Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-03-05
AMERICA IS HOPE
OF WORLD, SAYS
THE PRESIDENT
WILSON DEFENDS LEAGUE OF
NATIONS IN BOSTON SPEECH
AND CHALLENGES CRITICS.
MUST GAIN LASTING PEACE
Declares This Country Would shirk
Full Duty by Stepping Aside and
Leaving Small Nations to Work
Out Their Own Destnies.

Out Their Own Dest,nies.
Boston, Feb 25.-President Wilson
delivered his first speech at Mechan-
les hall in this city upon his return
to the United States from France.
He spoke as follows:
q wonder if you are half as glad
to see me as | am to see you? II
warns my heart to see a great body
OF my fellow citizens again, because in
some respects during the recent
months / have been very lonely in
deed without your comradeship and
counsel and | tried at every step OF
the work which fell to me to recall
what l was sure would be your coun-
sci with regard to the great matters
which were under consideration.
Il do not want you to think that
have not been appreciative of the ex-
traordinary generous reception which
was given to me on the other side,
in saying that it makes me very hap
Ply to get home again. ! do not mean
to say that | was not very deeply
touched by the cries that came from
the great crowds on the other side.
But | want to say to you in all hon
ssty that | felt them to be call of
greeting to you, rather than to me.
Plaudits for U. S.
Il Cid not feel that the greeting was
personal l had in my heart the over
browning pride OF being your repre-
sentative, and of receiving the plaud
its OF men everywhere who felt that
your hearts beat with theirs in the
cause OF liberty. There was no mis-.
taking the tone in the voices of those
great crowds. II was not a tone OF
mere greeting, ii was not a tone OF
mere generous welcome; IL was the
calling OF comrade to comrade, the
cry that comes from men who say:
we h.. ,e waited for this day when the
friends of liberty should come across
the sea and shake hands with us 10
see that a new world was constructed
upon "a new basis and foundation OF
justice and right ! can't tell you the
inspiration that came from the senti
ments that came out of those simple
voices in the crowd. And the proud
est thing l have to report to you is
that this great country of ours is
trusted throughout the world.
Right Now Rules.
II have not come to report the pro
eeedings or the results of the pro
ceeding of the peace conference; that
have received very happy impressions
from this conference; the impression
that while there are mary differences
OF judgment, while there are some di
vergencies of object. there is never
theless a common .Jirit and com
mon realization Of the necessity OF
setting up new standards OF right in
the world. Because the men who are
in conference realize as keenly as
any American can realize that they
are not the masters Of their people:
that they are the servants of their
people and that the spirit of their PEG.
pie has awakened to new purpose
and a new conception of their powei
to realize that purpose and that no
man dare so home from that confer
ence and report snything less noble
than was expected of it.
THE conference seems TO you to 80
slowly from day to day in Paris it
seems to so slowly; but | wonder ii
you realize the complexity of the
task which it has undertaken. 1t
seems if the settlements of this war
affect, and affect directly every great.
and sometimes think. every small
nation in the world, and no one deci,
sion can be made which is not prop.
erly linked in with the great series
of other decisions which must accom-.
pany it. and it be reckoned on with
the final result il the real quality and
character OF that result is to be prop
erly judged.
Hear All Sides.
What we are doing is TO hear the
whole case; hear it from the mouths
of the men most interested: hear it
from those who are officially commits
stoned TO state IL; hear the rival
claims; hear the claims that affect
new nationalities that affect new
areas of the world that affect new
commercial and economic connec-
lions that have been established by
the great world war through which
We have gone. And have been
struck by the moderateness of those
who have represented national claims
Il can testify that i believe / have
nowhere seen the CLEAN of passion /
have seen earnestnesG, l have seen
tears come TO the eyes of men who
plead for downtrodden peoples whom
they were privileged to speak for;
but they were not tears of anger ghey
were tears Of ardent hope. | dom
see how any man can fail TO have
been subdued by these pleas. subdueC
to this feeling. that he was not there
to assert an individual Judgment o
his own. but to try to assist the cause
of humanity.
And in the midst of it all every in