Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-07-10

Paris out of generous eourtosy-with
no heart for festivity, little zest for
hope.
Moral Force Factor.
But they came away with something
new at their hearts; they have them
selves told us so. The mere sight Of our
mcn-of their vigor, of the confidence
that showed itself in every movement
of their stalwart figures and every turn
Of their swinging march, in their steady
comprehending eyes and easy discipline,
! in the indomitable air that added spirit
to everything they did-made everyone
who saw them that memorable day real
ize that something had happened that
much more than a mere incident In the
fighting; something very difforens
from the mere arrival of fresh troops.
A great moral force had flung itself in.
to the struggle. The fine physleSl force
of those spirited men spoke of some
thing more than bodily vigor. They
carried the great ideals of a. free pee.
pies at their hearts, and that with that
vision unconquerable. Their very pres
ence brought reinsurance; their fight
ing made victory certain.
Tribute to Doughboy.
They were recognized as crusaders,
and as their thousands swelled to mil.
lions their strength was seen 10 mean
salvation. Aud they were fit men to
carry such u hope aud make good the
assurance il forecasted. Finer men new
er went into battle and tlair officers
were worthy of them. This 10 not the
occasion upon which to utter a culogy
Of the armies America sent to France,
but perhaps since ! am speaking of
their mission ! may speak also of the
pride ! shared with every American
who saw or dealt with them there. They
were the sort of men America would
wish to be represented by; the sort
! of men every American would wish to
claim as fellow eountrymen and com.
rades in great cause. They were ter
ribIe in battle, and gentle ard helpful
out of it remembering the mothers and
/ the sisters, the wives and the little
children at home. They were free men
under arms, not forgetting their ideals
of duty in the midst Of tasks of vio
lenee. | am proud to have had the priv.
/ ilege Of being associated with them and
I Of calling myself their leader,
4 American Ideals Upheld.
But / now speak Of what they meant
to the men by whose sides they fought
and to the people with whom they min
gled with such utter simplicity as
friends who asked only to be Of service.
They were for all the visible embodi-
ment Of America. What they did made
America and all that she stood for a
living reality in the thoughts not only
Of the people Of France, but also Of tens
Of millions Of men and women through
out all the toiling nation of a world
standing everywhere in peril Of it, rrce-
dom and of the loss of every thing il
held dear; in deadly fears that its bonds
were never to be loosed, its hopes for
ever to be moeked and disappointed.
Peace Efforts Conformcd.
4 And the compulsion Of what they
stood for was upon us who represented
America at the peace table. II was our
! duty TO see to il that every decision we
took part in contributed, so far as we
we're able 10 influence II, to quiet the
fears and realize the hopes Of the peo.
pies who had been living in that sha.
dow; the nations that had conc by our
assistance to their freedom. Il WAS our
duty to do everything that was with.
in our power TO do to make the triumph
of freedom and of right lasting tri-
umph in the assurance of which men
might everywhere live without fear.
Old entanglements Of every kind stood
in the way-promises which govern.
ments had made to one another In the
{, days when might and right were con
fused and the power Of the victor was
without restraint. engagements which
r contemplated any disposition Of terri
tory, any extensions Of sovereignty that
might seem 10 be to the interest Of
those who had the power 10 insist upon
then, had been entered into without
thought of what the peoples concerned
! might wish Or profit by; and these
could not always be honorabiy brushed
aside. II was not easy to graft the new
order Of ideas on the old and some Of
the fruits Of the grating may, fear
for a time be bitter
But. with very few exceptions, the
Z men who sat with rs at the peace table
z desired ds sincerely as We did to get
away from the bad influences, the i.
legitimate purposes, the demcralizing