Evening journal., 1918-06-11
PACT OF ALL AMERICAS IS
US. IDEA, WILSON TELLS MEXICANS

lieve that our sincere desire IL - do
disinterested service. We are the cham
pions OF those nations which have not
had a military standing which would
enable them TO compete with the
strongest nations in the world, and !
look forward with pride to the tlme'
which hope will soon come, when we
can give substantial evidence. not only
that we do not want anything out OF
this war, but that we would not accept
anything out Of II, that Il is absolutely
a case Of disinterested action. And II
you will watch the attitude OF our
people, you will see that nothing stirs
them so deeply as assurances that this
war so far as we are concerned, is Tor
idealistic objects. One OF the difficult
ties 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 foreign offices OF
EuropeIn 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 SUD
stantlal out Of the war, any material
object. anY territory or trade or any
thing else Of that sort.
In some Of the foreign Offices there
were men who personally knew me and
they believed, l hope. that ] was sin
cere in assuring them that our pur-
poses were disinterested, hut they
thought that these assurances came
from an academic gentleman removed
from the ordinary sources OF informa-
ton and speaking the idealistic pur-
poses OF the cloister. They did not be-
lieve that was speaking the real
heart Of the American people and
knew all along that was. Now ! be-
lieve that everybody who comes into
contact with the American people
knows that / am speaking their pur-
poses.
The other night in New York at the
opening Of the campaign for funds for
our Red Cross. ] made an address. ]
had not intended 10 refer to Russia. but
was speaking without notes and In
the course Of what ! said my own
thought was lead to Russia and ! said
that we meant TO stand by Russia just
as firmly as we would stand by France
or England or any other Of the allies.
The audience TO which ] was speaking
was not an audience from which
would have expected an enthusiastic
response TO that Il was rather too
well dressed. Il was not an audience.
in other words. made Of the class Of
people who you would suppose to have
the most intimate feeling for the suf-
ferings Of the ordinary man in Russia.
but that audience jumped into the
IL -
feet, and nothing that had said on that
occasion aroused anything like the en-
thusiasm that that single sentenced
aroused.
Now, there is a sample. gentlemen.
We cannot make anything out OF Rus
sia. We cannot make anything out OF
standing by Russia at this tlme-the
most remote Of the European nations,
so far as we are concerned, the one
which we have had the least connec-
tions in trade and advantsge-and vet
the people OF the United States rose TO
that suggestion as TO no other that l
made in that address. That is the heart
Of America, and we are ready TO show
you by any act OF friendship that you
may propose our real feelings toward
Mexico.
Some Of us n I may say so, pri-
vately. look back with regret upon
some OF the more ancient relations that
we have had with Mexico before our
generation; and AmeVca, II ] may so
express IL. would now feel ashamed TO
take advantage Of a neighbor So I
hope that you can carry back TO your
homes something better than the as
surances Of words. You have had con-
tact with our people You know your
own personal reception. You know how
gladly we have opened 20 you the
doors OF every establishment that you
wanted to see and have shown you
Just what we were doing and ! hope
you have gained the right impression
as to why we were doing It. We are
doing It so that the world may never
hereafter have to fear the only thing
that any nation has to dread. the un-
just and selfish aggression Of another
nation