The Benson signal., 1918-05-25
why YLIMITARMY
TO 100000?
TRANSPORTS ALONE TO MEAS
URE SIZE OF U. S. FORCES
"OVER THERE" SAYS WILSON
ASKSAID FOR RED CROSS
DECLARES NO LIMIT TO ASSIST.
ANCE AMERICANS WILL GIVE
FRANCE AND RUSSIA

New York, May 21.-Opening with
a speech here Saturday night the Red
Cross drive for a second $100,000,000
war fund, President Wilson an
nounced the purpose of the United
States to set no limits on it's effort to
win the war
The United States, the president de-
clared, will not be diverted from it's
purpose of winning the war by insin-
cere approaches on the subject Of
peace from the Teutonic powers.
Their proposals, he declared, spring
from a desire to have q free hand in
the east. Il intend to stand by Rus
sia as well as France he said.
The presidents speech follows:
Mr. Chairman and fellow-country-
men: I should be very sorry to think
that Mr.. Dawson in any degree cur
tailed his exceedingly interesting
speech for fear that he was postpon-
ing mine, because I am sure you lis
tened with the same intimate intent
with which | listened to the extraor-
dinarily 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.
Two Duties to Face.
eve compass them with our imag-
ination; he compassed them in his
personal experience, and I did not
come here to review for you the work
of the Red Cross; I am not competent
to do SO because / have not had the
time or the opportunity to follow it in
detail.
81 have come here simply to say
few words to you as to what it all
seems to me to mean, and it means
great DEAL
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 the real quality of our pow
er not only, but the real quality of our
purpose ana or 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. I have heard gen.
tlemen recently say that we must get
100000 men ready. Why limit it to
100000?
No Limit Fixed
II have asked the Congress of the
United States to name no limit be-
cause the Congress intends, I 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 the grim purpose of winning the
war by any insincere approaches upon
the subject of peace. I can say with
a clear conscience that I have tested
those intimations and have found
them insincere. l now recognize them
for what they are, an opportunity to
have free hand, particularly in the
East, to carry out purposes of. con-
quest and exploitation.
Every proposal with regard to ac-
commodation in the West involves
reservation with regard to the East
"Now, so far as I am concerned, l
intend to stand by Russia as we'll as
France"
A voice from the audience interrupt-
ed with:
God bless you!"
"The helpless and the 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.
For the glory of this war, my fell
low citizens, in so far as we are con-
cerned, is that it is, perhaps, for the
first time in history, an unselfish war
l could not be proud to fight for
selfish purpose, but can be proud to
fight for mankind.
eff they wish peace, let them come
forward through accredited represen-
tatives and lay their terms on the ta-
BILE. We have laid ours and they know
what they are.
Explains Red Cross Duty.
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 char
acter; and it is that opportunity that
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