THE OUTSPEAKING OF A GREAT DEMOCRACY 



The Proceedings of the Chamber of Deputies of France 



on Friday, April 6, 1917, as Reported in the 



"Journal Officiel de La Republique Francaise" 



PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF 

 Deputies: The President of the 

 Council has the floor. 



Mr. Ribot, President of the Coun- 

 cil, Minister of Foreign Affairs : Be- 

 fore the Chamber adjourns the Govern- 

 ment asks it to address a cordial greet- 

 ing to the great Republic of the United 

 States. (Cheers. All the deputies rise, 

 turn tozvard the diplomatic gallery, and 

 applaud [the Ambassador of the United 

 States being in the gallery]. Many cries 

 of "Long live the Republic") 



You have read the admirable message 

 of President Wilson. We all feel that 

 something great, something which ex- 

 ceeds the proportions of a political event, 

 has been accomplished. (Cries of assent.) 



It is an historic fact of unequaled im- 

 portance (applause) — this entry into the 

 war on the side of us and our allies by 

 the most peaceful democracy in the 

 world. (Loud applause.) After having 

 done everything to affirm its attachment 

 to peace, the great American nation de- 

 clares solemnly that it cannot remain 

 neutral in this immense conflict between 

 right and violence, between civilization 

 and barbarism. (Loud and prolonged 

 applause.) It holds that honor requires 

 it to take up the defiance flung at all rules 

 of international law so laboriously built 

 up by civilized nations. (Applause.) 



It declares at the same time that it is 

 not fighting for self-interest, desires 

 neither conquest nor compensation, in- 

 tends only to help toward a victory of the 

 cause of law and liberty. (All the depu- 

 ties rise and applaud.) 



A MESSAGE OF DELIVERANCE 



The grandeur, the nobility, of this ac- 

 tion is enhanced by the simplicity and 

 serenity of the language of the illustrious 

 leader of that great democracy. (Loud 



applause.) 



If the world had entertained the least 

 doubt of the profound meaning of this 

 war in which we are engaged, the mes- 

 sage of the President of the United 

 States would dissipate all obscurity. It 

 makes apparent to all that the struggle is 

 verily a struggle between the liberal spirit 

 of modern societies and the spirit of op- 

 pression of societies still enslaved to mili- 

 tary despotism. (Prolonged applause.) 

 It is for this reason that the message 

 rings in the depths of all hearts like a 

 message of deliverance to the world. 

 (Applause.) 



The people which, under the inspira- 

 tion of the writings of our philosophers, 

 declared its rights in the eighteenth cen- 

 tury, the people who place Washington 

 and Lincoln foremost among their heroes 

 (applause), the people who in the last 

 century suffered a civil war for the aboli- 

 tion of slavery (cheers; the whole Cham- 

 ber rises and applauds), were indeed 

 worthy to give such an example to the 

 world. 



Thus they remain faithful to the tradi- 

 tions of the founders of their independ- 

 ence and demonstrate that the enormous 

 rise of their industrial strength and of 

 their economic and financial power has 

 not weakened in them that need for an 

 ideal without which there can be no great 

 nation. (Applause.) 



A FRIENDSHIP RATIFIED IN BLOOD 



What touches us particularly is that 

 the United States has held to the friend- 

 ship which at an earlier time was ratified 

 in blood. (Applause.) We bear witness 

 with grateful joy to the enduring sym- 

 pathy between the peoples, which is one 

 of the delicate virtues the bosom of a 

 democracy can nourish. 



The Star-spangled Banner and the Tri- 

 color will fly side by side ; our hands will 

 join ; our hearts beat in unison. This 



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