The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1912-10-26
Woodrow Wilson's Message to the American People

Sea Girt, n. j., Oct. %. 1912.
To the Voters OF America:
! an glad to have an opportunity 70 state very
SIMPLY and directly T7y seeking to be elect
cd President o. the United States. feel wery
deeply that this is not an ambition Ean ahoula
entertain for his own sake. re ElSt seek to
serve cause, and Gast know ve1y clearly shat,
cause 1t is he IS seeking to aer9ss.
The cause an enlisted IN lies very plain
TO ny Own view: me Goverouaut Of the lJuitea
States, bound by the policies which have
become charact tsr3st4o Of Republican a1nLn1stra-
t1on IN recent years, IS net free 20 serve tEs
whole people 3mparti ally, ana II ought tc he SET
free. Il has been tied Up, whether deliberately
or merely By uuintentt ona1 devo1 opneut, wlth
particular interests, wh1ch have used their pow
err both "a control tbs goyernEsnt ana 10 con
troll the industrial develo pzent or the count ry.
II must be freed frcm such ant anz1 anants ana al
1tanoss. Until IL IS freed, II eanaot serve tho
people as Tno1e. Until It IS freed, II cannot
undertake any programme Of social and economic
bstterment. but Rugt be checked ard thgarted at
every turn By its patrons and nasters.
In praot1 cally every speech that make I
put at the fFonr OF wnat have 20 say the cusa-
t1cn Of the tariff and the question Of the truots
but not because Of any thoaghv Fl party strategy,
because oe41eFe the so1Ex1on Of these quea-
tIons 70 lie a. the very heart of the bigger
question, whether the goveruEeut shall be free
or rot. The government * not free because it
has granted special favors to particular classes
By means q the tariff. The 80 Vhon these
special favora have been granted have qorrod
great co=b1nst Ions by vhtoh 70 cen troll enter
prise and determine the prices OF oonHodittea-
They could not have done this had o not been for
the tariff. Dc party, therefore. Whiea does not
propose TO taks aWay these spsets1 fagors and
prevent monopoly sbso1ately in the uarkets of the
country sees sven Es1ch the nc st elementary
part Of the Method By shteh the gov vsrruent IS
70 be set free.
me control to which tariff legislation has
led, both IN the field Of Politics and In the
f1e1d Of Business, IS shat has produosd the post
cd d1ous feature Of our present political aitua-
tion. namely, the absolute doninatio Ion Of power
ful bosses. Bosses cannot egC1st without husi-
ness all tanees. With then politics 1a hardly
aist inslai shs6Ie fron business. Possess maintain
their control beoanse they sre a11ie6 With men
Who Vi sh their assistance In order 70 get con-
tracts. IN order to obtain special legislative
advanta ages. In order to prevent refoTEs which
viii Interfere With monopoly or VI n their en-
oynent OF special ezezpt3 Ions. Merely polit-
ica1 leaders. net backed By money. not supported
BY securely intrenohed spec ihl int erests,
would be entirely manageable and oczparattve1y
poEerless. b. freeing the govermaent. there-
fore. a. the sane tiEe break the possr OF the
boss. Hs trades, ne does not govern. Hs
ranges, he does not lead. e sets the stage for .
what the people are 70 90 he does not act
their egant servant. but es their director.
Por lin the real business Of politics IS done
under cover.
me saze nsans that viii set the goverTnsnt
free fron tho 1nflnsuces wa ch noE constantly