Evening star., 1926-05-31
TEXT OF PRESIDENTS SPEECH -
AT ARLINGTON MEMORIAL RITES

The text of the Presidents speech
at Arlington today follows in full:
Fellow Americans:
The Nation approaches no ceremony
with such universal sanction as that
which Is held in CONNIE mora! ion owe,
| the grave Of those who have ger
formed military duty. In our resps'''
for the living and our reverence fuI
the dead. in the unbOunded tree sure
which we have poured out In bo,ntie :
In he continual requiem service
| which We have held. America at leaa;
has demonstrated that republics are
not unC:'aitful. ], = one Of the gio..
of our cnUn - tat 80 long as ~
| remain faitnfU! 20 ne cause OF justice
and truth ard l!'e"t!. this action VII
continue. We have r-pceI no war ,'
determine :. s,,"... Lon. "~tahli>;t :,
dynasty. or G;o"ifr reigning horse,
Our military operations have heen |r:
The service Of tire cause Of humanity.
! The principles on which they have
ma Il fought have more and more come
81" hs accepted as the ul:ima'e stand
s., dis ~ the world. They have been
"f = II enduring s'ihst an"e. which Is nos
/ weakened mI' on,E strengthened 10
! j." ~ aSsa@n "f t:nls "ri the runteIn.
! pia tiDfl ~ reasui..
/ More Fortunate Than Others.
cur experience in tha: rcHpa,t "uGl
nut 20 lead us too hastily to assume
| ina va have been therefore Dfjt",
, than other people. hut certainly we
F.: la .'e been more fortunate. We came
| on the stage at a later time. 40 that
this country had presented to II.
| atraat,- attained. a riNiiiZa ton that
other coun.ries had secured only as
= result Of a, long and painful struggle.
| IF a,.int ns y.-jti i.h 20 "a
composed. substantially AL have Il
history for making warfare which 1t
! - oftent times hard to Justify, as they
/ iAN.- come up through various
| :!e.raes of Development. They l'ura
! his burden. in ages past IN or,isr that
this country wight he freed from ii.
| Under the rirriunsta 1t behuoVeS
| lis to look on their record of adVanc
through great difficulties with much
| compa ssinn and he thankful that we
! have been spared from n like ex-
! Der;ence, ami out of our cOmpa SSiol,
and our thankfulness constantly to
| remember that because of greater adj
| vantages and opportunities we are
| charged with superior duties and Obli-
| cations. Perhaps no country on earth
| has greater responsibilities tina n
| America.
| Notwithsta a nding all the honor which
| this country has bestowed upon the
| living and all the reverence that
| has marked it's attitude toward the
| dead who have served us in military
| capacity, we are not II Warlike Nation.
, As people we have not sought
military glory.
For Permanent Peace.
Because Of our fortunate circum-
stances. such wars az we have waee,l
I h .Af nj 0
| conditions under which peace would
he more perma nent. liberty would he
more secure. and justice would he
| more certain. 1t was this principal
/ that peculiarly characterized the
forces acknowledged as their com
ma ander i'm chief Ahra ham Lincoln.
! While this day was legally established
| many years ago AS an occasion to be
j devoted to the memory of o,Ii'
| country's dead. it cannot but each
year refresh the sentiment uf respect
| and honor in which our country
| holds their living comrades. or those
great armies that maintained the long
| struggle from 1861 to 1865. which
| anked in siza with any the world
! had ever before seen, but few
shattered ranks now remain. The Old
| valor vet lives. The Old devotion Ia
! country, the old loyalty to the flag
remain. But the youth and physical
vigor which caused them to be
| characterized as the boys in blue are
gone from these heroes of a former
generation.
But the spirit which they so nobly
represented two generations ago has
a., not depa led from the land. 1t was
resurgent in the days Of 1898 and in
1917, and finds lineal succession in
the three branches which make up the
ind and sea forces of the present
iav and in the public opinion of the
peop,e. Our country has never had
hetter-equipped Army ora more efficient
, Navy in time of peace than it has
at the present time. The Air Service
Is being perfected. better quarters are
heins provided and our whole
military establishment is being made
worthy Of the power and dignity of
, this great Nation. We realize that
national security and national defense
cannot he safely neglected. TO do $"
* t" put in peril our domestic tran
auilitv and ieopa rdiZe our respect and
standing among the other nations.
Forces Of Peace.
Yet the American forces are dis
tiuctlv the forces of peace. They are
the guarantees of that order nd ira n
uuillity i'm this part Of the world.
which is alike beneficial to us and all
the other nations. Every one knows
that we covet no territory, we
entertain no iinperialistic design. we
harbor no ennftv toward any other
people. We seek no revenge. we
nurse no grievances. We have lnricted
no Injuries, and we fear no enemies.
our ways are the ways of peace.
We are attempting to make our
contribution to the peace OF the world,
no: IN any sensational or spectacular
way but by the applica ton OF practical,
workable, seasoned methods and An
appeal to the common sense of man
kind We do not rely upon the threat
Of force in our international relations
or in our attempt to maintain our
position in the world. We have seen
force tried, hut the more people study
it's results the more they must he
convinced that on the whole 1t has
failed. Conditions sometimes arise
where 1t seems that An appeal to arms
is inevitable. but such conflicts decide
very little. In the end 1t Is necessary
to make an appeal to reason, and until
| adjustments are reached by Covena ntS
which harmonic with the prevailing
sense OF Justice a final solution has
not been found.
Trying to Prevent War.
Ever since the last great conflict
! the world has been putting renewed
emphasis. not on preparation to
"a