The Springfield herald., 1913-03-07
WATSON SPEAKS
TO THE NATION
Inaugural Address Delivered by
the New President.
SEES WORK OF RESTORATION
Task Of Victorious Democracy 10 to
Square Every Process Of National
Life With Standards Set Up
at the Beginning.

~ tno 0e9lhhih8.
WASHINGTON, March 4.-President
Wilson's inaugural address, remark
able for its brevity, was listened 70
with the greatest interest by the vast
throng which was gathered In front
of the capitol's east portico. and at It's
close there was heard nothing but
praise for. its eloquence and high
moral tone The address IN full was
as follows:
There has been change OF govern
ment. 1t began two years ago. wneh
the house of representatives became
Democratic by q decisive majority.
1t has now been completed. The SEN
ate about to assemble will also DO
Democratic. The Offices OF presioent
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 our minds
today. That il the question am 60
ing to try to- answer. In order, II !
may, to interpret the occasion.
Purpose Of the Nation.
1t means much more than the mere
success of party. The success OF
party means little except when the
nation is using that party for large
and definite purpose. No one can
mistake the purpose for which the
nation now seeks to use the Demo
cratic party. 1t seeks to use 1t to In
terpret q change In its 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 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 real character, have come to as
sumo the aspect of things long believ-
ed in and familiar, stun Of our own
convictions. We have been refreshed
by new insight into our own life.
We see that in many things that
life il very great 1t is incomparably
great in its material aspects. in its
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 limitless enterprise Of groups
of men. 1t IL great, also, very great.
in its 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 the way of
strength and hope. We have built up,
moreover. a great system of govern
ment, which has stood through n long
age as In many respects 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 1t In rich
abundance.
Evils That Have Come.
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 ~ well as admir-
ably enlcient. 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
1t 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 its intimate and fa-
miliar seat. With the great govern
ment went many deep secret things
which we too long delayed to look
into and scrutinixe 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 ~ = 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 OF sentimentaitzing it.
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 ct the levers OF
control should have . chance to look
out for themselves. We had not for