Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-04-19
Full TEXT OF WOODROW WILSON'S SPEECH At AUDITORIUM

try is being dominated by small bodies
of selfish men, and we have now to
contrive a thoughtful policy and to con-
trive a government WHICH WILL
ENdANCIPATE THIS COUNTRY FROM
PRIVATE CONTROL AND PUT 1T
BACK INTO THE HANDS OF THE
PEOPLE. (Applause.)
This is the enterprise to which I, whether
I occupy office or not, shall devote the
rest of my life. (Applause.) know how
to find out what is going on. know what
is going on, and mean to describe what
| is going on, not-in order to upset or dis
turb or to throw out Of balance or this
country. On the contrary to emancipate
it, to make 1t wholesome, to make it free,
to base It upon the only thing upon which
business can rest-the good, universal
confidence.
BUSINESS AND CONFIDENCE.
Do you business men not know that
there is universal distrust and suspic-
ion in this country with respect to the
foundations and methods of business,
and do you suppose that business can
rest upon suspicion? Do you know that
the most delicate thing in the world is
the faith, the confidence, upon which
business rests?
But, you say, we are just beginning
to come in to the benefits of national
business. and are we to take the initia-
tive in setting these things right?
Do you not remember the history OF
the country, gentlemen? Do you not
remember the history OF the south in
Particular Let your thoughts run
back to the great period of the Revolu-
tion.
Who lead, who formulated the policy,
who dreamed the dreams and saw the
visions of that time? Men out of Vir-
ginia and her sister states of the south
who did not have any material stake
whatever in the things that were at Is
sue between America and the mother
country. Every policy of the mother
country in that day which was hurtful
to trade of America hit New England
hard, and benefited the south. And yet
New England was divided upon the
question of liberty and independence,
and the south was united. (Great ap-
plause.)
THE SOUTH'S ALTRUISM
I say 1t is the most conspicuous case
in history Of disinterested, altruistic,
statesmanlike vision that the south,
that had the smallest stake in the mat
tiers in controversy, should have taken
the initiative and made the prime sac
rifice, AND 1 BELIEVE THAT ONE
OF THE GREAT RESERVOIRS OF
UNSELFISH, IRRESISTIBLE, ALTRU-
ISTIC POWER LIES RIGHT HERE IN
THE UNEXHAUSTED SOUTH Cap
plause.) I don't know where else to
find such continuity of tradition, such
unbroken standards of public service,
such consciousness OF connection be-
tween the individual and the service
that he owes to his neighbor, and I
know that the hope Of the nation does
not depend so much upon it's thinking as.
upon it's principles And principles,
gentlemen, lie, if they live, in the heart
and not the mind.
HEART ABOVE MIND.
have heard it said that this is an
age in which mind governs. If 1t is,
I have a comment to make upon that
that mind is one Of those modern mon
archs that rules but does not govern.
We are, in fact, governed by a great
representative body made up of the
passions, and all that we can manage
is that the handsome, unselfish pas
sions shall be in the majority. And.
therefore, the thing we have to guard
is our hearts, our impulses. our Wis
ions, and see to it that as me come TO
do our daily tasks we do not merely
look upon the dusty roads which we.
are travelling, but lift our eyes to the
| horizons that light above us with some
delectable ray which seems to lift our
hearts and quicken our pulses as IL
and Of the righteousness of God.
All that we can hope for is, in our
generation, to hearten one another, 10
look In one another's faces and say:
Friends and fellows, this is not
hopeless matter, look back at the dark
valley of human injustice out of which
we have laboriously climbed by the
blood and sacrifice of our ancestors;
| look at the light as it broadens about
- hats ho
are immediately in front of you; let
us take heart for that work, that work
that lives in our hearts, that connects
us with everything that is sacred in
the past, that throw aside the trivial
circumstances of our day-the little
day in which our generation lives, and
remember that the glory of America
is the glory Of the sacrifice for hui
manity."
AMERICAS PROMISE.
I have sometimes thought as en-
tered the great port OF New York and
saw that majestic bronze effigy CT
Liberty lifting her unlighted torch, IF
/ how admirable . symbol 1T was, be-
cause an actual flaming light there
would cast it's rays only a little way
across the water, but the flame that
burns there is an invisible flame; 1t
| is the flame of an everlasting spirit or
liberty that CLEANS out unlimited in
its illumination, casting its rays far
over distant waters distant lands
VIII ere multitudes toll, and occasionally
lift their eyes and see that fair CLEAN
out Of the west, and say: "Ah, there
are men there who believe in common
folks, who believe that every man has
a right to live and to get justice and
to enjoy hope. They are saying to US.
come, brethren, come to this great land
in the east, where we entertain all the
enchanted and beautiful memories or
liberty and let US show you the way
to peace and achievement.