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The Commoner
DECEMBER, 1918
President's Annual Address to Congress
Tn his annual message to a joint session opon
4nr the short term of the "reconstruction con
Irpas" on Monday, December -2, President Wilson
outlined this and other measurers aa his policies
of readjustment. . - '
The President's speech follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress: the year that
has elapsed since I last stood before you to ful
fill my constitutional, duty to give the congress
from time to time information on the Btate of
union has been so crowded with great' events,
creat 'processes and great results that I cannot
hope to give you an adequate picture of its
transactions or of the far-roaching changes which
have been wrought in the life of our nation and
of the world. You have yourselves wltnessod
these things as I have. It Is too soon to assess
them; and we who stand in the midst of them
and are part of them are less qualified than men
of another generation will be to say what they
mean, or even what they have been. But some
great outstanding .facts are unmistakable and
constitute, in a sense, part of the public business
with which it is our duty to deal. To state them
is to set the stage for the legislative and execu
tive action which must grow out of them and
which wo have yet to shape and determine.
A year ago we had sent 145,918 men over
seas. Since then we have sent 1,950,513, an
average of 162,542 each month, the number in
fact, rising, in May last to 245,951, in June to
278,760, in July to 307,182 and continuing to
reach similar figures in August and September,
in August 289,570 and in September 257,438.
No such movement of troops ever before took
place, across three thousand miles t sea, fol
lowed by adequate equipment and supplies and
carried safely through extraordinary dangers o
attack dangers which were alike strange and
infinitely difficult to guard against. In all this
movement only seven hundred and fifty-eight
men were lost by enemy 'attack six hundred
and thirty of ;whom were upon a' single English
transport which was sunk near the' Orkney
islands.
I need not tell you what lay back of this great
movement of men and material. It is not invid
ious to say that back of- it lay a supporting
organization-of the industries of the country
and of all its productive activities more com
plete, more thorough -in method and effective in
result, more spirited and unanimous in purpose
and effort than any other great belligerent had
been able to effect. We profited greatly1 by the
experience of the nations which had already been
engaged for nearly three years in the exigent
and exacting business, their every resource and
every executive proficiency taxed to the utmost?
We were their" pupils. But we learned quickly
and acted with a promptness ' and a readiness
that jifstify our great pride that we were able
to serve the world with unparalelled energy and
quick accomplishment. ""
THE WORTH OF ALL
But it is not the physical scale and executive
efficiency of preparation, supply, equipment and
despatch that I would dwell upon, but the mettle
and quality of the officers and men we sent over
and of the sailors nvho kept the seas, and the
spirit of the nation that stood behind them. No
scldiers or sailors ever proved themselves more
quickly ready for the test of battle. or acquitted
themselves' with more splendid courage and
achievement when put to the test. Th'ose of us
wno played some part in directing the great
Processes by which the wtir was pushed irre
sistibly forward to the final triumph may now
mrget all that and delight our thoughts with the
story of what our men did. Their officers under
stood the grim and exacting task they had
undertaken and performed it with an audacity,
emclency and unhesitating courage that touch
uie story of convoy and battle with imperishable
stinction at every turn; whether the enterprise
were great or small from their great chiefs,
waning and Sims,. down to the' youngest lieuten
ant; and their men wero" worthy of them
such men as hardly need t be commanded, and
so to their terrible adventure blithely and with
ne quick intelligence of those who know just
;flat "Is they would accomplish. I am proud
? SfeUSr cjuntryman . of men of such
sum and valbrThose of us who stayed at home
urn our duty; the war could not have been won
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WILSON'S READJUSTMENT PROGRAM
Passage of woman's suffrage.
Use of existing government agencies
to effect reconstruction. - .
Immediate resumption of development
of public works to provide employment
for returning soldiers. '
Ratification of the Columbian treaty to
improve pan-American rdlations. 0
Immediate determination of taxes for
' 1918, 1919 and 1920 and lifting as much
of taxi burden from business as govern-
ment needs will permit.
Priority of distribution of American
raw materials to war stricken nations.
Complete consummation of "the threo
year naval program. .
Leaves determination of, railroad's
future to congress but recommends
against return to pre-war conditions of
railroad ontrol unmodified.
TIrereR rjiilrnsirl nnnt.rnl rmnfiHnn x ln- ()
studied by congress Immediately " to
quickly remove doubt of sthejr future.
Reclamation of arid, swamp and cut-
over land. - -
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or the gallant men who fought it given their
opportunity to win it otherwise; but for manyv
a long day we shall think ourselves "accurs'd
we were not there and hold our manhood cheap
while any speaks that fought" with these at St.
Mihlel or Thierry. The memory of these days
of triumphant battle will o with these fortunae
men to their graves; and each will have his
favorite memory.
"Old men forget;, yet all shall be forgot, but
he'll remember with advantages what feats Jie
did that day."
WhaN; we all thank God for with deopest grat
itude is that our men went in force Into the
line of battle just at the critical moment when
the whole fate of the world seemed to hang in
the balance and threw their fresh strength into
the rankp of freedom in time to turn the whole
tide and sweep of the fateful struggle turn it
once for all, so that henceforth it was back,
back,. back for the enemies, always back, never
agan forward!
