Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-11

Immediately withdrawing the troops I
might give you substantial proof Of the
truth of the assurances that I had Civ
en- your Government through President
Carranza.
"And at the present time it distresses
me to learn that certain influences,
which I assume TO be German in their
origin, are trying not only to make a
wrong impression but to give an abso-
lutely untrue account of the things that
happen.
you know distressing things a
been happening just off our coast; you
know of vessels that have been sunk.
I yesterday received a quotation from
q paper in G~uadalajara which stated
that thirteen Of our battleships had been
sum off the Capes Of Chesapeake.
You see how dreadful it is to have
the people so radically misinformed. 1t
was added that our Navy Department
was withholding the facts with regard
to these sinkings. l have no doubt that
the publisher of the paper printed this
in perfect innocence and without in
tending to onvey a wrong impression,
but 1t is evident that allegations Of that
sort proceed from those who wish to
make trouble between Mexico and the
United States.
Disinterested Service
"Now, gentlemen, for the time being
at any rate, ana 1 nope tidI II ~
not be a short time, the influence of
the United States is somewhat pervasive
in the affairs of the world, and l believe
It is pervasive because those nations of
the world which are less powerful than
some of the greatest nations. are coming
to believe that our sincere desire Is to
do disinterested service
w are the champions Of those ma
lions which ave not had the military
standing which would enable them to
compete with the strongest nations in
the world, and ! look forward with
pride to the time which l hope will
come when We can give substantial evil
dence not only that we do not want any
thing out Of this war but that we
would not accept anything out of this
war; that 1t is absolutely a case OF
disinterested action.
"And IL you will watch the attitude
Of our people you will see that nothing
stirs them so deeply as the assurances
that this war, so far as we are con-
cerned, is for idealistic objects. One
of the difficulties that I experienced
during the first three years OF the war,
the years when the United states was
not in the war, was in getting the For
! eien Offices of the European nations
/, to believe that the United states was
! seeking nothing for herself. that her
neutrality was not selfish and that II
she came in she would not come in TO
get anything substantial out OF the
war--any material object, any territory
or trade or anything else of that sort,
..In some Foreign Offices there were
Nmen who personally know me and they
believed, ! hope, that ] was sincere IN
assuring them that our purposes were
disinterested but they thought tha'
these assurances came from an AGA
demic gentlemen emove from the OF,
: binary resources of information ano
speaking the idealistic purposes OF a
cioister. They did not believe / was
speaking the real heart of the American
people, and l knew all along that ] was
Now I believe every one VINO comes in
contact with American people knows
that / am speaking their purposes.
Hand Toward Russia
.aThe other night in New York at the
openine OF the campaign for funds fol
o,,r Red Cross 1 made an address.
had not intended to refer to Russia, bul
was speakine without notes, and In the
course OF what ! said ny own thought
was led to Russia, and l said that WV
meant to stand by Russia just as hrml,
q we, would stand by France or England
or any other of our allies.
The audience to which l was speak
tnx was not an audience from which
NculdS have expected an enthusiastic
rospoN Sc to that. It was rather too wei
dresSd. 1t was not an audience. II
otheI words, made up of a class of PEG
pie Hkho would have the most intimat'
< fee{ kig for the sufferings of the ordinar!
man in Russia but that audience
umped to its feet in enthusiasm. Moth
y inw else that I said on that occasion
aroused anything like the enthusiasm
that single sentence aroused.
snow h is a, sample, gentlemen
VA CANNOT make anything out of Rus
&. ~. We cannot make anything out o
our standing by Russia at this time
IN remotest of European nations so ia
awe are concerned, the one with whic
N W have had the least connections Y
<rSAo and advantage-and yet the peo
- ~ the United States rose to tina
1ir1ostion ~ TO no other that ! made I
- - kp>sica Is We !.