The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-25

are half as glad to see me as am
to see you. II warns my heart to
see a great body Of my fellow citi-
Gems again, because In some respects
during the recent months l have
been very lonely indeed without
your comradeship and counsel, and
/ tried at every step of the work
which fell TO me to recall what I
was sure would be your counsel
with regard to the great matters
which were under consideration.
do not want you to think that I
have not been appreciative Of the
extraordinarily generous reception
which was given to me on the
other side. In saying that It makes
me very happy to get home again
do not mean to say that I was not
very deeply touched by the cries
hat 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. I had in my heart
the overcrowning pride OF being
your representative and Of receiv-
ing 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 a tone of mere greeting;
1t was not a tone of mere generous
welcome: It was the calling OF COM
rade to comrade. the cries that
come from men who say 1--WE
have waited for this day when the
friends OF liberty should come
across the sea and shake hands
with US, to see that a new world
was constructed upon a new basis
and foundation Of justice and
right"
Trusted Throughout World.
can't. tell you the inspiration
that came from the sentiments that
come out Of those simple voices OF
the crowd, and the proudest thing
have to report to you Is that this
great country Of ours is trusted
throughout the world. f
have not come TO. report the
proceedings or the results OF the
proceedings of the Peace Confer
ence: that would be premature. I
can say that have received very
happy impressions from this con-
ference; the impression that while
there are many differences OF judg-
ment, while there are some diver
gences of object. there is neverthe-
less a common spirit AMI a common
realization OF the necessity of set
ting up new standards OF right in
the world.
Because the men who are in con-
ference in Paris realize as keenly
as any American 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
new purpose and a new conception
of their power to realize that pur-
pose, and that no man dare go
home from that conference and re-
port anything less noble than was
expected OF II.
The conference seems to YOU to
go slowly; from day to day in Paris
II seems to go slowly: but 1 Won
der IL you realize the complexity Of
the task which it has undertaken.
1t seems as II the settlements of
this war affect, and affect directly.
every great. and sometimes think
every small. nation in the world.
and no one decision can prudently
be made which is not properly
linked in with the great series OF
other decisions which must accom-
pany it, and it must be reckoned
In with the final result II the real
quality and character OF that result
Is to be properly Judged.
Hearing the whole Case.
What we are doing is TO hear the
whole case: hear 1t from the mouths
OF the men most interested: hear 1t
from those who are officially COM
. rnissioned to state II; hear the rival
claims; hear the claims that affect
new nationalities, that affect new
areas OF the world, that affect new
commercial and economic connec-
tions that have been established by
the great world war through which
we have gone. And l have been
struck by the moderateness OF those
who have represented national
claims.
l can testify that have nowhere
seen the gleam OF passion. ! have
seen earnestness, | have seen tears
come to the eyes CT men who plead
for downtrodden people whom they
were privileged to speak for; but
they were not the tears OF anguish,
they were the tears Of ardent hope,
And don't see how any man can
fail TO have been subdued by these
pleas, subdued to this feeling. that
he was not there to assert an indi-
yidual judgment OF his own but
TO try to assist the case of hu-
manity.
And in the midst OF II all every
interest seeks out first OF all, when
II reaches Paris. the representatives
of the United States. Why? Be-
cause, and / think am stating the
most wonderful fact in history-be-
cause there Is no nation in Europe
that suspects the motives OF the
United States.
Was there ever so wonderful a
thing seen before? Was there ever
so moving a thing? Was there ever
any fact that so bound the nation