The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-12-06
Complete Text of President Wilson's
Address to Congress Monday Before
Leaving to Attend Peace Conference

Gentlemen OF the Congress: Inc
year that has elapsed since | last
stood before you to fulfill my con-
stitutional duty to give to the Con-
gress from time to time information
on the state of the union, has been so
crowded with great events, great pro-
cesses and great results that / can
not 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 l have. 1t
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 a sense part of the
public business with which it is our
duty to deal. To state them is to set
the stage for the legislative and exec
utive action which must grow out of
them, and which we have yet to shape
and determine.
A year ago we had sent 1898
men overseas. Since then we have
sent 1,950,513, an average of 162, 542
each month, the number, in fact, ris-
ing in May last to 245,95l, in June to
278,760, in July to 307, 1872 and contin-
uing to reach similar figures in Aug
ust and September-in August $780,
$40 and in September 257 ,438. No
such movement of troops ever took
place before, across 5000 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 1853 men were
lost by enemy attacks-630 of whom
were upon a single English transport
which was sunk near the Orkney Is
lands.
need not tell you what lay back of
this great movement of men and ma
terial. 1t is not invidious to say that
back Of it lay supporting organiza-
ton of the industries of the country
and all it's productive activities more
complete, more thorough in method
and effective in results, more spirited
and unanimous in purpose and effort
than any other belligerent had even
been able to effect. We profited
greatly by the experience of the ma
tions which had already been engaged
for nearly three years in the exigent
and eXacting business their every re-
source and every executive proficiency
taxed to the utmost. We were the
pupils. But we learned quickly and
acted with promptness and read
mess of cooperation that justify our
great pride that we were able to serve
the world with unparalleled energy
and quick accomplishment.
But it is not the physical scale and
execute efficiency of preparation, sup
ply, equipment and dispatch that I
would dwell upon, but the mettle and
quality of the officers and men we sent
over ana of the sailors who kept the
seas, and the spirit of the nation that
stood behind them. No soldiers, or
sailors ever proved themselves more
quickly ready for the test of battle or
acquitted themselves with more splen-
did courage and achievement when put
to the test. Those of us who played
some part in directing the great pro-
cesses by which the war was pushed
irresistably forward to the final tri-
umph 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 per-
formed with audacity, efficiency and
unhesitating courage that touch the
story of convoy and battle with i'm
perishable distinction at every turn,
whether the enterprise were great or
small-from their chiefs, Pershing
and Sims, down to the youngest Lieu
tenant; and their men were worthy of
them--such men 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
of men of such stuff and valor.
Those of us who stayed at home did
our duty; the war could not have been
won or the gallant men who fought it
given their opportunity to win it !
otherwise; but for many long day
We shall think ourselves "accursed we
who were not there, and hold our man.
hood cheap while any speaks that
fought" with these at st. Mihiel, or
Thierry. The memory of those days
of triumphant battle will go with
these fortunate men to their graves;
and each will have the favorite mem
ory. "Old men forget; yet all shall be
forgot. but he'll remember with ad-
vantage what feats he did that day."
What we all thank God for with
deepest gratitude is that our men went
in force into the line of battle Just at
the critical moment, when the whole
fate of the world seemed to hang in
the balance, and threw their fresh
strength into the ranks of freedom in
time to turn the whole tide and sweep
of the Hateful struggle-turn it once
for all, so that thenceforth it was
back, back, back, for tleir enemies, al
ways back, never again forward. At
ter that it was only a scant four
months before the commanders of the
Central Empires knew themselves
beaten; and now their very Empires
are in liquidation. And throughout
it all how fine the spirit of the nation