The Commoner.
VOL. 16, NO. 7
President Wilson Says People Want Peace
The Administration's Mexican Policy Defended in Notable Address of the President Before New York Press Club
An Aosoclntod Press dispatch, dated Now
York, Juno 80, says: ProBidont Wilson mado It
plain in his spooch at tho Now York Press
club banquet tonight that ho will not counton-"
unco a war with Mexico until thcro is no othor
Alternative for settling tho border troubles.
Again ho doclarcd that ho was ready to sacrl
flco his own political fortunes in ordor to carry
out Uis convictions as to what would bo tho just
course to pursuo in tho situation.
Tho President's audionco, composed of nows
papor men, stato and municipal political lead
ers and othors prominont in public llfo signified
tholr indorsement of his position by repeated
outbursts of applauso. When ho asked if tho
glory of America would bo enhanced by a war
of conquest in Moxico, shouts of "no" came from
all parts of tho banquet hall. A similar response
was mado to his quory whether it is America's
duty to "carry self dofonso to tho point of dic
tation into tho affairs of anothor people"
Tho President dwelt also on his efforts to servo
tho wholo people, thousands of whom, ho said,
aro appealing to him to maintain peace as long
as possible.
"I havo constantly to romlnd myself," ho said,
"that I am not tho servant of those who wish
to onhanco tho valuo of their Moxican invest
ments, but that I am tho servant of the -rank
and filo of tho people of tho United States."
Dainbrldgo Colby, who placed Theodore
Itoosovolt in nomination, for tho presidency at
tlo progressive convention at Chicago, paid
Presidont Wilson high tribute, but did not de
claro unqualifiedly that ho would support him
in tho coining campaign, as it was reported ho
would do.
Prosldont Wilson arose from his seat and
shook hands with Mr. Colby as ho finished
speaking. Mayor John P. Mltchel, Ralph Pulit
zor and Irvin S. Cobb also spoke. The presi
dential party, which included Mrs. Wilson, oc
cupied seats in tho balcony. Presidont Wilson
did not bogin to speak until almost 11 o'clock.
TEXT OP ADDRESS
Tho Prosidont's speech, in full, was as fol
lows: "I realize that I have done a very imprudent
thing: I havo como to address this thoughtful
company of men without any preparation what
ever. If I could havo written as witty a speech
as Mr. Pulitzer, I would havo written it. If I
could havo written as clear a definition of. the
fundamental ideals of American patriotism as
tho mayor, I should havo attempted it. If I
should havo been as appealing a person and of
as fooling a heart as Mr. Cobb, I would havo felt
safe, If I could havo been as generous and in
teresting and genuine as Mr. Colby, I should
havo felt that I could lot myself go without any
preparation.
"But, gentlemen, as a matter of fact, I havo
been absorbed by tho responsibilities which have
been so frequently reforrod to hero tonight, and
that preoccupation has mado it impossible for
mo to enforce even what you would like to hear
mo talk about.
"There is something very oddly contradictory
about the effect you men hoye on me. You are
sometimes, particularly in your photographic
enterprises, very brutal to me. You sometimes
invado my privacy, oven to tho extent of forming
my judgments boforo they are formed, and yet I
am tempted when I stand face to face with you
to take off all guard and merely expose myself
to you as the fallible human boing that I am
PREPAREDNESS BEYOND DEBATE
"Mr S,lby said something that was among
the few things I had forecast to say myself He
said that there are certain things which really
it is useless to debate, because they go as a mat
ter of course. Of course it is our duty to 'pre
pare this nation to take care of its honor and of
its institutions. Why debate any part of that
except the detail, except the plan itself, which is
always debatable.
"Of courso it is tho duty of tho government
which it will never overlook, to defend tho ter
ritory and people of this country. It goes with
out saying that it is tho duty of the administra
tion to havo constantly in mind with the utmost
sensitiveness every point of national honor But
WELSON'S CLARION DEM
O 0
In his brief speech to the Press club
in Now York June 30, President Wilson
made tho most virile and striking utter-
anccs of his career.
In simple, pointed language that went
to tho core of his subject tho President
voiced his intimate views and purposes
with regard to Mexico, and rose to a 0
piano of moral courage and self-detach-
mont that is calculated to leave his op-
ponents gasping what to think or say.
Tho President dismissed as self-evident
propositions that it is a nation's duty to
protect its honor and defend its territory.
Tho methods only aro debatable. Should
we act upon impulse and passion, or
should we be guided by justice and rea-
son and right principles, consult the
opinions of mankind, plan the thing we
mean to do, the results we wish to ob-
tain, and forecast and control the conse-
quences. It is the easiest thing to strike.
Aggression is spontaneous an impluse.
But would there bo any real glory for
America in a war of conquest on Mex-
ico? Do the American people wish war
if tho objects can be attained by more
humane methods? The President does
not own tho government of the United
States. He can not use it to wreak his
passion or serve his ambitibns.' He is
the servant of the people. He is con-
corned with what they desire, not with
the interest of a few capitalists to "en-
hanco the value of their Mexican invest-
ments." His personal and political for-
tunes must not be permitted to figure in
the matter. He is concerned to do the
right thing and with the verdict of his-
tory, not to be re-elected on November
7. It will make little difference whether
ho is President for four years more, but
a great deal of difference if he should
needlessly and wrongfully involve tho
two countries in war.
