Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1912-03-28
WILSON A REAL MAN.
For Democracy and Not Arlstocracy--
ey Burt Williams,

because II was real man who was
desired for the place. Princeton Uni.
versity was at that time like most of
| the great eastern colleges, with the
/ great majority Of the student body
made up of the sons Of rich men. to
whom wealth was the all important
! consideration and whose environment
/ had been such that to them money
] made the man, In this institutions
/ Princeton University, there was on
! every side the things that 20 to mako
| a monoyed aristocracy. The students
! who came from the ordinary walks OF
j lite found daily and hourly the owl.
| dences OF the superiority that money
/ tries to enforce through the individ.
! uals who possess II In quantities to
! consider themselves of aristocratic
I inclinations, Many of the clubs among
/ students were SO organized that only
/ young men with rich parents behind
/ them could enter. the living accommo.
/ dations Of these same young men were
of the most expensive character and
naturally their circles and dongs were
most exclusive, the separation and
/ distinction between the rich and poor
students being studiously emphasized.
| Then II was that the real man be-
came president of the institution. He
had not been there long before he
realized that the tendency of the col
lege was too aristocratic. that con
| tinuation of such conditions, the en-
/ phasizing of the size OF bank accounts,
Nun Ia.
American educational ideals and plain
American manhood.
With this real man feeling in every
/ fibre of his being, protest against
! these tendencies IN the institution he
/ had taken charge OF, he resolved on
! plan TO strike down at once the false
barriers of class that existed between
the student body and make prominent
! in Princeton University the principle
that true character and scholarship
| should transcend riches In every test
that should come up.
This real man president thereupon
outlined his plan which was tho en-
tire reconstruction OF the method OF
living among the students on the
quadrangle" basis, the dividing OF the
students into communities 80 that
these various groups would come to-
gether constantly. the rich and the
poor elbow together at the same table,
sleep and study under the same oondi.
tons, eliminating entirely from the
university the luxuries, and thus place
all OF them on an absolute equality as
would be in harmony with the ideals
of American institutions.
Naturally this radical change. rad.
ical to those who had been taught
that money made them better than
poorer men, aroused bitter strife In
Princeton University.
Professors and students, who had
welcomed him at first to the head OF
the institution grew bitter toward him
for his fight to sustain the ideals OF
true Democracy. OF true manhood that
he was trying to inculcate and perpet-
uate, but the turning against him of
these erstwhile friends deferred him
not In his fight to establish true Ameri.
canism in this little educational insti.
tuition and his fight thus waged. with
hDNhih6 W bS bhlh1u Jul u ItNokHI~
ton OF human equality for those too
weak to establish II for themselves.
is the most significant fact in the en-.
tire life of this real man as showing
his true character and honest ideals
In 1910 the president OF Princeton
University was nominated for govern.
or of New Jersey and in the fall OF that
/ thu nann1a nf that . 4.
broke the chains that had bound them
for years to privilege and monopoly
and they elected this real man for
governor and In this way Woodrow
Wilson entered public life and found
awaiting him conflict that called for
a brave. courageous general to lead the
/ fight against the insiduous power OF
wealth.
| 1t was the same fight as governor
| that our real man had had as presI.
! dent OF the college except that the
| field was greater the enemy more
powerful and the forces against him
better entrenched.
/ He found, as Ia too often the case,
| the power of privilege controlling his
/ own party. as well as the opposing
/ one, but he made his fight for the PEG.
4 pie far above the standards Of partisan
/ prestige and had the courage and
! Americanism to drive into humiliating
| defeat and bitter disappointment the
! corrupt machine bosses OF his own
/ party who for years had made the
| Democratic party OF New Jersey "A
! seville tool for privilege and monopoly.
I Let US now hope that this real man.
/ who has been so valientiy and success.
+ fully making your fight and my fight,
is able TO carry on the same battle for
I the American people as the chief ex-
+ ecutiVe Of the nation.
+ The first step to bring this about
must be his nomination for president
on the Democratic ticket aud when we
stop to consider the one fact, that
against him in this campaign Is ar
ranged all the machine politicians who