Norwich bulletin., 1913-03-05
MISSION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
President Wilson Declares There Definite Purpose the Recent Political Turnover-A Number of Existing Con- dtions Ought to be Altered Including the Tariff and the Banking and Currency System.

Following is the inaugural address of President Woodrow Wilson:
 There has been a change of govern ment. It began two years ago, when the house of presentattves became democratic by a decisive majority. It has now been completed. The senate about to assemble will also be demo- cratic. The offices of President and Nfce-President have been put into the hands Of democrats. What does the change mean? That Is the question that is uppermost in our minds to- day. That is the question l am going to try to answer. in order, if l may, to interpret the occasion.
 It means much more than the mere success of a party The success of a party means little except when the na- tion is using that party for a large and definite purpose. No one can mis- take the purpose for which the na- tion now seeks to use the democratic party. It seeks to use it to interpret 6 change in it's own 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 latter ly looked critically upon them, with fresh, awakened eyes; have dropped their disguises and shown themselves alien and sinister Some new things, as we look frankly upon them, will ing to comprehend their real character, have come to assume the aspect of things long believed in and familiar, stuff of our own convictions. We have been refreshed by a new insight into our own life.
 We see that in many things that life is very great. It is incomparably great in it's material aspects, in it's body of wealth. in the diversity and sweep of its energy, in the industries which have been conceived and built up by the genius of individual men and the 1i1nitless enterprise of groups of men. It is great, also, very great, in it's world have noble men and women ex- hibited in more striking forms the beauty and the energy of sympathy and he1pfuIness and counsel in their efforts to rectify wrong, alleviate suffering, and set the weak in the 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 abund- ance.
 But the evil has come with the good and much fine gold has been corroded. With riches has come inexcusa ble waste We have sQuandered 8 great part of what we might have used, and
 
 ceeding &ounty of nature. without which our genius for enterprise would have been worthless and impotent, scorning 10 be careful, shamefully prodigal as well as admirably efficient. We have been proud of our industrial ach1eKen ezltS, but we have not hither- to stopped thOughtfully enough to count the human cost, the cost of lives snuffed out, of energies overtaxed and broken the fearful physical and spiritual cost to the men and women and children upon whom the dead weight and burden of it all has fallen pitiIessly the years through The groans and agony of it all had not vet reached our ears, the solemn, moving undertone of our life, coming up out of the mines and factories and out of every home where the struggle had its intimate and familiar seat. With the great government went many deep secret things which we too long de- layed to look into and scrutinize with candid, fearless eyes. The great gov ernment we loved has too often been made use of for private and selfish pur- poses, and those who used it had for gotten 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 debased and dec9dent with the sound and vital. With this vision we approach 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 senti1nentalizing it. There has been something crude and heart1ess and un- feeling in our haste to succeed and be great Our thought has been Let every man look out for himself, let every generation look out for itself while we reared giant machinery which made it impossible that any but those who stood at the levers of control should have a chance to look out for themselves. We had not forgotten our morals. We remembered well enough that we had set up a policy which was meant to serve the humbIest as well as the most powerful, with an eye single to the standards of justice and fair play, and remembered it with pride. But we were very needless and in a hurry to be great.
 We have come now to the sober sec ond thought. The scales of needless ness have fallen from our eyes. We