Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-08-08
WILSON SPEECH
OF ACCEPTANCE
the NATIONS AWAKENING

AUVtUQ-OOUs
milton Of Fundamental Democracy.
Mr.. James and Gentlemen of the
Notification Committee-Speaking for
the national Democratic convention,
Secently assembled ut Baltimore, you
have notified me Of my nominat ton by
the Democratic party for the high Of.
ice Of president Of tho 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 und for
the thoughtful personal courtesy with
which you have performed your inter
esting and important errand.
! accept the nomination with a deep
sense Of its unusual Significance and Of
the great honor done me and also with
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 In 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
NO ordinary temper. 1t Is no audience
Of partisana 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 critical turning
point in their moral and political de
velopment.
The Awakened Nation.
We stand In the presence Of an
awakened nation. impatient Of parti-
san make believe. The public man
who does not realize the fact and feel
its stimulation must be singularly I'M
susceptible to the influences that stir
in every quarter about him.
Plainly, 1t IL q new age. The tonic
Of such a time is very celebrating.
1t requires self restraint not to attempt
too much. and yet It would he 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 contest for office. not
with a petty struggle for advantage.
Democrat against Republican. liberal
against conservative. progressiveagains
reactionary. With great questions of
right and Of Justice. rather-Nuestions
Of national development. OF the devel
opment Of character and Of standards
of action no less than Of n better bust
ness system, more free. more equitable.
more open to ordinary men. practicable
to live under. tolerable to work under.
or a better fiscal system whose taxes
shall not come out Of the pockets Of
the many to 20 into the pockets Of the
few and within whose intricacies spe-
ciai privilege may not 50 easily Hnd
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 It? What are our
duty aud our purpose? The platform
a. % uk.~vr hut m
the nation Is thinking about. what 1t Is
most concerned about. what 1t wishes
corrected and what II desires to see ut
tempted that Is new and cOnstru, ave
and Intended for its long future But
for US it il very practical document
We are not about to ask the people Of
the United States to adopt our plat
intrust US with office and power and
the guidance Of their affairs. They
will wish to know what sort Of men
we nre and Of what definite purpose.
what translation Of action aud Of pol
icy we intend to give to the general
terms Of the platform which the con.
vention at Baltimore put forth should
we be elected.
The Work 70 es Done.
The platform Is not program. A
program must consist Of measures. nd
ministrative acts and acts Of legisla.
ton. The proof Of the pudding Is the
eating thereof. How do we intend to
make 1t edible and digestible? From
this time on we shall be under interro.
cation. How do we expect to handle
each Of the great matters that must be'
taken up BY the next congress and the
next administration?
What is there to do? 1t In hard ~
sum the great task up. but apparently
this ID the sum Of the matter: There
are two great things to do. One IL to
set up the rule Of justice and Of right
IN such matters M the tariff. the regu
lation Of the trusts and the prevention
Of monopoly. the adaptation Of our
banking and currency laws to the
varied uses to which our people must
put them. the treatment Of thnse who
d the daily labor IN our factories md
mines and throughout all our great In.
dustriai and commercial undertakings,
and the political life Of the people of
the Philippines. for whom we hold
governmental power In trust. for their
service, not our own. The other. the
additional duty IL the great task Of
protecting our people and our resources
and Of keeping open to the whole PEG.
ple the doors Of opportunity through
which they must. generation by gener
alton, pass II they are to make con
quest Of their fortunes In health. In
Freedom. in peace and I'm cOntentment