Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-03-05
THE BEGINNING OF AN EPOCH.


ton was the most spectacular
ever seen in Washington. This
is the natural result Of the country's
growth and especially Of its increase
in that class that has money to burn.
At the same time his inaugural ad-
dress was one Of the briefest ever
delivered and, we believe, one of the
strongest. The president is epigram-
matte; he thinks in headlines, short
pithy sentences that tell the most
in the least possible space, and Mr.
Wilson certainly said much in this re-
markably brief address, A few SEN
tences, taken at random, show pro-
found thought and a wonderfully
forceful expression thereof. Every
sentence is a text, from which a lay
sermon could easily be elaborated.
Here are a few: "With riches has
come inexcusable waste" 1--WE have
squandered a great part of what we
might have used" 1--WE have been
proud of our industrial achievements,
but we have not stopped TO count the
human cost" "The firm basis of gov
ernment Is justice, not pity"
These are but few, for to call at
tention to them all would simply mean
the publishing Of his address in full,
for it is composed Of just such beads
of thought strung together into per-
feet necklace Of mental gems.
1t is too early to prophecy what his
administration will bring forth, for
so much depends upon congress; but
the forcefulness Of the man is evident
in his every utterance. While there
is generally some soreness over a
change of administration, even where
the same party still retains its grasp
on affairs, it is undoubtedly true that
no president has been inducted into
office who had the public so gener-
ally in sympathy with him, who had
in any greater depth that publc's
confidence. The country has come to
an epOch-making periodic the place
where honesty, not greed, will pre-
vail We have reached the turning
point, where humanity Is to be placed
above commerce; where justice will
take the place so long held by privi-
lege; where the man is to be consid-
cred above the dollar; where there
shall cease to be one law for the poor
and another for tho rich; where the
commerclallzing Of the nations chill
dren and the dlvertng of our young
womanhood from their natural duty of
home-making to the mans work of
bread winning will stop; to the up-
building OF o true democracy, where
every man is given a fair show in
competition with other men, and
whore special privileges shall be
known no more forever.
This will not be accomplished in
day or in q year The millennium
has not arrived, Is not yet due, but
we as nation have passed through
a transition period, necessary per-
haps, but one Of which we have no
reason TO feel proud and by slow de-
grces we have climbed TO the sum
init, and the going down the other
side will be the easier.
President Wilson is NOT to be cred
tied with this nor, for that matter,
Is any other one man. Rather Is II
due to the inexorablc laws Of jus
ticc and Of right which, no matter
how much we may ignore or tNmple
upon them, must inevitably finally
prevail.
We rs n nation have departed far
from tho simple nnth Of universal right
hut our feet have at last again thank
God, found IT, and they win remain
in II. Through all the years OF our
SHINING against ourselves and human
ity, somo brave Arnold Wlnklcrcid,