Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-09
WILSON ASKS
ALL TO BACK
PEACE PACT
President in New York
Speech Says the Treaty
Prevents Bloodshed.

New York, July g. President
Wilson in his first speech delivered
On American soil since the peace
treaty was signed. said that Inc
peace concluded at Paris was "a
just peace which, if it can be pre-
served, will safeguard the world
from unnecessary bloodshed.
The only reference the president
made to his political opponents
was:
81 am afraid some people, some
persons, do not understand Inat
vision. They do not see it. Tney
have looked too much upon the
ground. They have thought too
much of the interests that were near
them, and they have not listened TO
the voices of their neighbors.
81 have never had a moments
doubt as to where the heart and
purpose of this people lay"
Text Of Speech.
The text of President Wilson's
speech just after his arrival in
Carnegie Hall, follows:
Fellow Countrymen:
Il am not going to try this after
noon to make you a real speech. l
am a Bit alarmed to find how many
speeches 1 have in my system UNI
delivered, but they are all speecnes
thai come from the mind, anu 1
want to say to you this afternoon
only a few words from the heart. 4
You have made me deeply happy
by the generous welcome you hare
extended to me, but I do not De-
lieve that the welcome you extend
TO me is half as great as that which
I extend to you. Why, Jerseyman
though I am, this is the first time
/ ever thought that Hoboken was
beautiful.
HOmesick for America.
ct have really, though l have
tried on the other side of the wafer
to conceal it, been the most home
sick man in the American expedi-
tionary force, and it is with feelings
that it would be vain for me TO try
to express that I find myself in this
beloved country again. do not say
that because l lack in admiration
of other countries.
There have been many things
that softened my homesIckness. One
of the chief things that softeneC 1t
was the very generous welcome
that they extended to me as your :
representative on the other side of
the water. And it was still more
softened by the pride that l had in
discovering that America had at
last convinced the world of her true |
character.
Old World Saw Vision.
81 was welcome because they had |
seen with their own eyes what |
America had done for the world. |
They had deemed her selfish. They |
had deemed her devoted to material
interests. And they had seen her |
boys come across the water with a /
vision even more beautiful than |
they conceived when they had en-
tertained dreams of liberty and |
peace.
"And then 1 had the added pride
of finding out by personal observa- |
tion the kind of men who had taken !
them over, without whom they |
could not have gone to Europe, ana
then when l got there l saw that |
army of men, that army OF clean /
men, that army of men devoted to |
the high interests of humanity, that
army that one was glad to point out |
and say-'These are my fellow
at softens the inconsistencies a
good deal to have so much of home
along with you, and these boys were
reminding me of home.
Walked as Free Man.
fSTboU did not |
like anybody else. l do not mean
tina they walked the streets self
They did not They
walked the streets as if they knew
that they belonged wherever free
men lived, that they were welcome
in the great republic of France
and were comrades with the other
armies that had helped to win the
great battle and to show the
great sacrifice.
Because it is a wonderful
Confined on Page Three)-
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