New Britain herald., 1919-01-04
FRIENDSHIP BASIS
OF WORLDS PEACE
President Wilson Delivers Ad-
dress to Italian Deputies

dent Wilson said:
Your Majesty and Mr.. prAsidan, of
the Chamber: You are bestowing up
on me an unprecedented honor. which
l accept because l believe that If IL
extended to me as the representative
of the great people from whom
speak. And [ am going TO take this
hrst opportunity to say bow entirely
the heart of the American people has
hNen with the great people of Italy.
We have seemed, no doubt, indiffer-
cnt at times. to look from q great dis
lance, but our hearts have never been
far away. All sorts of ties have long
bound the people of our America to
the people of Italy. and when the
people of the United States,
knowing this people, have
witnessed it's sufferings, its sacri-
fees, its heroic actions upon the bat
tleheld, and its heroic endurance at
home--its stoadfast endurance at
home touching us more nearly to the
quick even than its heroic action on
the battlefeld-we have been bound
by new tie Of profound admira ton.
Then. back Of il all. and through
it ALL running like the golden thread
that Wove it together, was our knowl-
edge that the people of italy had gone
into this war for the same exalted
principle of right and Justice that
moved our own people. And so |
welcome this opportunity of conveying
to YOU the heartfelt greetings of the
the people of atty, and when the
But we cannot stand in the shadow
of this war without knowing there are
things which are in some senses more
difficult than those we have under
taken, because. while it is easy to
speak of right and justice. it is some
times difficult to work them out in
practice, and there will be required a
purity Of motives and disinterested-
ness of object which the world has
never witnessed before in the councils
Of nations.
It is for that reason that it seems
to me you viii forgive me if I lay
some Of the elements Of the new situ-
alton before You for moment. The
Distinguishing fact of this war is that
great empires have gone to pieces
And the characteristics of those en-
pires are that they held different
peoples reluctantly together under the
coercion of force and the guidance of
Intrigue.
The great difficulty among such
states as those of the Balkans has
BILE to secret influence: that they We're |
always being penetrated by intrigue |
of some sort or another that north of |
them lay disturbed populations which |
were held together not by sympathy |
and friendship, but by the coerciVe |
force Of military power
Now the intrigue is checked. and |
the bonds are broken. and what we /
are going to provide is new cement !
to hold the people together. They |
have not been accustomed TO being in |
dependent. They must now % indie |
pendent
T al, sure that vou recognize the |
principle | dO--that it is not our |
privileges to say what sort of a gov |
eminent they should set up. But /
we are friends Of those people. and it |
is our duty as their friends TO see to !
1t that some kind Of protection is
thrown around them--sOm ething sup
piled which will hold them together ;
There is only one thing that holds !
nations together, if you exclude force !
and that Is friendship and goodwill !
The only thing that binds men to-
gether Is friendship, and h. the same
token the only thing that binds ma
tons to2e Their is friendship. Therefore
our task at Paris is to organize the
friendship of the WOIId--tO see to it
that ali the moral forces that make
for right and justice and liberty are
united and are given q vital organi-
zation to which the peoples of The
world will reg oily and gladly respond.
In other words, our task is no less
colossal than this: To set up Il new
psychology, to have q
new real atmosphere. am l7appv TO
IN 1oa 1iv>,. II bn
gentlemen who lead vour
nation. and those who lead France
and England. ! feel tt2,t avn sphere
gathering. That desire to do Justice
that desire to establish friendliness
l.lat desire to make peace rest upon !
right: and with this common purpose
no obstacles need he formidable
The only use Of an obstacle is to he
overcome, All that an obs acIe does !
with brave men is not to friahten
hem. but to chalenge them. So !
that it ought 10 ne our pride TO over
come averythina that stands in the |
way.
We know that there cannot Ne an
other balance OF power. Thar has
been tried and found wanting for :nc
best Of all reasns that it does not
stay balanced inside ITSELF, and Il
waste (weight?) which does not hold
lO3ether cannot constitute make
Wa ght in the affairs of men.
Therefore there must He some tjiinc
for the balance CT pow {
n. and | am happy 10 find ever>-~
where in the air Of those great Ia
lions the conception that that thing
must he q thoroughly united LcaeH2
1f Nations,
What men oncc considered theorrt-
cal 00d idcalis7ir Turns out to be I
DraCt ir;lI and necessary. We stand IT