Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-05

4 the battlefield, would be to give mora
and financial support to the Allies
| President Wilson fixed the course 'oi
America when. In his famous war mes
sage, he dedicated all the resources OF
the nation to humanity's cause.
Due to Presidents Vision
We have made tremendous strides ir
the shipbuilding program and I doubt
whether | will ever have better oppor-
tunity to state that the vast scope of this
program was due to the vision of the
President Throughout the world. even
in Germany, it Is admitted today that
America has made herself effective in
the war. Not only America, but all the
civilized nations of the world had be-
come convinced that this country had no
selfish purpose in the war; that this
country would have kept out of 1t II its
own honor had not been assailed and the
welfare of all humanity had not been at
stake.
I'VE are going through with the ship.
building program to the finish, and we
are going through with the war to a
finish. The American Government Is
planning for a long war, because endur-
ing peace will not be in sight until the
mlitaristic system of Germany is
broken Nothing else will convince Ger
might. Nothing else will convince her
that weak nations are not the natural
prey of the strong
Even then, the shpbuildng program
of America must go on. 1t Will take
fiSe years to complete the program and
place at the service of mankind a
merchant fleet that will make enduring
peace by bringing nations closer, as the
eastern and western and northern and
southern States were brought closer by
nationwide system of railroads. The
end of the war will find Amerinca master
of the process OF quantity production oi
ships We will build ships for ourselves
and for the world.
ShipbuiIders' Great Achievement.
"The men who have worked on this shir
laur :hed today. and on other ships that
are being launched, and will he launched
are makers of a new America. They may
well take pride In the thought that they
are helping to make America effective
in the war. Through tie efforts Of the
shipyard workers. large army IL now
in France, and through their continuous
work an army steadily growing larger
and larger eventually will overwhelH
the carefully constructed military ma
chine with which Germany has sought tc
dominate the world.
significant as this launching is will
reference TO the enormous production
of ships now in sight, II In rtill more
| significant as one OF the visible result:
| of the poise and determination of thu
| Comma nder-in-Ch of the ARMY ant
navy, who, more than year ago. gave
| the word that set the energy Of the ma
ton at work and set up the barrier
against the growing aggressions of mill
| tarism.
TT is a happy augury that Mrs. vii.
son should have named this ship, al
we'll as the other new ships that are
being built by the Government. 1t l:
| an evidence of the interest which Presi
| dent Wilson has taken in the shipbuild
ing program from the very beginning
that he should be here to witness the
beginning Of the quantity production Of
ships that will reduce the potency o.
the submarines, constantly reinforce thu
army in France, insure victory. and
| finally, act as one of the chief instru.
ments of an enduring peace.