The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-11-19
Tells of How American Sol
diers Gave Their All on
Battlefields.
HE EXPLAINS HIS VISIT
Resents ScurrilOus Charges
About Part Taken in War
by America,

1t was stirring speech that NJ.
Clemenceau made at City Hall. He
had intended to give no hint of his
mission here until he appears In the
Metropolitan Opera House on Tues
day night But, his emotion yelling
to the surface as he listened to George
w. Wickersham and Murray Hubert
speaking in praise OF France and of
Clemenceau. he opened his mind more
freely than he had expected.
He had himself seen France twice
invaded by Germany; he did not want
to see the invasion repeated: France
was not militaristic. but must keep
up her army unless guarantees Of pro-
lection were given.
France must defend herself" That,
in brief, was his message. 1t was
strongly reminiscent OF the position
held by the French delegates to the
disarmament conference in Washing
ton.
Speech of VI. CIemenceau.
Clemenceaus speech follows:
Ladies and gentlemen. the fact is
It is only fifty-sevsn years ago since
saw THIS old City Hall of New York.
At that time It looked to me very
high. why is that? Now it looks so
low.
"Of course ! cannot help being
moved to the utmost by the kind
words which Gen. wickersham and
Mr.. Mayor we're kind enough to adj
dress to me- The fact is that myself
did not come to get greetings. Our in
formation is not so bad over In the
benighted country we call France that.
of course, knew I would have kind
greetings. But did not think II would
go to the bottom as Mr.. Mayors
speech would want me to think.
"You have not said n word. Mr..
Mayor. that Is not an expression of
the truth. You spoke OF the time
when France came to visit the Ameri-
can soil with weapons. But we want
TO see II never again, though II has
progressed toward lettering nations
ana men. we nave udu
the greatest war that ever was In the
world. Men fell by hundreds of thou
sands with that war and we waited
very long sometimes and we looked
around to see If some help would not
come.
Help Came when Needed.
Help did come and It came mag
pIHaantlxr I cf IN fha
OF the American soldier. can speak
OF II as having seen It on the fields,
and / have seen II, too. on the farm
very often | met at the peasants
homes a big. huge American with
two children on his knees. you know.
tlaughterl telling stories 10 them
and trying 10 understand the ques-
tions that the old men and women
should ask about America. or course
he did not speak French more than
the others spoke English. Some way
or other they made themselves un-
derstood. Very soon We discovered
they were all friends.
have eeen ther1-the Americans
in the fight and I have seen them in
tho field when the American Army
under the command Of Gen. Pershing
something like. / think. twenty-five
divsions--and four French took nod
marvellousiy at st. Mihiel. losing
great many people. When I arrived
the next day. what did / see? All the
motors in the old city full of French
women and children and flowers.
These poor people, who had not been
allowed to get out of their dens for
three years. were rescued by the
Americans.
And 1 saw the crowd cry. and
xt.xIr n
once In a while an American soldier
get a kiss from some woman. And II
was the next day after the battle took
place when all of the city had been
emptied by the Americans. II was
a Joy not to be forgotten.
yearned for U. 8. Again.
II saw sometimes the worst. have
seen Americans in the mud OF the
trenches for days and days without
being relieved and looking very sorry,
but the moment came and brought
them the crosses OF war they had
SO magnihcently gained. you know,
they were all smiles. We shook hands
and we spoke OF the old place.
America was the old place. They
did not cry but ] could see the twinkle
In their eyes. OF course they knew
was theirs and they knew they
were mine. one day In the highway
l meet n troop Of soldiers going home
and they made me feel sad when
they spoke OF the old country.
''They said Won't you como to
America some day? ] said: NO, 1
am too old: cannot think OF going
there l said. You make me make
speeches and II tires my lungs. have
very few OF them left. Poor miser-
able things They said. DO come 4
won't 60, said. and for years and
years / said I won't go. One morning
was in my private house bordering
on the sea on the other side of the
water when ] received bad news from
America. heard bad names. We
were called imperlalists and milltar-
lists. l think that Is horrid and I
thought had better so and tell them
how things happened to pass and 10
show them that their judgment was
not sane and not right.
why lie Came TO America.
zone day British newspaper ar
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