The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-05
PRESIDENT, WILSON'S ADDRESS BEFORE
THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, FEB. 3, 1919

!, president Wilson'S speech before
the chamber of deputies in Paris
Monday night, forms another chapter
in his great history-making epoch.
1t is here given In FULLY
Paris. Feb. 3.-President Wilson
spoke as follows.
II am keenly aware of the unusual
and distinguished honor you are pay
ing me by permitting me to meet you
in this place and address you from
this historic platform. Indeed, sir.
as day has followed day, and week
| has followed week, in this hospitahle
| land OF France | have felt the sense
| OF comradeship ever become more
and more intimate, and il has seemed
| to me that the making of history was
being sin gularly clear,
| I'VE knew before this war began
that France and America were united
in affection. We knew the occasions
which drew the two nations together
/ in these years which now seem go
far away. when the world was first
beginning to thrill with the impulse
of human liberty: when soldiers Of
France came to help the struggling
little republic OF America TO get on
it's feet and proclaim, one OF the first
victories or freedom.
| I'VE had never forgotten that. but
we did not sec the fun meaning Of It,
A hundred years and more went by
and the spindies were slowly weav-
! ing the web of history We did not
seem to be complete dozen nr4Bsf n e
words here1, In that far Off day
/ when Franco came tn the assistance
! OF America. America vas hghtIng
Great Britain and now she is linked
as closely 81 Great Britain as she IL
to France
Comradcship OF Freedom.
We sec now how these apparently
| diversin9 lines Of history are com
ing together. The nations, which
once stood in battle array against
one another are now shoulder and
should fighting common enemy II
was long time before we saw that
and in the last four years something
has happened that is unprece ndented
in the history OF man.
"It is nothing less than this. that
bodies OF men on both sides OF the
sea and in all parts of the world have
"or'e TO realize their comradeship in
freedom.
| France, in the meantime. as we
have so often said. stood AT the from
tier OF freedom. Her lines lay along
the ve-v lines that divided the home
Of freedom from the home OF military
dcspotism Hers was the constant
dread Hers was the most pressing
necessity OF preparation. and she had
constantly to ask herself this ques-
tion. II the blow falls, who win come
to our assistance?
/ And the question was unanswered
in the most unexpected way. Her
allies came to her assistance, but
many more than her allies. The free
( people OF the world came to her as
sista nee.
4.
| Of gratitude TO France. by sending her
sons 70 fight upon the soil OF France
She did more. She assisted in draw
ing the forces of thu world together
In order that France might never
again feel her isolation. in order that
Franco might never feel that hers was
lonely peril, would never again have
70 ask The question, who would come
To 10" assistance.
For the alternative Is n terrible
alternative for France. do not need
point to you that east of you in Eu-
rope. the future is fun OF question.
Rcyond the Rhine. across Germany.
f,t'ross Poland, across Russia. across
Asia there are questions Unanswered
and thcv may be for the present un-
answerable.
France still stands at the frontier.
France still stands in the presence OF
questions threatening because unsn-
Swered. stands waiting for the solu
ton OF matters which touch her
directly and intimately and constantly
and II she must stand alone, what
yrnst she dop She must put upon
her people constant burden of taxa
on. She must undergo A. sacrifice
that may become intolerahle. And
not only she. but the other nations OF
the world must do the 1FS". They
must sand on cap-a- pie. They must
he ready for anv terrible incident of
injustice. The thing is not conceiv-
able ?
Where tho Blow Fell.
~ visited the otn-r day portion
OF the devastated region OF France.
saw the noble city OF rheims in
ruins and I could not help saying to
my self here Is where the blow fell.
because the rulers Of the world did
not sa,ncr sce how to prevent it,
The rulers Of the world have been
thinking nj The relations Of govern
errents and forgetting the relations Of
the peoples. They have been thinking
OF the NaneuverS OF International