Evening star., 1935-11-11
Address of President
Text of Chief Executives Armistice Day Speech
at ArInqton Cemetery.

national contracts is on the wane.
The memory Of our hopes OF
1917 and 1918 dies with the death
of those OF us who took part. 1t
is. therefore, your sacred obligation
and mine, by conscious effort, to
pass that memory on to succeed
ing generations. A new genera
ton. even in its cradle or still un-
born, is coming to the fore. The
children in our schools, the young
men and women passing through
our colleges into productive life
have, unlike us. no direct knowl-
edge of the meaning Of war. They
are not immune to the glamour of
war. to the opportunities to escape
from the drabness and worry of
hard times at home in the glory
and heroism of the arms factory
and the battlefield. Fortunately,
there Is evidence on every hand
that the youth of America, as a
whole, are not trapped by that de-
lusion. They know that elation
and prosperity which may come
from a new war must lead-for
those who survive ito economic
and social collapse more sweeping
than any We have experienced in
the past. While, therefore. we
cannot and must not hide our con-
Germ for grave world dangers, and
while, at the same time. We cannot
build walls around ourselves and
hide our heads in the sand, We
must go forward with all our
strength to stress and to strive for
International peace.
In this effort America must and
will protect herself. Under no cir
cumstances will this policy of self
protection go to lengths beyond
lf-protection. Aggression on the
part of the United States is an
impossibility in so far as the pres
ent administration of your Gov
ernment is concerned. Defense
against aggression by others-ade-
quate defense on land. on sea and
in airs our accepted policy, and
the measure of that defense is and
will be solely the amount necessary
to safeguard us against the arma-
ments of others. The more greatly
they decrease their armaments. the
more quickly and surely shall We
decrease ours.
Removal of Barriers
Example to World.
In many other fields, by word
and deed, we are giving example to
the world by removing or lowering
barriers which impede friendly in
tercourse. Our soldier and sailor
dead call to us across the years to
make our lives effective in building
constructively for peace. 1t is fit
ting that on this Armistice day I
am privileged to tell you that be-
tween us and great neighbor, an
other act cementing our historic
friendship has been agreed upon
and is being consummated. Be-
tween Canada and the United
States exists a neighborliness. a
genuine friendship which for over
century has dispelled every pass
ing rift.
Our two peoples. each inde-
pendent in themselves, are closely
knit by ties of blood and a COM
mon heritage: our standards of life
are substantially the same, our
commerce and our economic condi-
tons rest upon the same founda-
tlons. Between two such peoples,
II we would build constructively for
peace and progress, the flow of in
tercourse should be mutually bene-
hclal and not unduly hampered.
Each has much to gain by material
profit and by increased employment
through the means Of enlarged
trade, one with the other.
am, therefore, happy to be able
to tell you on Armistice day that
the Canadian prime minister and I.
after thoughtful discussion of our
national problems, have reached a
definite agreement which will elm
mate disagreement and unreason-
able restrictions and thus work to
the advantage of both Canada and
the United States.
Good Example Is Strongest Force.
The power of good example is
the strongest force in the world.
1t surpasSes preachments, it excels
good resolutions. it Is better than
agreements unfulfilled.
If we as a Nation, by our good
example, can contribute to the
peaceful well-being of the fellow
ship of nations, our course through
the years will not have been in
vain.
We who survive have profited by
the good example of our fellow
Americans who gave their lives in
war. On these surrounding hills
of Virginia they rest-thousands
upon thousands-in the last biv-
ouac of the dead. Below us, across
the river, we see great Capital
of a great Nation.
The past and the present unite
in the prayer that America will
ever seek the ways Of peace, and
by her example at home and
abroad speed the return Of good
will among men.