Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-28
FULL TEXT OF PRESIDENT
WILSON'S ADDRESS


follows:
"Mr. Lord Mayor: We have come up
on times when ceremonies like this have
n new significance which most inpresses
me AS ! stand here. The address which
| have Just heard is most generously and
graciouely conceived, and the delightful
accent Of sincerity in IT seems like a part
of that voice Of counsel which now Is
everywhere TO be heard. | feel that n
distinguished honor has been conferred
| upon me by this reception and | beg 10
assure, YOU sir, and your associates Of my
very profound appreciation, but | know
that | am only part of what | may call
| n great body of circumstances.
Il do not believe that IL was fancy on
| my part that | heard IN the voice of vol
come uttered in the streets Of this great
| city and in the streets Of Paris something
! more than personal welcome. Ii seemed
| TO me that ! heard the voice Of one people
| speaking 10 another people, and yet It was
a voice in which one could distinguish a
! singular combination Of emotions There
was surely there the deep gratefulness
that the fighting was over There was
| the pride that the fighting had had such
a elimination.
There was that sort of gratitude that
| the nations engaged had produced such
men as the soldiers Of Great Britain and
| OF the United States and Of France and
| Italy-nen whose prowess and achieved
| meDts they had witnessed with rising ad-
miration as they moved from elimination
| to elimination.
but there was something more in it,
the consciousness that the business is
not yet done, the consciousness that it
now rests upon Others 10 see that these
lives were not lost in vain.
Il have not yet been to the actual
battlefield, but have been with many Of
the men who have fought the battles and
the other day | had the pleasure Of belng
present at a session Of the French Academy
when they admitted Marshal Joffre to
their membership. That sturdy, serene
soldier stood and uttered, not the words Of
triumph but the simple words Of affection
for his soldiers and the convection which
| he summed up IN sentence which I will
not try accurately 70 quote, but reproduce
In its spirit IL was that France must
always remember that the small and the
weak could never live free IN the world
unless the strong and the great always
put their power and their strength IN the
service Of right
That Is the afterthought-th thought
that something must be done now, not
only TO make the Just settlements-that
of couFse-buf 10 see that the settlements
remained and we're observed and that
honor and justice prevails in the world
And as have conversed with the soldiers
| have been more and more aware that
they fought for something that not all
of them had defined, but which all of
them recognized the moment YOU stated
IT TO them.
They fought 10 do away with an old
order and TO establish new ono. and the
center and characteristic Of the old order
was that unstable thing which we used 10
call the balance OF power, a thing in
which the balance was determined bv
the sword which WAS thrown in on the one
side or the other, balance which was
determined by the unstable equilibrium
oil competitive interests, balance which
was maintained by jealous xatchfuiness
| and an antagonism of interests which
though it Was generally latent always VA
deep seated
.'The men who have fought IN this
war have been the men from h tree na-
tions who are determined that that sort
OF thing should end now and forever 1t Is
very interesting TO me IA observe how
from every quarter, from every sort Of
| mind. from every concert OF counsel there
| comes the suggestion that there must now
| be not a balance of power, not one power
! ful group OF nations set up against an
other, but single overwhelming, power
| full group of nations who shall be the tr1IS-
| tees of the peace OF the world.
1T has been delightful in my con-
/ ferences with the leaders of your govern
ment to find how our minds moved along
| exactly the same line, and how our thought
] always was that the KEY to the peace WAS
| the guarantee of the peace. not the items
| OF il; that the items would be worthless
unless there stood back of them per
| manent concert OF power for their nam
tenance That Is the most reaSsuring
thing that has ever happened in the world
When this war began the thought Of
league of nations was indulgently con
stdered as the interesting thought Of
closeted students. Il was thought of aS
| one OF those things that it was right TO
characterize by name which, as a uni
versity man, always have resented
| was said to be academic, as if that in it
sell were "A condemnation something
that men could think about but never
get Now We find the practical leading
minds of the world determined TO get il
No such sudden and potent union Of
purpose ever has been witnessed in the
world before. DO YOU wonder. therefore,
gentlemen, that in common with those
who represent YOU | am eager 10 get at the
business and write the sentences DOWN.
And that | am particularly happy that
the ground is cleared and the foundations
laid for We already have accepted the
same body OF principles Those principles
are clearly and definitely stated to make
their application a matter which could
afford no fundamental dificulty.~
And hack of us is that imperative
yearning of the world TO have all disturb
ing questions qlieted, TO have all threats
against peace silenced, to have just men
| everywhere come together for common
object The peoples of the world want
peace and they want 1t now, not merely BY
| conquest of arms but BY agreement q
mind
1T was this incompaTahly great object
| that brought me overseas. It never has
before been deemed excusable for a PresI-
dent of the United States 10 leave the
| territory OF the United States, but
know that | have the support OF the ludg-
| ment of my colleagues in the government
of the United States IN saying that IT WAS
my paramount duty to turn away even
| from the imperative tasks at home to
| lend such counsel and aid as | could To this
great, may | not say final, enterprise of
humanity
As he President, with Mrs Wilson.
| left the Guildhall after his address, the
crowd outside took up the che ero that