American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-02-28
Ell JROPE'S HOPES LIE in
AMERICA PRESIDENT SAYS
Invites Critics of World League Plans
To Test Sentiment OF Country; Peo-
pies, Not Governments, Must Decide
Issue. He Declares.

wilson delivered the tolloWlng ad-
dress at Boston. Mass;
Governor Coolidge, Mr.. Mayor Fell
lowtEiuzens: l 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 | was sure would be your coun
sci with regard to the great matters
which We're under consideration.
! do not want you to think that |
have not been appreciative of the ex-
traordinarily generous reception which
was given to me ON the other side, in
saying that it makes me very happy
to get home again. | do not mean to
say that l was not very deeply touch
ed by the cries that came from the
great crowds on the other side. But ]
want to say to you in all honesty that
| felt them to be a call of greeting to
you rather than to me.
did not feel that the greeting was
personal. | had in my heart the over
crowding pride of being your repre-
sentative and OF receiving the plaudits
of men everywhere who felt that your
hearts beat with theirs in the cause of
liberty There was no mistaking the
tone in the voices of those great
crowds. 1t was not a tone of great
GREETINGS, il was not a tone of mere
generous welcome; IL was the calling
of comrade to comrade, the cries that
come from men who say I'VE have
waited for this day when the friends
of liberty should come across the sea
and shake hands with us, to 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 sentiments that come
out OF those simple voices OF the
crowd. And the proudest thing have
TO report to you is that this great
country of ours is trusted throughout
the world.
! have not come to report the pro-
ceedings or the results Of the proceed
ings of the peace conference; that
would be premature. | can say that |
hayesreceived very happy impressions
iffomsthis conference; the impression
that while there are many differences
of Judgment, while there are some di-
yergencies of object, there Is, never
theless, common spirit and a COM
mon realization of the necessity of
setting up new standards of right in
the world.
| Because the men who are in con
! -, ,.fr 70
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
people has awakened to new pur-
pose and new conception of their
power to realize that purpose, and
that no man dare go home from tina;
conference and report anything less
noble than was expected Of 1t,
The conference seems to you to go
slowly; from day to day in Paris II
seems TO go slowly; but | wonder II
you realize the compleXlty of the task
which ii has undertaken. Il seems as
If the settlements OF this war affect
and affect directly, every great, and,
sometimes think, every small nation
in the world and no one decision can
prudently be made which is not prop
erly linked i'm with the great series Of
other decisions which must accom-
pany IT, And it must be reckoned In
with the final result If the real quality
and character of that result is TO b'
properly judged
What we are doing is 10 hear th'
whole case: hear it from the mouth
of the men most interested; hear I
; from those who are officially commits
stoned TO state II; hear the riva
; claims: hear the claims that affec
; new nationalities, that affect new area
Of the world, that affect new CONNER
} cial and economic connections tina
have been established by the grea
world war through which we hay,
gone. And ] have been struck by tn
moderateness of those who have rep
; resented national claims | can testif
that have nowhere seen the CLEAN o
passion. | have seen earnestness,
; have seen tears come TO the eyes o
men who plead for downtrodden peo
; pie whom they were privileged L
; speak for: but they were not the tear
of anguish, they were the tears of an
dent hope.
And | don't see how any man ca
fail 10 have been subdued by thes
pleas, subdued 10 this feeling, that b
was not there 10 assist an indiyidua
judgment of his own, but to try {
assist the cause OF humanity
And in the midst OF il all every In
terest seeks out first of all, when
reaches Paris, the representatives {
the United States. Why? Becaus'
and ] think am stating the most wor
, derful fact in history-because ther
is no nation in Europe that suspect
} the motives of the United States.
, Was there ever 80 wonderful a thin
, before? Was there ever so moving
, thing? Was there ever any fact ths
} 80 bound the nation, that had wo
} that esteem, forever TO deserve IL?
] would not have you understan
, that the great men who represent II
, other nations there In conference Al
, dis-esteemed by those who know then