The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-03-03


the war. but NOT so seriously as
the industries of other countries.
and it seems to ne. therefore that
we should approac III the problems
that we are abou to discuss with
a good deal of c1nfidence-with a
good deal of confidence that if we
have a common purpose we can
realize that commDn purpose with
out serious or .insl rmountable diff
culties.
We Are Servants of People.
The thing tha has impressed
mefmost, gentieme not only in the
recent weeks wher [ have been in
conference on the ther side of the
water, but for maj months before
/ went across the water, was this:
We are at last lttrning that the
business of govern nent is TO take
counsel for the aV rage man. We
are at last learninf that the whole
matter of the pros Gritty of peoples
runs down into Il great body of
the men and won IN who do the
work of the worlt and that the
process of guidan is not com
pleted by the mere success of great
enterprises-lt is C, npleted only by
the standard of tn benefit that it
confers upon those who in the OBJ
scure, ranks of lii contribute to
the success of Il Sc enterprises.
The hearts of the en- and women
and children of ne world are
stirred now, in a way that has
never been known before. They
are not only stirred by their indi-
vidual circumstance but they are
beginning to get a vision of what
the general circum ,ances of the
world are. and tn re is for the
first time in histc an interna-
tional sympathy whi u is quick and
vital-a sympathy ' 1ich does not
display itself merely the contact
or governments, but displays itself
in the silent interco Sc of sympa-
thy between great b dies that con-
stitute great nations and the sig
nificance of confe ence like this
is that we are EXPIRE sing in it. and
Will. | believe, eXpi IS in the re
suits of this confer nee. our con-
sciousness that we re servants of
this great silent mas of people who
constitute the Unit 1 States. and
that ,as their serv ut, it is our
business, as il is Q : privilege. to
find out how we car best assist in
making their lives nat they wish
them to be, giving t EN- the oppOr-
tunities that they { Ight to have,
assisting by public ounsel in the
private affairs upon hich the hap
piDess of men depen Is.
Most Lasting ptscredit,
And so | am tie more dis
tressed that / canno take part in
these councils becau e my present
business is to uno rstand what
plain men everywher want. 1t is
perfectly understood n Paris that
we are not meeting there as the
masters OF anybody that we are
meeting there as the servants Of. /
believe it is about 100000 peoi
pie. and that unless We show that
we understand the b. siness of ser
wants, we will not sat sly them and
we will not accompl h the peace
of the world. and thu If we show
that we want to serv any interest
but theirs we viii AYE become
candidates for the nest lasting
discredit that will { er attach TO
men in history. And 20 IL is with
this profound feeling Of the sig
nificance of the thing you are un-
dertaking that | bid gu welcome.
because I believe 20, have come
together in the spirit Which ! have
tried to indicate. and hat we will
together concert met DDS Of CO.
operation and indiv siual notion
which will really accomplish what
we wish to see accomplished in
steadying and easing ind facilitat-
ing the whole labor Processes of
the United States"