Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-03-07
His Inaugural Address Calls on
All Honest Men to Aid in
His Task.
WILL RESTORE, NOT DESTROY
New Chief Executive Says Change Of
Government Means the Nation Is
Using Democratic Party for
Large and Definite Purpose.

correct the evils that have been al
lowed to grow up in our national life,
President Wilson In his inaugural ad-
dress today called on all honest men
to assist him in carrying out the will
Of the people. Following is his ad-
dress:
There has been a change Of govern
ment. 1t began two years ago, when
the house of representatives became
Democratic by a decisive majority.
1t has now been completed. The SEN
ate about to assemble will also be
Democratic The offices of president
and vice-president have been put into
the hands of Democrats. What does
the change mean? That is the Ques-
ton that is uppermost in u minds
today. That is this question l am 60
ing to try to answer. in order, II l
may, to interpret the occasion.
New Insight Into Our Life.
1t means much more than the mere
success of a party. The success of a
party mea little except when the
nation is using that party for a large
and definite porpose. No one can
mistake the purpose for which the
nation now seeks to use the Demo-
cratic party. It seeks to use 1t to In
terpret a change in it's W plans and
point of view. Some old things with
which we had grown familiar, and
which had begun to creep into the
very habit of our thought and of our
lives, have altered their aspect as we
have latterly looked critically upon
them, with fresh, awakened eyes;
have dropped their DISCUSSES and
shown themselves alien and sinister.
Some new things, as we look frankly
upon them, willing to comprehend
their rea character, have come to as
sumo the aspect Of things long believ-
ed in and familiar, stuff of u own
convictions. We have been refreshed
by a new insight int u own life.
We see that in many things that
life is very great. 1t Is ~incomparably
great in its material aspects, in its
body of wealth, in the diversity and
sweep of it's energy, in he Industries
which have been conceived and built
up by the genius Of individual men
and the limitless enterprise of groups
of men. 1t is great, also, very great,
in it's moral force. Nowhere else in
the world have noble men and women
exhibited in more striking form the
beauty and energy of sympathy and
helpfulness and counsel in their efforts
to rectify wrong, alleviate suffering,
and set the weak in he way of
strength and hope. We have built up,
moreover, a great system of govern
ment, which has stood through a long
age as in many respects a model for
those who seek to set liberty upon
foundations that will endure against
fortuitous change, against storm and
accident. Our life contains every
great thing. and contains it in rich
abundance.
Human Cost Not Counted.
But the evil has come with the
good, and much fine gold has been
corroded. With riches has come in
excusable waste. We have squan-
dered a great part of what we might
have used, and have not stopped to
conserve the exceeding bounty of ma
ture, without which our genius for en-
terprise would have been worthless
and impotent, %scorning to be careful,
shamefully ~prodigal as well as admir-
ably efficient. We have been proud OF
our industrial achievements, but we
have not hitherto stopped thought
fully enough to count the human cost,
the cost of lives snuffed out, of ener-
gies overtaXed and broken, the fear
full physical and spiritual cost to the
men and women and children Upon
whom the dead weight and burden of
it all has fallen pitilessly the years
through. The groans and agony of 1t
all had not yet reached our ears, the
solemn, moving undertone of our life,
coming up out of the mines and fac
tories and out of every home where
the struggle had it's intimate and IA
miliar seat. With the great govern
ment went many deep secret things
which we too long, delayed to look
into and scrutinize with candid. fear
less eyes. The great government we
loved has too often been made use of
for private and selfish purposes, and
those who used it had forgotten the
people.
At last a vision has been vouch-
safed US of our life as a whole. We
see the bad with the good, the de-
based and decadent with the sound
and vital. With this vision we ap-
proach new affairs. Our duty is to
cleanse, to reconsider, to restore, to
correct the evil without impairing the
good, to purify and humanize every
process of our common life without
weakening or sentimentalizing 1t.
There has been something crude and
heartless and ~unfeeling in our haste to
succeed and be great. Our thought has
been Let every man look out for him
self, let every generation look out for
itself while we reared giant machin-
cry which made it impossible that any
but those who stood at the levers OF
control should have a chance to look
u for themselves. We had not for
gotten our morals. We remembered
well enough hat *e had set up q
policy which was meant to serve the
humblest as we'll as the most power
ful. with IN eye single to the stand
ards of Justice and fair play, and re-
membered it with pride. But we were
very needless and in a hurry to be
great.
Chief items In Program.