American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-05-21
PRESIDENT WILSON OPENS
RED CROSS CAMPAIGN
In Address at New York Reaffirms
Purpose to Fight on Until the War
Is Won.

To win the war the United States is
determined to set no restrictions on
the number of men to be sent to
France, President Wilson declared at
New York Saturday night in a speech
reaffiIming the purpose of America to
set no limit on it's effort.
AS many men will go overseas as
ships can be found to carry them, the
president said, after referring to state
ments that have been made that 5,000,-
600 should go.
The United States, he said will not
be diverted by insincere talk of peace
from the Teutonic powers Their pro-
posals, he declared, spring from a de-
sire to have free hand in the east.
Il intend to stand by Russia as well
as France" he said
The presidents speech in full fol-
lows:
Mr.. Chairman and fellow country
men: l should be very sorry to think
that Mr. Dawson in any degree
curtailed his exceedingly interesting
speech for fear that he was postponing
mine, because l am sure you listened
with the same intimate intent with
which listened to the extraordinarily
vivid account he gave of the things
which he had realized because he had
come in contact with them on the
other side of the waters.
we compass them with our imagi-
nation; he compassed them in his
personal experience, and l am not
come here tonight to review for you
the work of the Red Cross; l am not
competent to do so, because 1 have
not had the time or the opportunity to
follow it in detail. l have come here
simply to say few words to you as to
what it all seems to me to mean, and
it means a great deal.
Face Two Duties.
There are two duties with which
we are face to face. The first duty is
to win the war. And the second duty,
that goes hand in hand with it, is to
win it greatly and worthily, showing
not onl ythe real quality of our power
but the real quality of our purpose and
of ourselves.
"Of course, the first duty, the duty
that we must keep in the foreground
of our thought until it is accomplished,
is to win the war. | have heard gem
tIemen recently say that we must get
100000 men ready. Why limit it to
100000
Il have asked the congress of the
United States to name no limit be-
cause the congress intends, l am sure,
as we all intend, that every ship that
can carry men or supplies shall go
laden upon every voyage with every
man and every supply she can carry.
And we are not to be diverted from
fhn orYsfraa trrfv,
by any insincere approaches upon the
subject of peace. / can say with a
clear conscience that l have tested
those intimations and have found them
insincere. l now recognize them for
what they are, an opportunity to have
a free hand, particularly in the east.
TO carry out purposes of conquest and
exploitation.
Every proposal with regard to ac-
cOmmodation in the west involves a
reservation with regard to the east
Now so far as 1 am concerned, I in
tend to stand by Russia as we'll as
France"
A voice from the audience inter
rupted with:
God bless you"
THE helpless and friendless are
the very ones that need friends and
succor; and if any man in Germany
thinks we are going to sacrifice any
body for our own sake. / tell them
now they are mistaken.
First Unselfish War.
For the glory of this war, my
fellow citizens. insofar as we are
concerned. is that it is. perhaps. for
the first time in history an unselfsh
war. l could not be proud to fight
for selfish purpose, but I can be
, proud to fight for mankind If they
wish peace, let them come forward
through accredited representatives
and lay their terms on the table. We
have laid ours, and they know what
they are.
But, behind all this grim purpose,
my friends, lies the opportunity to
demonstrate not only force which will
be demonstrated to the utmost. but the
opportunity to demonstrate character.
and it is that opportunity that we
have most conspicuously in the work
of the Red Cross. Not that our men
in arms do not represent our char
acter. for they do and it is a charac-
ter which those who see and realize
appreciate and admire; but their duty
is the duty of force The duty of the
Red Cross is the duty of mercy and
succor and friendship.
World Is Knit Together.
Have you formed a picture in
your imagination of what this war is
doing for us and for the world? In
my own mind I am convinced that
not a hundred years of peace could
have knitted this nation together as
this single year of war has knitted it
together; and better even than that,
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