New Britain herald., 1919-03-05

u|F{sY that they were crossing those
three thousand miles of sea in order
to show to Europe that the United
States when it became necessary,
would go anywhere where the rights
of mankind were threatened They
would not sit still in the trenches.
They would not be restrained by the
prudence Of experienced continental
commanders. They thought they had
come over there to do a particular
thing, and they were going to do it
and do it at once. And just as soon
as that rush Of spirit as well as rush
of body came in contact with the
lines of the enemy, they began to
break, and they continued to break
until the end. They continued to
break. my fellow citizens, not merely
because of the physical force Of those
lusty youngsters, but because of the
irresistible spiritual force Of the arm
les of the United States. It was that
that they felt 1t was that that
awed them 1t was that that made
them feel If these youngsters ever got
q foothold, they could never be dis
lodged, and that therefore every foot
Of ground that they won was per
manently Won for the liberty of man
kind
And do YOU suppose that having
felt that crusading spirit of these
youngsters, who went over there not
to glorify America but to serve their
fellow men, am going to permit my
self for one moment to slacken i'll my
effort to be worthy of them and of
their cause? What | said at the
opening I said with deeper meaning
than perhaps you have caught: I do
mean not to come back until it's over
over there, and it must not be over
until the nations Of the world are as
sured Of the permanency of peace.
Gentlemen on this side Of the water
would be very much profited by get
ting into communication with SOM"
gentlemen on the other side of the
water. We sometimes think, my fell
low citiZens that the experienced
statesmen OF the European nations
are an unusually hard headed set of
men, by which we generally mean,
although We do not admit it, that
they are Il bit cynical that they say
'This is a very practical World,' by
which you always mean that it is not
an ideal world: that they do not be |
leve that things can be settled upon
an ideal basis. Well, | never came !
into intimate contact with them be- |
fore, but if they used to be that way,
they are not that way now. They |
have been subdued. if that was once
tl-eir temper, by the awful significance |
of recent events and the awful inn |
portance of what is to ensue and |
there is not one of them with whom !
I have come in contact who does not ,
feel that he cannot in conscience re i
turn to his people from Paris unless !
he has done his utmost to do some /
thing more than attach his name to /
treaty of peace. Every man in that |
conference knows that the treaty of ,
peace in itself will be imperative. |
as Mr.. Taft has said. without this /
constant support and energy of a |
great organization such as is supplied |
by the league of nations.
And men who when 7 first went !
over there were skeptical Of tho pos
sibility Of forming a league Of ma
tons admitted that If We could but |
form it it would be an valua bic ;
mstrumcntality through which to Sc
cure the operation of tho various !
parts of the treaty; and when that
treaty comes back, gentlemen on this |
side will find the covenant not only
in 1t, but many threads Of the |
treaty tied to the covenant that you
cannot dissect tho covenant from the |
treaty without destroying the whole ,
vital structure. The structure of
peace will not be vital without the |
league of nations, and no man is
going to bring back a cadaver with |
him.
Puzzled BY Some Criticisms.
I must say that | have been |
puzzled by some of the criticisms
not by the criticisms themselves: I |
can understand them perfectly, even !
when there was no foundation for /
them; but by the fact Of the criticism
[ cannot imagine how these gentle !
men can live and not live in the at |
mopherc Of the world. / can !
not imagine how thcy can live !,
and not be in contact with the events |
Of their times, and I particularly /
cannot imagine how they can be ,
Americans and set up a doctrine OF (
careful selfishness, thought out to the /
last detail I have heard no counsel I
Of generosity in their criticism | I
have heard no constructive suggcs- !