The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-08-09
WILSON SPEECH
F. OF ACCEPTANCE
Insists That the Whole People
Be Consulted.
the NATIONS AWAKENING.

dueed-high Schedules Responsible
For Trusts and Cost Of Livins--Defi-
milton Of Fundamental Democracy.
Mr.. James and Gentlemen Of the
Notification Committee Speaking for
the national Democratic convention,
recently assembled at Baltimore, you
have notified me of my nomination by
the Democratic party for the high Of
fee of president Of the United States.
Allow me to thank you very warmly
for the generous terms in which you
have. through your distinguished chair
man. conveyed the notification and for
the thoughtful personal courtesy with
which you have performed your inter-
esting and important errand.
l accept the nomination with deep
sense of It's unusual significance and Of
the great honor done me and also with
q very profound sense Of my RESPONSE
bility to the party and to the nation.
You will expect me in accepting the
honor to speak very plainly the faith
that is In me- You will expect me, in
brief, to talk politics and open the cam
paign In words whose meaning no one
need doubt. You will expect me to
speak to the country.
We cannot intelligently talk politics
unless we know to whom we are talk
ing and I'm what circumstances. The
present circumstances are clearly un-
usual. No previous political campaign
in our time has disclosed anything like
them. The audience we address is In
10 ordinary temper. 1t Is no audience
of partisans. Citizens Of every class
and party and prepossessiOn sit to-
gether. single people, to learn wheth-
er we understand their life and know
how to afford them the counsel and
guidance they are now keenly aware
that they stand In need Of. We must
speak not to catch votes, but to satisfy
the thought and conscience Of people
deeply stirred by the conviction that
they have come to a critical turning
point In their moral and political de-
velOpment.
The Awakened Mellon.
We stand In the presence Of an
awakened nation. impatient of partl-
san make believe. The public man
who does not realize the fact and feel
Its stimulation must be singularly un-
susceptible to the influences that stir
In every quarter about him.
Plainly, It is new age. The tonic
of such time Is very exhilarating.
1t requires self restraint not to attempt
too much. and yet 1t would be cow.
ardly to attempt too little.
1t is In the broad light Of this new
day that we stand face to face-with
what? Plainly not with questions Of
party. not with a contest for Office, not
with petty struggle for advantage.
Democrat against Republican, liberal
against conservative, progressive against
reactionary. With great questions Of
right and OF justice, rather-questions
Of national development, Of the devel-
Opment of character and Of standards
Of action no less than of better bust
ness system. more free, more equitable,
more open to ordinary men, practicable
to live under. tolerable to work under,
or better fiscal system whose taxes
shall not come out of the pockets OF
the many to 60 into the pockets Of the
few and within whose intricacies spe-
cial privilege may not 80 easily find
covert.
At such time and In the presence Of
such circumstances what Is the mean
ing of our platform and what is our re-
spOnsibility under 1t? What are oul
duty and our purpose? The platform
is meant to show that We know what
the nation Is thinking about, what 1t II
most concerned about, what it wishes
corrected and what 1t desires to see at
tempted that is new and constructive
and intended for its long future. But
for us 1t is II very practical document
We are not about to ask the people OF
the United States to adopt our plat
form. We are about to ask them Il
intrust us with Office and power and
the guidance Of their affairs. They
will wish to know what sort Of mer
we are and Of what definite purpose
what translation Of action and Of pol
icy we intend to give to the genera
terms Of the platform which the con
vention at Baltimore put forth shoslt
we be elected.
The Work 70 Do Dens.
The platform 10 not program. 4
program must consist Of measures, ad
minIstrative acts and acts of legisla
ton. The proof Of the pudding is thu
eating thereof. How do we intend t
make It edible and digestible? From
this time on we shall be under interrO
CATION. How do we expect to handl'
each of the great matters that must b.
taken up by the next congress and tn
next administration?
What Is there to do? 1t is hard t
sum the great task up, but APPARENT!
this Is the sum Of the matter: Their
are two great things to do. One Is Il
set up the rule Of justice and of righ
In such matters as the tariff, the regu
lation Of the trusts and the prevention
Of monopoly, the adaptation Of Gu