Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-18
By the Associated Press.

me teTt OF NINE. ChtQnq
Kdi-Shek's address to the
House today tollo1Ds::
Mr.. President, Mr.. Speaker and
members Of the Congress of the
United States:
At any time, it would be a privi-
lege for me to address Congress,
more especially this present august
body which will have so much to do
in shaping the destiny of the world
In speaking to Congress am literal
ly speaking to the American people
The Seventy-seventh Congress, as
their representatives., fulfilled the
obligations and possibilities of its
trust by declaring war on the ag-
gressors. That part of the duty Of
the peoples representatives was dis
charged in l941. The task now con-
fronting you is to help win the war
and to create and uphold lasting
peace which will justify the sacrifices
and sufferings of the victims of ag-
erosion.
Before enlarging on this subject, I
my long and wildly interesting trip
to your country from my own land
which has bled and borne unflinch-
ingly the burden of war for more
than five and a half years. I shall
not dwell, however, upon the part
China has played in our united eff
fort to free mankind from brutality
and violence. I shall try to convey
to you, however imperfectly, the i'm
pressions gained during the trip.
Lauds U. S. Fighting Men.
First of all, I want to assure you
that the American people have every
right to be proud of their fighting
mel in so many parts of the world.
l am particularly thinking OF those
OF your boys in the far-f1ung, out-of-
the-way stations and areas where
life is attended by dreary drabness
this because their duty is not one
of spectacular performance and they
are not buoyed up by the excitement
Of battle They are called upon, day
after colorless day, to perform rou-
tine duties such as safeguarding de-
lenses and preparing for possible
enemy action.
It has been said, and find 1t true
from personal experience, that 1t is
easier to risk ones life on the battle
field than it is to perform customary
humble and humdrum duties which,
however, are just as necessary to
winning the war. Some OF your
troops are stationed in isolated
spots. quite out Of reach of ordinary
communications. Some OF the boys
have had to fly hundreds of hours
over the sea from an improvised air
field in quests, often disappointingly
fruitless. of enemy submarines.
They, and others, have to stand the
monotony of waiting-just waiting.
But, As I told them, true patriotism
lies in possessing the morale and
physical stamina to perform taltn-
fully and conscientiously the daily
tasks so that in the sum total the
weakest link is the strongest.
Your soldiers have shown conclu-
sively that they are able stolcally
to endure inconsistencies the glarins
dryness, and scorching heat OF the
tropics. and keep themselves nj ana
in excellent fighting trim. Ihey
are amongst the unsung heroes OF
this war, and everything possible
10 tighten their tedium and buoy
M their morale should be done
That sacred duty is yours. Inc
American Army is better fed than
anv army in the world. That doeS
not mean, however that they can
live indefinitely on canned food
without having the effects tell on
them. These admittedly are the
minor hardships OF war, eSpeclaIiS
when we pause TO consider that IN
many parts of the world, starvation
prevails. But, peculiarly enough
oftentimes. it is not the major prop
,en,s of existence which irk a man
soul. it is rather the pin prlcKS'
especially those incidental to NE
Of deadly sameness, with tempers
fraved out and nervous systems
torn TO Shreds.
L
The second impression OF my TRIP
is that America is not only tne
cauldron of democracy, but the IN
crhator OF democratic principles.
At some of the places l VISITED l
met the crews Of your air passes
There I found first generation
Germans. italians. FTenchmen,
Poles Czechoslovakians, and other
nationals. Some of them had &C
cents so thick that, If such thlng
were possible, one could not cut
them with a butter knife. But
there they were, all Americans, all
devoted TO the same Ideals, al!
working for the same cause ana
united by the same high purpose
No suspicion o. rivalry existed
between them. This Increased my
belief and faith that devotion TO
common principles eliminates oil
ferences in race, and that Identity
of ideals is the strongest possible
solvent Of racial diSsimllarltles.
have reached your country
therefore. with no mlsglvlngs, but
with my belief that the American
people are building and carrying out
true pattern OF the nation con-
ceived by your forebears, strength
ened and confirmed. You as repre-
/ sentatives of the American people
/ have before you the glorious oppor-
tunity of carrying on the pioneer
work of your ancestors. beyond the
frontiers of physical and geographic
cal limitations. Their Drawn anC
thews braved undauntedly almos'
unbelievable hardShips to open up 2
new continent. The modern worlo
lauds them for their vigor and in
tenSity Of purpose. and for their &C
complIshment. You have today be-