Evening journal., 1919-02-25
U S. Must SET World Free or
Be Ashamed, President Declares

I territories OF invading armies; they
hoped they could set up their homes
and start their industries afresh. But
they thought it would simply be the
resumption OF the old life that Europe
had led-led in fear. led in anxiety. led
in constant suspicious watchfulness.
They never dreamed that IL would be
Europe Of settled peace and OF justified
hope.
"And now those ideals have wrought
this new magic that all the people Of
Europe are buoyed up and confident in
: the spirit OF hope because they believe
we are the beginning Of a new age and
| that nations will soon understand each
other, when nations will unite every
moral and every physical strength TO
see that the right shall prevail.
IF America were at this juncture
to fail the world. what would become
Of it? do not mean disrespect to any
other great people when I say that
/ America is the hope Of the world and
/ II she does not justify that hope the
results are unthinkabe. Men will be
thrown back upon the bitterness or
disappointment not only. but the Bit
! terness OF despair. All nations viii be
set up as hostile camps again; then
the peace conference will go home with
their heads upon their breasts. know
ing that they have failed-for they were
hidden not 10 come home from there
until they did something more than sign
treaty Of peace.
Suppose we sign the treaty Of peace
and that u is the most satisfactory
treaty Of peace that the confusing ele-
ments OF the modern world will afford,
and 20 home and think about our
labors, we viii know that we have left
written upon the historic table at Yer
sailles, upon which Vergennes and Ben /
iamin Franklin wrote their names. moth !
ing but a modern scrap Of paper; no
nations united to defend 10, no great
forces combined TO make IL good, no
assurances given 20 the down-trodden
and fearful people OF the world that
they shall be safe. Any man who thinks
that America will take part In giving
the world any such rebuff and disap-
pointmeRt as that does not know
America.
"And. so my fellow citizens. I have
come back TO report progress and ! |
do not believe that the progress Is going
to stop short Of the goal. The nations
OF the world have set their heads TO do
a great thing and they are not going TO
slscken their purpose. And when ]
speak Of the nations OF the world ] do
not speak OF the governments OF the
world ! speak OF the peoples who con-
stltute the nations Of the world They
are in the saddle and they are going to
see TO that n present governments do
not do their will some other govern
ments shall, and the secret Is out and
pro0ort governments know IT,
'There IS a great deal OF harmony To
he got out Of common knowledge.
There Is a great deal OF sympathy TO
be got out OF living In the same atmos-
nhere and except for the differences OF
languages which puzzled my American
ear sadly I could have believed ! was
at home In Francey or IN Italy and or in
ENGLAND when I was In the streets or
when ! was IN the presence OF great
crowds IN the halls where men were
gathered together. do not feel quite
as much at home there as here. but
felt that now at any rate after this
storm Of the war had cleared the air.
men were seeing eye 20 eye every
where, and that these were the kind OF
folks who would understand what the
kind or folk at home would under
stand. that they were thinking the same
hing
Il feel about you as 7 am reminded I
" a story Of that excellent wit and good 1
rtist. oliver Hereford, who one day I
t luncheon at his club was slapped 1
Vigorously on the back by a man who
he did not know very we'll He said
oliver. old boy. how are your He
ooked at him rather coldly. He said I
iont know your name. don't know
your face, but your manners are very
familiar And I must say that your
are verv familiar and, let me
add. very dellghtful
1T Is a great comfort, for one thing.
TO realize that you all understand the
LANGUAGE ] am speaking. A friend OF
mine said that TO talk through an in
terpreter was like witnessing the com /
pound fracture OF an Idea But the I
beauty Is that whatever the impede |
ments OF the channel OF communica-
ton the idea Is the same that Il gets
/ registered and II gets registered In re-