The Benson signal., 1919-03-01
MUST LET The
PEOPLE DECIDE
OPINION OF ALL AMERICA WILL
BE HEARD IN DECISION
ON PEACE LEAGUE.
ALL FRIENDLY TO U. S.
WILSON DELIVERS SPEECH AT
MECHANICS HALL IN BOSTON
TO BIG CROWD.
Western Newspaper Union News Service

Western Newspaper Union News Service
Boston, Feb. 24-President Wilson
made the following speech at Mechan-
les Hall in Boston, after landing from
his trip back from Europe.
Governor Coolidge. Mr.. Mayor. Fell
low Citizens:
II wonder if you are half as glad to
see me as am to see you. 1t warns
my heart to see great body of my fell
low citizens again because in some re-
spects during the recent months L have
been lonely indeed without your com
cry step of the work which fell to me
to recall what [ was sure would be
your counsel with regard to the great
matters which were under considera-
ton.
II do not want you to to think that
I have not been appreciative of the ex-
traordinary generous reception which
was given to me on the other side, IN
saying that it makes me very happy to
get home again. l do not mean to say
that was not very deeply touched 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.
"I did not feel that the greeting was
personal. 1 had in my heart the over
crowning 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 q tone of mere greeting, 1t was
not tone of mere generous welcome,
it was the calling of comrade to COM
rade the cry that comes from men who
say. We have waited for this day when
across the sea and shake hands with
us. to see that new world was con-
structed upon new basis and founda-
ti0n of justice and right.
Il can't tell you the inspiration that
came from the sentiments that came
out of those simple voices in the
crowds. And the proudest thing 1 have
. to report to you is that this great
country of ours is trusted throughout
the world.
ceedings or the results of the proceed
ingS of the peace conference; that
would be premature. [ can say that
4 have received very happy Impressions
from this conference.-the impression
that, while there are many differences
of judgment. while there are some d.
vergencies of object, there is, never
theleSS a common spirit and a common
realization Of the necessity of setting
up new standards of right in the world.
Because the men who are in con-
ference realize as keenly as any Amer
ican 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 a new purpose and new conception
of their power to realize that purpose,
and that no man dare go home from
that conference and report anything
less noble than was expected of it.
THE conference seems to you to go
slowly, from day to day in Paris it
seems to go slowly; but wonder if
you realize the complexity Of the task
which it has undertaken. 1t seems as
and affect directly, every great-and
[ sometimes think, every small-nation
in the world. and no one decision can
be made which is not properly linked
in with the great series of other deci-
sions which must accompany 1t, and it
must be reckOned on with the final re-
suit, if the real quality and character
of that result is to be properly judged.
what we are doing is to hear the
whole case; hear it from the mouths
of the men most interested; hear it
from those who are officially commits
stoned to state it; hear the rival
claims; hear the claims that affect new
nationalities, that affect new areas
of the world, that affect new COM
mercial and economic connections that
have been established by the great
world war through which we have
gone.
And I have been struck by the mod
erateness of those who have presented
national claims ! can testify that I
believe have nowhere seen the CLEAN
of passion l have seen earnestness.
| have seen tears come to the eyes of
men who pied for down-trodden peo-
pies whom they were privileged to
speak for. but they were not the tears
of anger, they were the tears of ar
dent hope.
to have been subdued by these pleas,
subdued to this feeling, that he was
not there to assert an individual judg-
ment of his own but to try to assist
the cause of humanity.
And in the midst of it all every in
terest seeks out, first of all, when 1t
reaches Paris. the representatives of
and @ think think aest am Stating t the most osa Won
derful fact in history-because there
is no nation in Europe that suspects
the motives of the United States.
thing @ seen before? Was there ever r
so moving a thing? Was there ever
any fact that SO bound the nation that
had won that esteem forever to de-
II would not have you understand
that the great men who represent the
other nations there in conference are
Quite the contrary. But you under
stand the countries of Europe have
again and again clashed with one an
other in competitive interests. It Is
Impossible TOT men 10 forget the Snarp
issues that were drawn between them
in past times.
"It is impossible for men to believe
that all ambitions have all of sud-
den been foregone. They remember
territory that was coveted; they re-
member rights that it was attempted
to extort; they remember political am
bitions which it was attempted to real
ize, and while they believe that men
have come into different temper, they
cannot forget these things and so they
do not resort to one another for a dis
passionate view of the matters in con-
troversy. They resort to that nation
which has won the enviable distinction
Prince Leopold Held for Crime.
r