Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-09-12

Helena, Sept 1.-THE text -ol
Fraatdent Wilson's Address follows:
Y Govsrnor Stewart and my fellow
eonntrymen:
II vsry heartily echo what Gov.
ernor Stewart hAA Just said. + am
very clad that an occasion has arisen
which has given me the opportunity
and tina pleasures Of coming thus face
people OF tho great state of Montana
(applaase).
II make haste to say to you that ]
have not come from Washington &c
much to advise you as to get ia touch
with you-~As to got the feeling OF the
J purposes which are moving you, be.
CAUSE. my fellow citisens, / may tell
you a. q secret that some people in
Washington lose that touch. They
don't know what~the great purposes
hearts and minds Of the people Of thi,
great conntry tapplause). And II
one stays in Washington too long one
Is apt to catch that same removed
numhness which soems to character
ia Others who r thers. daughter
and applause).
Task Only Halt Done.
II like to como u and feel once
more the thing that Is the only real
thing in public affairs. that is the
great movement Of public opinion in
the United States (applAuse). And
want to put ths case very simply to
you tonight for with all it's complex
tiles, with all Its many aspects, 1t Is a
very staple question when you get to
the heart: OF It. That question is
nothing more or less than this, shall
the great. saerince that we made in
this a be in vain, or shall it not?
! want to say to you very solemnly
that. notwithstanding the splendid
achievement of our soldiers on the
other side of the Q 4, whom l don't
TO say saved the world: Cap
plsusea. Notwithstanding the noble
things that they did. their task ts only
coenplete 1t. ! want to ailege that to
you. want to explain to you why,
ri we left the thing where it is and
did not carry out the program Of the
treaty OF peace In its ali fullness zap
plause) men like these would have to
die to do the work over again and
conv4nce provincial statesmen that
the world is one. ana that only by an
orEanisatiop of the world can you
save the young men of the world.
A ! think upon this theme there
is q picture very distinctly in my
MIND. Last Memorial Day I stood in
an, American cemetery in France. lust
outside Paris. on the slopes of the
ISureness. The hill slopes steeply to
a little plain. When I went out there
all the slope OF the hill was covered
with men in the American uniform
standing; but rising tier on tier as il
oW them over this little level space
were the simple crosses that marked
Ghe resting place Of the American
dead and just by the stand where I
spoke was a group Of French women
who had lost their own sons, but lust
because they had lost their sons ana
because their hearts went out ia
thought and sympathy to the mothers
on this side Of the sea they had made
those graves, and every day had gone
to take care of them: every day had
strewn them with flowers, and stood
there. their cheeks wetted with tears,
while I spoke. not of the French
dead, but Of the American boys who
died in III common cause.
Did Not War Willingly.
They seemed to want to be thrown
together on that day and in that little
spot with the hearts Of the world, and
l took occasion to say on that day
Ethat o who stood in the way Of
eonapaetfng he task those men had
died for would some day look back
upon 1t as those have looked back
upon the days when they tried to di-
: q his union ad prevent it from be-
Ing a single nation, united in a single
form OF liberty. For the completion
OF the work Of those men Is this, that
the thing that they fought to stop
shall never be attempted again. I
a l to your minds that we did not go
into this war willingly. I was in a
position to know. In the province Of
god. leadership of this nation was
years Of the war when we we're not
IN IT. was aware through many
subtle channels Of the movement Of
opinion in this country and I know
that the thing that. this country
chiefly desired, that you out here in
the west chiefly desired; the thing
mat OF course. every living woman
had at her heart, "a that we should
keep out Of the war.
Had to Enter War.
We tried to persuade ourselves
1.-THE European business was not
III business. We tried to convince
ourselves that no matter what hap
psned on the other side Of the sea, no
9ougation or duty rested upon us, and
finally we found the currents of hu-
naanity too strong for US, we found
that q great consciousness was we'll
Ing up In us because this was not A
Local cause: that this was not a
I struggle which was to be confined to
Europe. or confined to Asia to which
1T had already spread, but it was
something that involved the very fate
OF civilization, and there was one
great nation in the world that could
not AFFORD to stay out. (Applause.)
"And now, there are gentlemen OPP
posing the ratification Of this treaty,
who. at that time. tainted the admin.
i~stration of the United States that it
had lost touch with its international
conscience; the German nation had
no choice whatever az to whether 1t
WAS to go into that war or not-did
mot know that it was going into it
until Its men were summoned to the
colors. I remember. not once but
often, sitting at the cabinet table In
Warrington and asked my COL
the opinion Of the country. before We
went into h a and I remember
n day one of my colleagues said to
me:
Mr.. President, I think the people
Of the country would take your ad-
vice and do what you suggested
But ! said: that Is not what l am
waiting for: IL they can't 90 in with
q whoop, there is no use going in at
all. don't want them to wait on
ne; am waiting on them. want to
country is saying. L want to know
what ideas are .arisiAe in the minds OF
the people o. this country. with re-
gard to this war situation When I