The Colorado statesman. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1895-1961, 1919-03-01

nobody else will be welcome, they assn
other soldiers would be looked upon
with suspicion and perhaps met Win
resistance. the American soldlers "is
"e 81 have had so many grounds for
pride on the other side OF the water
that l am very thankful tna ma 'h hut
are not grounds for personal priue, put
for national pride. II they were
grounds for personal pride I'd be the
most stuckup man IN the world ~ An me-
to see those gallant soldiers OF ours:
of whom the constitution OF the Onlteo
You may be proud of the twenty
six division. but commanded the
Twenty sixth division daughter, ana
applause), and see what they dld un-
der my direction! And everybody
praises the American soldier with the
feeling that in praising him he is sub
II have been searching for the fun
damental fact that converted Europe
to believe in us. Before this war Eu-
rope did not believe in us as she does
now. She did not believe in us
throughout the first three years OF the
war. She seems really TO have be-
Heved that we We're holding off be-
cause we thought we could make more
by staying out than by going in. And
all of n sudden. in short eighteen
months, the whole verdict is reversed.
There can be but one explanation for
1t. They saw what we did-that with
out making n single claim we put all
our men and all our means at the dis
posal of those who were fighting for
their homes. in the first instance, but
for a cause, the cause of human rights
and justice. and that we went in. not
to support their national claims, but to
support the great cause which they
held in common.
And when they saw that America
not only held ideals. but acted ideals,
they were converted to America and
became firm partisans of those Ideals.
Il met a group of scholars when /
was in Paris Some gentlemen from
one of the Greek universities who had
come to see me. and in whose pres
ence. or rather in the presence of
whose traditions of learning, felt
very young indeed. And 1 told them
revenges that sometimes come to n
man. All my life have heard men
'idealists and particularly OF those sep
arate. incloistered persons whom they
chose to term academic. who were In
the habit of uttering Ideals in the free
atmosphere when they clash with no.
body in particular.
"And l have said I have this sweet
revenge. Speaking with perfect frank
ness in the name of the United States.
have uttered as the objects of this
ideals. and the war has been won by
that Inspiration. Men were fighting
with tense muscle and lowered head.
until they came to realize those things.
feeling they were fighting for their
lives and their country. and when
these accounts of what 1t was all about
ed their heads, they raised their eyes
to heaven: then they saw men in
khaki coming across the sea in the
spirit of crusaders and they found that
those were strange men, reckless of
danger not only. but reckless because
they seemed to see something that
testified to me In Europe that men
were possessed by something they
could only call religious fervor. They
We're not like any of the other soldiers.
They had vision. they had dream.
and they We're fighting in the dream
and fighting in the dream they turned
the whole tide of battle and it never
came back.
And now do you realize this conf
dcnce we have established throughout
the world imposes burden upon us?
If you choose to call 1t a burden. 1t
Is one of those burdens which any ma
tion ought to be proud to carry. Any
man who resists the present tides that
run in the world will find himself
r that L will seem as if he he had been
separated from his human Kind for
ever.
of the nation. We set this nation up
to make men free and we did not con-
fine our conception and purpose to
Now" said the President. this con-
ference we have established calls for
something. The Europe I left was full
of hope. The Europe of the third year
of the war was sinking to n stubborn
desperation. They thought the end of
ton of the old order. They never
dreamed 1t would be Europe of set
tied peace.
buoyed up in the hope that all the ma
lions of the world shall unite their
moral and physical forces that, right
shall prevail. If America should fail
the world of its hope. the nations will
be set up as hostile camps again. and
go home with their heads upon their
breasts because they will haye failed.
We would leave on the peace table
nothing but a modern scrap of paper"
Men. he declared, who would have
America fail the world in its hopes saw
only beyond the nearest horizon.
America" he said.
Speaking of hopes of the people of
said were pinned to the United States
as the friend of mankind" the Pres
ident said he had no more doubt OF
1.-THE verdict of America in this matter
than I have OF the doubt OF the blood
that is in me-"
"The nations of, the world have set
their heads now to do great thing
and they are not going to stop short
of their purpose" he said.
but of the peoples who will seeNhat If
their present governments do not do
their will some others will. And the
secret Is sout and the. present govern
IT have come back for an attempt to
transact business for a little while in
that 1 have been trying to speak your
thoughts. Probing deep in my heart
and trying to see the things that are
right rather than the things that are
eXpedient. 1 am finding the heart of
America.
II find that in loving America have
Joined the majority OF my fellow men
throughout the world"
U. S. Tonnage Big.
Washlngton.-Discu the Amer