The sun., 1919-09-14
COST OF WAR CITED
IN PLEA FOR LEAGUE
Nation, Wilson Says. Fought
to UnderUrite Civilization.

TACOMA, Wash, Sept. 13.-Presi
dent Wilson IN his address here to-da,
said In part:
I feel, as I am sure you feel, that
we have reached one of the most
critical periods in the history of the
United States The shadow of the
war is not lifted from us, and we
have just come out of the depths of
the valley of death.
I thought it might be useful IL I
remind you of a few things lest we
forget. 1t is so easy with the strong
tides of our life TO be swept away
from one situation into another to
forget the real depths of meaning
which lie underneath the things that
we are merely touching the sur
face of.
Therefore, thought It would not
be lmpertinent on my part II l asked
permission to read you the concluding
passage Of the address in which l
requested the Government OF the
United States to accept Germanys
challenge of war.
we shall fight" I say, 'for the
things we have always carried near
est our hearts. for democracy. for
the right OF those who submit to
authority to have a voice in their
own government, for the rights and
liberties of small nations, for a uni
versal dominion of right, of such a
concert OF free peoples as will bring
peace and safety to all nations and
make the world itself at last free.
To such a pass we can dedicate our
lives and our fortunes. everything
that we are, everything that we have,
with the pride of those who know
that the time has come when Amer
lea is privileged to spend her blood
and her might for the principles that
gave her birth. OF happiness and of
peace which she has enjoyed. God
helping her. she can do no other"
That is the programme we started
out on. That is the programme
which all America adopted. and shall
We now falter at the very critical
moment when we are finally to
write our name to the standing
pledge which we then took?
l want to remind you many other
nations were put under a deeper
temptation than we. 1t would have
been possible for little helpless Bel
gium at any time to make terms
with the enemy. Belgium knew that
resistance was useless. Belgium
knew that she could get any terms
of advantage from Germany that she
pleased II she would only submit.
And at the cost OF everything that
she had Belgium did nothing else
than underwrite civilization.
] do not know anywhere in his
tory of more inspiring fact than
that.
BeIgium's Pledge FuIhlIed.
Belgium lies PROSTATE because she
fulfilled her pledge to civilization.
Italy could have had her terms at
the hands of Austria at almost any
period of the war. particularly Just
before she made her final stand at
the Piave River. but she would not
compound with the enemy. She. too.
had underwritten civilization. And
this passage which have read to
you, which the whole country ac-
cepted as, its pledge, Is but an under
writing OF civilization.
But in order to let you remember
what the thing cost just let me read
you few figures. If I did not have
them on official authority would
deem them incredible. Here is what
the war cost those who were en-
gagged against Germany:
Great Britain and her dominions,
s3s,o00, 100000; France. s26 900. .000,-
600; the United States, $4,000, ,000,-
Al