Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-03-08

new session In The senate chamber.
Packed like sardines in the restricted
space Of the little chamber were the
Official visitors, the president and cab.
met In plain clothes, the ambassadors
and minister's, gorgeous in gilt braid
ana decoration, the supreme court in
deep black. the army and navy in sill.
yer and gold and swords, and last of
all the members of a dead house of
representatives banked about the
walls or crowded into cloak rooms.
Each of these grand divisions of off.
cial life or official death was announ-
ced and saluted by the senate aris.
ing. All this prolonged form, with
It's solemn progress and weighty dig
nifty, was preliminary to the ceremon-
les outside. and the march at once
began to the immense platform, where
the president was TO deliver his inaug.
ural address and take the oath of Of
hce. Here the great pageant for the
benefit of the public began to unfold
itself.
The windows of the capitol were
crowded, there was a deep fringe of
spectators along the roofs of senate
and house and the dome. The trees
of the park were loaded with boys ard
men. the broad acres of the park it.
self were crowded with thousands up
on thousands. Back of this the win
dows, roofs and rorches of the library
on the park added to the imposing
scene. Surrounding the plaza in front
of the presidents platform were the
forming lines Of the main parade,
while from the adjacent streets ev-
erywhere projected heads of columns,
military and civic, waiting to fall in
their places in the line.
With the appearance of the presi-
dent. from the senate chamber, the
shouting began, swelling into roar
like the Niagara, rising to cyclonic
effects and continuing while the SEN
ate and members of the house, the
cabinet, the supreme court, the heads
OF the army and navy, ambassadors
and ministers, representatives of ev-
cry subordinate branch of the gov
ernment, and a great company of
guests filed out of the senate doors
and filled the immense platform.
The sea of humanity was stilled.
The president advanced to take the
oath of Office. With his hand upon
the Bible by the chief justice he rev.
erently repeated the oath, kissed the
book at the end, and Theodore Roose-
velt became president. He then de-
livered his inaugural speech, which
surprised his hearers by its brevity.
AS the ceremony closed he was again
greeted by the roaring cheers of the
immense throng. The president said:
The Presidents Address.
my Fellow Citizens: No people on
earth have more cause to be thank
full than ours, and this is said rev.
erently and in no spirit of boastful-
ness in our strength, but with graft
tude to the Giver of Good who has
blessed us with the conditions which
have enabled us to achieve SO large
measure of we'll being and of hap
piness. To us as a people it has been
granted to lay the foundations of our
national life in new continent. We
are the heirs of the ages, and yet we
have had to pay few of the penal
ties which in old countries are ex-
acted by the dead hand of bygone
civilization. We have not been
obliged TO fight for our existence
against any alien race; and yet our
life has called FOL the vigor and ef-
fort without which the manlier and
harder virtues wither away. Under
such conditions 1t would be our own
fault If we failed: and the success
which we have had in the past, the
success which We confidently believe
the future will bring, should cause in
us no feeling of vainglory, but rather
deep and abiding realization of all
which life has offered US; full &C.
acknowledgement of responsibility which
is ours; and Fixed determination to
show that under a free government
a mighty people can thrive best, alike
as regards the things OF the soul.
Much has been given to us. and
much will be rishtfully expected from
us. We have duties to others, and
duties to ourselves; and we can shtrk
neither. We have become q great ma
tion, forced by the fact of its great
ness into relations with the other ma
tions of the eartn; and we must be-
have as beseesm people with such
responsibilities: Toward all other ma
tions, large and small, our attitude
must be one of cordiai 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 acting toward them
in a spirit of just and generous recog-
nition of all their rights. But justice
and generosity in nation, as In an
individual, count most when SHOWN
not by the weak, but by the strong.
While ever careful to refrain from
wrongdoing others, we must be no
less insitent that we are not wronged
ourselves. We wish peace; but we
wish the peace Of justice, the peace
of righteousness. We wish 1t De'
cause we think tits right and not be-
cause we are afraid. No weak ma
ton that acts manfully and justly
should ever have cause to fear us,
and no strong power should ever be
able to single us out as a subject for
insolent aggression.
"Our relations with the other pow
ers of the world are important; but
still more important are our relations
among ourselves. Sucn growth in
wealth, in population and in power
as this nation has seen during the
century and a quarter of its national
life is inevitably accompanied by q
like growth in the problems which
are ever before every nation that
rises to greatness. Power invariably
means both responsibility and danger.
We now face other perils the very
existence Of which 1t was impossible
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