The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-05-31
Text Of President Wilson's
Memorial Day Address

These men did not come across
the sea merely to defeat Germany
and her associated powers in the
war. They came to defeat forever
the things for which the central
powers stood. the sort OF power
they meant to assert in the world.
the arrogant, selfish domination
which they meant to establish,
and they came, moreover. to see
to it that there should never be a
war like this again. 1t is for US,
particularly for US who are civil
lied, to use our proper weapons
of counsel and agreement to see
to 1t that there never Is such a
war again. The nation that
should now fling out of this COM
mon concord of counsel would be-
tray the human race.
should Fix Safeguards
So it is our duty to take and
maintain the safeguards which
will see to il that the mothers of
America and the mothers of
France and England and Italy
and Belgium and all other suffer-
ing nations should never be call
cd upon for this sacrifice again.
This can be done. 1t must be
done, and IL will be done. The
things that these men left us,
though they did not in their
counsels conceive it, is the great
instrument which we have just
erected in the league of nations.
The league of nations is the cove
nant of governments that these
men shall not have died in vain.
] like to think that the dust of
those sons OF America who were
privileged to be buried in their
mother country will mingle with
the dust of the men who fought
for the preservation OF the
Union, and that, as those men gave
their lives in order that America
might be united. these men have
given their lives in order that the
world might be united. Those
men gave their lives in order to
secure the freedom OF mankind,
and ] look forward to an age
when il will be just as impossi-
bic 10 regret the results of their
labor as il is now impossible to
regret the result of the labor OF
those men who fought for the
union OF the States. 1 look for
the time when every man who
now puts his counsel against the
united service of mankind under
the league of nations will be just
as ashamed of il as he is who re-
GREETED the union of the States.
Old Standards SurgfnE Forth.
You are aware, as ] am aware,
that the airs OF an older day arc
beginning to stir again. that the
standards OF an old order are try
ing to assert themselves again.
There is here and there an at
tempt to insert into the counsel OF
statesmen the old reckoning of
selfishness and bargaining, and
national advantage. which were
the roots of this war. and any
man who counsels these things
advocates a renewal OF the sacri-
fec which these men have made:
for If this is not the final battle
for right there will be another
that will be final. Let these gen.
tlemen who suppose that it is
possible for them to accomplish
this return to an order of which
we are ashamed and that we are
ready to forget realize they
cannot accomplish it. The peoples
of the world are awake and the
peoples of the world are in the
saddle. Private counsels of states
men cannot now and cannot here
after determine the destinies of
nations. If we are not the serv-
ants of the opinion of mankind.
we are of all men the littlest, the
most contemplate. the least
gifted with vision. If we do not
know courage, we cannot accom-
plish our purpose. and this age is
an age which looks forward, not
backward; which rejects the
standard OF national selishness
that once governed the counsels
of nations and demands that they
shall give way to a new order of
things in which only the ques-
tions will be, us It riSht?" lis
it just?" lis it in the interest Of
mankind?"
Statesmen United for League.
This is a challenge Inat no pre-
vious generation ever dared to
give ear to. So many Things have
happened so fast, in Iae last four
years. that I do not think many