The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-12-03
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Gentlemen of the Congress: The
year that has elapsed since / last
stood before you to fulfill my consti-
tutional duty to give. to the Congress
from time to time information on the
state of the Union has been so crowd
ed with great events and great results
that | cannot hope to give an ade-
quate picture of it's transactions or of
it's far reaching changes, which have
been wrought in the life of our ma
tion and of the world. You have your
selves witnessed these things, as
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 genera
tion will be to say what they mean
reven what they have been. But
some great outstanding facts are un>
mistakable 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 legislative
and executive action which must grow
out of them and which weehave yet to
shape and determine.
Reviews Growth of American Forces
A year ago we had sent 145, ,918 men
overseas. Since then we have sent l.
950,513, an average of 162,542 each
month, the number in fact rising, in
May last, to 1851, in June to 278,-
76O, in July to 307, 1872, and continu-
ing to reach similar figures in August
and September-in August 289, 9,570,
and in September 257,43 No such
movement of troops ever took place
before, across 5000 miles of sea, fol-
lowed by adequate equipment and
supplies, and carried through extra
ordinary dangers Of attack--dangers
which were alike strange and infinite
ly difficult to guard against. In all
this movement only 758 men were lost
by enemy attack-630 of whom were
upon a single English transport,
which was sunk near the Orkney ISL
ands.
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-
tion of the industries of the country
and of all it's productive activities
more complete, more thorough in
method and effective in result, more
spirited and unanimous in purpose
and effort than any other great bel
ligerent had been able to effect.
We profted greatly by the expert
ence of the nations which already had
been engaged for nearly three years
in the exigent and exacting business,
their every resource and every execu-
tive proficiency taxed to the utmost.
We were their pupils, but we learn
ed quickly and acted with a prompt
ness and readiness of cooperation
that justify our great pride that we
are able to serve the world with un-
paralleled energy and quick accom-
plishment.
High Praise for American Fighting
Men
But it is not the physical scale and
executive efficiency of preparation
supply, equipment and despatch that
/ would dwell upon, but the mettle
and quality of the officers and men
we sent over and of the sailors who
swept the seas, and the spirit of the
nation that stood behind them. Nc
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
as who played some part in directing
the great processes by which the war
was pushed irresistibly forward 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 undertak-
en- and performed it with an audacity
efficiency and unhesitating courage
that touch the story of convoy and
battle with imperishable distinction
at every turn, whether the enterprise
were great or small-from their great
chiefs, Pershing and Sims, down to
the youngest lieutenant, and their men
were worthy of them-such men as
hardly need to be commanded, and 60
to their terrible adventure blithely
and with the quick intelligence OF
those who know just what it is they
would accomplish.
Proud to be Fellow COuntryman
/ am proud to be the fellow-coun-