Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1913-03-06
SPEAKS
TO THE NATION
Inaugural Address Delivered by
the New President.
SEES WORK OF RESTORATION
Task Of Victorious Democracy Is to
Square Every Process of National
Life With Standards Set Up
at the Beginning.

Wilson's inaugural address, remark
able for its brevity, was listened to
with the greatest interest by the vast
throng which was gathered In front
of the capitol's east portico, and at its
close there was heard nothing but
praise for its eloquence and high
moral tone. The address in full was
as follows:
There has been q change Of govern
ment. 1t began two years ago. when
the house of representatives became
Democratic by q decisive majority.
It 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 min6s
today. That is the question l am 60
ing to try to answer, in order, II l
may, to interpret the occasion.
Purpose Of the Nation.
II means much more than the mere
success of a party. The success Of q
party means little except when the
nation is using that party for a large
and definite purpose. No one can
mistake the purpose for which the
nation now seeks to ISL the Demo-
cratic party. It seeks to use 1t to in
terpret a change in its WI 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, stuff Of u own
convictions. We have been refreshed
by a new insight into 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 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 is 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
h~elpfulness 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 fol-
those who seek to set liberty upor
foundations that will endure against
fortuitous change, against storm anG
accident. Our life contains every
great thing, and contains 1t in rich
abundance.
Evils That Have Come.
But the evil has come with thu
good, and much fine gold has beer
corroded. With riches has come in
excusable waste. We have squan
dered a great part of what we nigh
have used, and have not stopped t.
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 we'll as admir-
ably efficient. We have been proud o
our industrial achievements, but W,
have not hitherto stopped thought
fully enough to count the human cost
the cost Of lives snuffed out, Of eneI
gies overtaxed and broken, the feal
full physical and spiritual cost to tn
men and women and children upol
whom the dead weight and burden O
il all has fallen pitilessly the year
through. The groans and agony of !
all had not yet reached u ears, tn
solemn, moving undertone Of u life
coming up out of the mines and fat
tories and out of every home wher
the struggle had its intimate and Il
miliar seat. With the great govern
ment went many deep secret thing
which we too long delayed to loo
into and scrutinize with candid, fea
less eyes. The great government W
Flowed has too often been made use {
for private and selfish purposes, an
, those who used it had forgotten th
!. people.
At last a vision has been voucl
safed us of our life as a whole. W
see the bad with the good, the d
based and decadent with the sour
and vital. With this vision we a,
proach new affairs, Our duty is I
cleanse, to reconsider, to restore, I
correct the evil without impairing I'll
good, to purify and humanize evei
) process of our common life withol
weakening or sentimentalizing
There has been something crude ar
heartless and u~nfeeling in our haste
succeed and be great. Our thought III
, been Let every man look out for hir
, self, let every generation look out Il
ITSELF while we reared giant machi
. cry which made 1t impossible that ar
but those who stood at the levers
control should have a chance to loo
out for themselves. We had not 70
] gotten our morals. We remembers
! well enough that we had set up
!, policy which was meant to serve Il
: humblest as well as the most powe
!. full, with an eye single to the stan
ards Of justice and fair play, and !
membered It with pride. But we we
! very Needless and in o hurry to
/, great.
Things to Be Altered.
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