After that it was only a scant four months
before" the commanders of the central empires
knew- themselves beaten; and now their very
empires ae in liquidation!
SPIRIT IN COOPERATION
And throughout- it all how fine the snirit of
the nation was; what unity of purpose, what un
tiring zeal!
What elevation of purpose ran through all Its
splendid display of strength, its untiring accom
plishment. I have said that those of us who
stayed at home to do the work of organization
and supply will always wish that he had been
with men whom we sustained by our labor; but
we can never bo ashamed. It has been an in
spiring thing to be here in the midst of fine
men who had turned aside from every private
Interest of their own and devoted the whole of
their trained capacity to the tasks that supplied
the sinews of the whole great undertaking!
The patriotism, the unselfishness, the thorough-going
devotion and distinguished capacity
that marked their toilsome Tabors of the day
after day, month after month, have made them
fit mates and comrades of the men In the
trenches and on the sea. And not the men here
in Washington only. They have but directed the
vast achievement. Throughout Innumerable, fac
tories, upon innumerable farms, in the depths
of coal mines and iron mines and copper mines,
wherever thestuffs of industry were to be ob
tained and prepared, in the shipyards, on the
railways, at the docks, on the sea, in every
labor that was needed to sustain the battle lines,
men have vied with each other to do their part
and do it well. They can look any man at arms
in the face and say: "We also strove to win and
iave the best that was in us to make our fleets
nd armies sure of their triumph!"
And what shall wo say of the women Of
their Instant intelligence, qulckonlng evory &l
that they touched; their capacity for organize
tion and co-operation which gavo their action
discipline and enhanced tho effectiveness ol
everything thoy attempted; their attitude a(
tasks to which thoy had novor before aot thef
hands; their utter self-sacrifice alike In which .
thoy did anil In what they gave? Tholr con
tribution to tho groat result Is beyond appraisal.
They have added a new luster to tho anuals
of tho American womanhood.
The loast tribute wo can pay thorn is to make
- them tho equals of mon in poetical rights as
thoy have proved thomaolves equals in every
field of practical work they have entered,
whothor for themselves or for tholr country.
These groat days of complotod achievement
vrould bo sadly marred wero wo to omit that act
of just'eo. Besides, tho immense practical
services thoy have pondered, tho women of the
country have boon tho moving spirits in tho
systematic economies by which our pooplo have
voluntarily assisted to mipply the suffering
peoples of the 'world and tho armies upon ovory
front vlth food and everything elso that wo had
that might sorvo tho common cause. Tho details
' of such a story can nevor bo fully vritton, but
wo carry thorn at our hearts and thank God that
we can say that wo are tho kinsmen of such.
And, now we aro sure of tho groat trlumpha
for which evory sacrifice was made. It hap, come,
come In Its completeness, and with thp prldo t
and Inspiration of these days of achievement ,
quick within us wo, turn to tho tanks of peace ,
again a poace secure against tho vlel.onco'of
irresponsible monarchs and amb'Cious military
coterlo'B and made ready for a now order, for
now foundations of justice and fair dealing. ,
INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE SOUGHT' '
We aro about to give order and organisation '
to this peace not only for ourselves",' but 'for tho
other peoples of the world as well, so far as.
tliey will suffer us to serve them. It Is interna
tional justice that wo seek, not domestic safety
merely. Our thoughts have dwelt of lato upon
Europe, upon Asia, upon tho Near andFar Eat,
very l'ttle upon the acts of peace and accomoda
tion that Wait to be performed at our own doors.
While wo aro adjusling our relations with the
rest of tho world, Is it not of capital importance
that wo should clear away all grounds of mis-understandlng-wlth
our immediate neighbors and
give proof of the frlendsh'pwo really fool? I .
hope that the members of the senate will permit
me to speak onco more of the unratified treaty
of friendship and adjustment with tho republic
of Columbia. I very earnestly urge upon them
an early and favorable action upon that vital
matter. I believe that" they will "fool, with me,
that the stage of affairs Is now sot for such
action as w!ll be not only just but generous and
in the spirit of the new ago upon which we have,
so happily entered. ,
So far as our domestic affairs ar3 concerned
the problems of our return to pe'aco is a problem
of economic and industrial readjustment That
problem is loss serious for us than it may turn
out to bo for tho nations which have suffered
tho disarrangements and tho losses of war longer
than wo. Our people, moreover, do not wait to
be coached and led. They know their own busi
ness, aro quick and resourceful at every read
justment, definite In purpose and self reliant In
action.
Any leading strings we might seek to put
them in would speedily become hopelessly tan
gled because they would pay no attention to
them and go their own way. All that we can
do as their legislative and executive servants Is ,
to mediate the process of change hero, there and
elsewhere as we may. I have heard much counsel
as to the plans that should be formed and per.
sonally conducted to a happy consummation, .but
from no quarter have I seen any general scheme
of "reconstruction" emerge which I thought it
likely we could force our spirited business men
'and self reliant laborers to accept with due
pliancy and obedience.
' PRESENT AGENCIES COMPETENT
While the war lasted, we set up many agen
cies by which to direct the industries of the
country in the services It was necessary for .them
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