If those who started the European
war had used their heads and paid "de-
cent respect to the opinions of mankind,"
before they plunged into it, how much
remorse and misfortune they would have
saved themselves and others.
Mr. Wilson, in short, is prepared to
fight for the protection of our national
honor and the .defence of our territory
from Mexican outrage and invasion, but
ho is not prepared to assume dictation of
their national affairs or to wage a war
of conquest on them either for glory or
spoils. 0
Tho President's Press club speech is
an open and mortal challenge to the
swashbucklers, the jingoes, the would-be
exploiters and imperialists, all and sing-
ular, who have striven and clamored for
war with Mexico to 'serve their own sel-
fish aims and desires, financial, political
and otherwise. It serves notice on them
that he is standing by his guns, that his
policy of reason and patience is inex-
haustible, and that while he does not
arrogate the power to control circum-
stances and prevent war in the last re-
sort, his ear will always be open to the
counsels that may open the way to hon-
orably and profitably avoid it, and fall-
ing that he will conduct and restrict its
operations in the interest of humanity
and with due regard to the rights of
others. Knoxvllle . Sentinel.
w 0
00
gentlemen, after you have said and accepted
these obvious things, your programme of action
is still to bo formed.
"When will you act, and how will you act?
i TTh? T1 thing ls t0 strike- The brutal
thing is the impulsive thing. No man hiwtn
think before he takes aggressive !acttan? but be
fore a man really conserves.the honor by realiz
ing tho ideals of the nation, he has to think
exactly what he will do and how he win
do it. vm
GLORY IN CONQUEST
"Do you thinkfthe glory of America would bn
enhanced by a war of conquest in Mexico? Do
you think that any act of violence by a powerful
nation like this against a weak and distracted
neighbor would reflect distinction upon the an
nals of the United States? Do you think that
it is our duty to carry self-defense to the point
of dictation in tho affairs' of other people? Tho
ideals of America are written plain upon every
page of American history.
"And I want you to know how fully I realize
whoso servant I am. I do not own the govern
ment of the United States, even for the time be
ing. I have no right in the use of it to express
my own passions. I have no right to express my
own ambitions for the development of America
if those ambitions are not coincident with tho
ambitions of the nation itself.
''And I have constantly to remind myself that ,
I am not the servant of those who Wish to en
hance the value of their Mexican investments,
but that I am the servant of the' rank and filo
of the people of the United 'States.
"I get a great many letters, my fellow-citizens,
from important and influential men in this
country, but I get a great many other letters.
I get letters from unknown men, from humblo
women, from people whose nam.es have never
been heard and will never be recorded, and
there is but one prayer in all" these 'letters : 'Mr.
President, do not allow anybody to persuade you
that the people of this country want war with
anybody.'
FINDS MANY AGAINST WAR
"I got off a train yesterday and as I was bid
ding goodby to the engineer he said in an un
dertone, 'Mr. President, keep usroul of Mexico,'
and if one man has said .that to me a thousand
have said it to me as J have moved about the
country. If I have opportunity to engage them
further in conversation they say, 'Of course we
know that you can not govern the circumstances
of the case altogether, and t may 'be necessary,
but for God's sake do not do it unless it is neces
sary.' "I am fo the time being the spokesman of
such people, gentlemen. I- have not read history
without observing that the greatest forces in the
world and the only permanent forces are the
moral forces. We have the evidence of a very
competent witness, namely, the first Napoleon,
who said as he looked back in the last days of
his life upon so mttch as he lcneW of human his
tory, he had to record the judgment, that force
had never accomplished anything that was per
manent. "Force will not accomplish anything that is
permanent, I venture to say, in the great strug
gle which is now going on on the other side of
the sea. The permanent things will he accom
plished afterward when the opinion of mankind
is brought to bear upon the issues, and the only
thing that will hold the world steady ls this
same silent, insistent, all-powerful opinion of
mankind. Force can sometimes hold things
steady until opinion has time to form, but no
force that was ever exerted except in response
to that opinion was ever a conquering1 and pre
dominant force.
RESPECT DEMANDS REASONS
"I think the sentence in American history that
1 myself am proudest of is that In the introduc
tory sentence of the Declaration of Independ
ence, where the writers 'say - that a due respect
for the opinion of mankind demands that they
state the reasons for what they are about to do.
I venture to say that a decent respect for tho
opinion of mankind demanded that those who
started the present European war should havo
stated their -reasons, but they did not pay any
heed to the opinion of mankind, and tho reck
oning will come when the settlement comes.
"So, gentlemen, I am willing, no matter what
my personal fortunes may be, to play for the ver
dict of mankind. Personally, it will be a matter
of indifference to me what the verdict of the
-seventh of November is, provided I feel my de
cree of confidence that when a later jury sits, I
shall get their judgment in my favor. Not in
my favor personally -what difference does that
. -a-wUfcjt&OTJM