Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-25
Presidents Address
(Centinued from Page one)

20 q new purpose and q new concep-
ton Of their power 70 realize that Du.-
pose, and tkat no man dare 60 home
from that conference and report any
thing less noble than was expected Of IL.
The conference seems TO you to go
slowly: from day TO day in Paris IT
seems TO 90 slowly; but / wonder II
you realize the conap:exi:y OF the task
which it has undertaken. II seems as
II the settlements Of this war eject,
and effect directly, every srea, and, l
sometimes think. every small nation IN
the world. and no one decision can
prudentiy be made which is not prop
er.y linked in with the great series o.
other decisions --hich must accompany
il, and il must be reckoned n with the
final result II thc real quality and char
acter o. that result - 20 be properly
judged
What we are DONG IS TO hear the
whole case hea-, il from the mouths Of
the men NOS: Interested: from those
who are offcia,ly commissioned 70 state
II: from the rival claimants: hear the
claims tha. effect new nationaiities:
. that affect new areas OF the world;
that affect new commercial ard econon-
" connections hat have been estAo-
lished by the grea. world war thorugh
which we have gone. And have been
struck By the rroierateness Of those
who rave represented national claims.
Can testify that ] have nowhere seen
the CLEAN: Of passion have seen cam
extness. l haze seen tears come TO ire
eyes Of men Who plead for down-trod-
den people whom they were privileged
20 speak for: that they were not the
tears OF anger. they were the tears Of
arden: hope
And don { see now an: man can :a'i
to have been inIoued by these pleas.
zubdued to this feeling. that he was not
there TO assert an individual Judgment
Of his own out 10 Try TO assist the
Gaze Of humanity
And in the -n.t., az It &. every .H:e--
est seeks out fJrs. o. all hen IL reaches
Paris, tire rep: ese natives OF thc Init
81 States WY? Because ard ! think
am stating the mos, wonderful fac
IN his.ory-becAuse there is no nation
IN Europe ,!-st 'spects the motives Q:
the United S:atet.
was there ever 50 wonderful &
thing seen before Was there ever
80 moving Il thing Was there any
fac. that so bound the nation that
had won'that esteem forever to de-
serve it,
It is Impossible for men 20 forget
those sharp issues that were drawn
between them in times past. It is
A~s.
all ambitions have all OF a sudden
been foregone.
They remember territory. that was
coveted. They remember rights that
It was attempted to realize-and
while they believe that men have
come into different temper. they
cannot forget these things. and 50
they do not resort to one another
for dispasslonate view of the mat
sers in controversy. They resort to
that nation which mas won the en-
>lable distinction OF being regarded
as the friend Of mankind
Whenever 1t IS desired to send Z
small force of soldiers to occupy a
piece Of territory where il is thought
nobody else will be welcome, ley
ask for American soldiers. And
where other soldiers would be look
cd upon with suspicion and perha ps
met with resistance, the American
soldier is welcomed with acclaim.
have had SO many grounds fcr
pride on the other side Of the water
that / am very thankful that they
are not grounds for personal pride.
but for national pride. II they were
grounds for personal pride I'd be
The most stuck-up man in the world.
And it has been an infinite pleasure
TO me to see those gallant soldiers
of ours of whom the constitution
of the United States made me the
present commander. Yoc may be
proud of the 18th Division. but I
commanded the Goth Division and
saw what they did under my direc-
ton And everybody praises the
American soldier with the feeling
that in pralsing him he is subtract
ing from the credit of no one else.
have been searching for the fund
amental 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 through
out the first three years Of the war.
She seers really to have believed THAI
we were holding because We thought We
could lake more y staying out than
by going in. And all Of a sudden in q
short IS months. the whole verdict is
reversed. There can be but one ex-
PLANTATION for II. They w what we
dd-tha; without making a single claim,
we put all OR men nd all our money
Al the disposal o. those who were fight
ing for their homes. in the first in
stance. bu; for q cause. the cause CT
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 wnen the: saw that America no:
only held deals but acted ideals. they'
wee converted to America and tecame
firm partisans o. tnose ideals
4 met a group of scholars when
uas in Paris-some gentlemen from one
# the Greek universities who had come
10 see me. and in whose presence o.
rather in the presence of whose tradi
lions OF learning. l felt very young in
deed. told them that had one of
the delightful revenges that sometimes
. comes to a man. All my life l ha /
heard men speak with a sort Of con-
descension of ideals and OF idealists.
and particularly those separated. en-
clustered persons whom they choose .
term acade mic. who were in the habit