Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1905-03-04
INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

livered by President Roosevelt on the
occasion of his Inauguration today
My FELLOW CITIZENS: No people
on earth have more cause to be thank
full than ours, and this is said reyerently,
in no spirit of bcastiulness in our own
strength, but with gratitude 10 the Gisef
of Good who has blessed us with the
conditions which have enabled us to
achieve so large measure of well-being
and Of happiness. TO us as people it
has been granted TO lay the foundations
of our national life in a new continent
We are the heirs Of the ages, and yet
we have had to pay few of the penalties
which in old countries are exacted by
the dead hand of a bygonc civilization.
We have not been obliged to fight for
our existence against any alien race and yet
our life has called for the yigOr and effort
without which the manlier and harder vir'
tues wither away. Under such conditions 1t
would he our own fault if we failed and the
success which we have bad in the past, the
success which we confidently believe the
future will bring, should cause in us no feel,
abiding realization Of all which life has Of
fered us; full acknowledgment Of the re-
spohsibility which is ours; and hxed de-
termination to show that under free govern
n ent a mighty people can thrive best, ailse
as regards the things of the body and the
things of the soul.
Much has been given to us, and much will
rightfuly be expected from US. We have
duties to others and duties to ourseyelyes
and we can shirk neither. We nave
become a great nation, forced by the iact OF
its greatness into relations with the other ma
tions of the earth and we must behave as
beseeEs people with such responsibilities.
Toward ali ether nations, large. and small,
our attitude must be one Of cordial and sincere
friendship. We must show not only IN our
words but in our deeds that we are earnestly
desirous of securing their good will by aching
toward them in a spirit Of Just and generous
recognition of all their rights. But justice
and generosity in nation, as in an Individual,
count most when shown not by the weak Dut
by the strong. While ever careful 70 refrain
from wronging others. we must be no less lIl'
sstept that we are not wronged ourselves
we wish peace: but we wish the peace of
instice. the peace Of Righteousness. We wish
II because we think it is right and not because
we are afraid. No weak nation that acts
manfuliy and Justly should ever have cause
10 fear us. and no strong power should ever be
able to single us out as subject for lnsolent
Our relations with the other powers OF the
world are important; but still more important
are our relations among ourselves. Such
growth in wealth, in population ana IN power
as this nation has seen during the century
and quarter ofits national life IS inevitaoiy
accon,eanied by like growth in the prob
| .s.l.o hQftr nation mat
rises 10 greatness. Power invariably means
both responsibility and danger. Our fore
fathers faced certain perils which we have
outgrown. We now face other perils the very
existence of which il was impossible that they
should foresee. Modern life is both complex
and intense. and the tremendous changes
wrought b, the extraordinary industrial de-
velopment of the last half century are felt In
every fiber Of our social and political Delng;
Never before have men tried so vast ana
formidable an experiment as that OF admins
| tering the affairs OF continent uneer tne
| forms of a democratic republic. The condi-
tions which have told for our marvellous ma
| terial well-being. which have developed to a
very high degree our energy, self-relance
and individual initiative, have also brought
the care and anxiety inseparable from the
accumulation of great wealth in industrial
centers. Upon the success OF our eA-
pertinent much depends; not only as
| regards our own welfare. Dut As
regards the welfare Of mankind. II we
fail, the cause of free self-government through
out the world will rock to its foundations;
and therefore our responsibility is heavy. TO
ourselves. TO tie world as il is today, and to
the generations yet unborn. There is no good
reason why we should fear the future, but
there is every reason why we should tsce II
seriously. neither hiding from ourselves the
gravity of the problems before us nor fearing
10 approach these problems with the un'
bending, unAinching purpose to solve them
Alright
Yet, after all, though the problems are
new, though the tasks set before us dlfer
from the tasks set before our fathers who
founded and preserved this Republic, the
spirit i'm which these tasks must be under.
taken and these problems faced. if our duty
is 10 be well done, remains essentially un'
changed. We know that self-g0yernment Is
difficult We know that no people needs such
high traits of character rs that people which
| seeks TO govern its affairs aught through the
freely expressed will Of the freenen who com
nose IL But we have faith that We shall moi
prove false to the memories of the men OF the
mighty past They did their work, they leit Us
the splendid heritage we now enjoy. we IN oul
| turn have an assured confidence that we shail
be able TO leave this heritage unwasted and
enlarged to our children and our children
children. To do so we must show, not merely
in great crises, but in the everyday affairs o
life. the qualities of practical intelligence, o.
hArdihood and endurance, and above all tn,
power of devotion to a lofty ideal, which
made great the men who founded this Repub
lie in the days of Washington, which made
great the men who preserve this Republi'
in the days of Abraham Lincoln.