In all this movement only 75S men
were lost by enemy attacks, $50 of
Wnom were upon a single English
transport which was sunk near the
Orkney Islands.
AMERICA QUICKLY
LEARNED A LESSON.
need not tell you what Law back
OF this great improvement Of men
and material. It is not invidious to
say tnat back Of it lay supporting
organization of the industries of the
country and all it's productive activi-
ties more complete, more thorough
IN method and effective in results.
more spirited and unanimous in pur-
pose and effort than any other great
Dell1gerent had ever been able to ef-
1ect. We profited greatly by the ex-
perience OF the nations which had al
ready been engaged for nearly three
business, their every resource and
every executive Proficiency taxed to
the utmost. We " the pupils. But
we learned quickly and acted with a
promptness and a readiness Of CO.
operation that Justify our great pride
that we were able to serve the world
with unparalleled energy and quick
accomplishment.
WORDS OF PRAISE
FOR SOLDIERS AND SAILORS.
But it is not the physical scale and
executive efficiency of preparation,
supply, equipment and dispatch that
l would dwell upon, but the mettle
and quality of the officers and men
we sent over and of the sailors who
Kept the seas. and the spirit of the
nation that stood behind them. No
soldiers. or sailors. ever proved them
selves more quickly ready for the test
OF battle or acquitted themselves with
more splendid courage and achieve
ment when put to the test. Those
OF US who played some part in d.
recting the great processes by which
the war was pushed irresistibly for
ward to the final triumph may now
forget all that and delight our
thoughts with the story of what our
men did. Their officers understood
the grim and exacting task they had
undertaken and performed with au-
dacity. efficiency and unhesitatine
courage that touch the story of con.
voy and battle with imperishable dis.
tinction at every turn, whether the
enterprise were great or small-from
their chiefs, Pershing and Sims, down
to the youngest lieutenant; and their
men were worthy of them-such mer
as hardly need to be commanded and
go to their terrible adventure blithely
and with the quick intelligence OF
those who know just what it is they
would accomplish. am, proud to be
the fellow countryman of men of such
stuff and valor. Those of us who
stayed at home did our duty; the wal
could not have been won or the gal.
liant men who fought it given thei,
opportunity to win it otherwise: but
for many long day we shall think
ourselves "accursed we were not