The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-08-05
President And Mrs. VIII
son Attend First Launch
ing At New Yard y
MRS. WILSON ACTS
AS TIE SPONSOR
Largest Yard In World
Will Launch Fifty.
Ships This Year
lRr Associated Preae.l

Philadelphia Aug o.-WiEh
hearty aodspeed from the President
of the United States and Mrs. Will
con, the cargo carrier QuistionieIS the
first ship built at the Hog Island
plant, wac successfully launched at
1888 O'clock THE afternoon.
Mrs. Wilson, with the President
standing at her eide, ohris&sned the
ship, az the thousand persons
standing In the broiIina sum- cheer
ed. The President made no speech but
In response TO the urgent appeal Of
the crowd, he waved his hat and
shouted >"Good luck 90 you" Mrs.
Wilson smiIinaly repeated this SEN
timent.
The presidential party returned TO
Washington after remaining In the
yard less than thirty minutes.
Philadelphia, Aug. 6.-The Presl-
dent and Mrs. Wilson, officials Of
the shipping board and Of the En-
ergency Fleet corporation and
thousands of shipyard workers and
their families looking on, the ouis-
tionick a cargo carrying vessel Of
Z 500 tons. went down the ways Of
the Hog Island shipyard today,
marking, in the words OF Chairman
Hurley Of the shipping board "An-
other milestone In Americas prog
ress in the war against the Ger
man government.
The Quistionick, Of which Mrs.
Wilson was sponsor, is the first OF
the large argo-carrying vessels to
be launched at the. Hog Island yard
the largest shipyard in the world. 1t
will. be followed by another within
few weeks and it is expected that
more than fifty ships will be launch
ed by the end Of the present year.
'Tt was no mere incident in a ma
tons shipbuilding program that
brought the President and Mrs. VIII
son to the scene of this achieve
ment," said Chairman Hurley, who
was the principal speaker at the
launching. 'Tt was the beginning
Of an epoch In the nations history.
"This launching marks another
milestone In Americas progress in
the war against the German govern
ment. It marks the beginning Of
quantity production of ships in all
the yards Of the United States.
Going Through With II.
'Tt is doubtful whether any ma
ton ever would have undertaken a
shipbuilding program on such a
large scale lf Germany had not
nlunged the world into the war;" Mr..
Hurley continued. 1--WE are in 1t
now and we are going through with
it. We are producing more tonnage
today than the submarines are sink
ing and from this time forward our
great task will be to replace the
tonnage that was lost in the days
when we were far behind in the
nerve-raclEing race with the sharks
of the sea.
"We have made tremendous
strides in the shipbuilding program
and doubt whether ] will ever nave
a better opportunity to state that the
vast scope of this program was due
to the vision of the President
Throughout the world, even in Ger
many, it is admitted today that
America has made herself effective
In the war. Not only America. but
all the civilized nations OF the world
have become convinced that this
country has no selfish purpose in
the war: that this country would
have kept out OF it if it's own honor
had not been assailed and the well
fare Of all humanity had not been
at stake.
'We are going through with the
shipbuilding program to the finish
and we are going through with the
war to a. finish. The government is
planning for a long war because en-
during peace will not be in sight
until the militaristic system Of Ger
many is broken. Nothing else will
convince Germay Of the supremacy
OF right over might. Nothing else
will convince her that weak ma
tions are not the natural prey Of the
strong,
Even then. the shipbuiIding pro-
gram Of America must go on. 1t
win take five years to complete the
program and place at the service OF
mankind a merchant feet that VIII
make enduring peace by bringing
nations closer as the eastern and
western and northern and southern
states were brought closer by q ma
tionwide system Of railroads. The
end Of the war viii find America
master OF the process of quantity
production OF ships. We will build
ships for ourselves and for the
world"