Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1913-03-04
Wilson s Vie1cS GiventoN0hom;I
Presidents inaugural Address
First Obligation Of Law is to Keep Society Sound by Sanitary
and Pure Food Statutes and Measures Determining Con-
dtionS Of Labor Task Not Merely One of Politics.

Washington, March 4.-The inaugu
raj address of President Woodrow
Wilson is as follows:
There has been a change OF govern
ment. 1t began two years ago. when
the house of representatives became
Democratic by decisive majority. II
has now been completed. The senate
about to assemble will also be Demo
cratic. The offices of president and
vice president have been put into the
hands Of Democrats. What does the
change mean? That is the question
that is uppermost in our minds today
That is the question l am going to try
to answer, in order, If l may, to inter-
pret the occasion.
1t means much more than the mere
success of party. The success Of a
party means little except when the
nation is using that party for large
and definite purpose. No one can mis-
take the purpose for which the nation
now seeks to use the Democratic party.
1t seeks to use it to interpret 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. awak-
ened eyes; have dropped their disguises
and shown themselves alien and sin
lister. Some new things as we look
frankly upon them. willing to compre-
bend their real character. have come
to assume the aspect of things long be-
Iieved 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 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 lim-
itless 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 forms the beauty and
the energy of sympathy and helpful
ness and counsel in their efforts to rec
tify wrong. alleviate suffering and set
the weak in the way of strength and
hope. We have built up. moreover,
a great system of government which
has stood through a 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 IL in rich abundance
But the evil has come with the good.
and much fine gold has been corroded.
With riches has come inexcusable |
waste. We have squandered a great !
part of what we might have used and |
have not stopped to conserve the ex-
'eeding bounty Of nature without
which our genius for enterprise would
have been worthless and impotent.
;corning to be careful. shamefully
lrOdigal as well as admirably efficient
We have been proud of our industrial
but we have not hith
.rto stopped thOughtfully enough to
'ount the human cost. the cost OF lives
nuffed out. Of energies overtaxed and
lroken. the fearful physical and spir
tual cost to the men and women and
hildrpn upon whom the dead weight
nd burden Of Il all has fallen pitiless-
, the years through. The groans and
gony Of Il all had not yet reached
ur ears. the solemn. moving under
one Of our life. coming up out OF the
mines and factories and out OF every
ONE where the struggle had its init
nate and familiar seat With the
reat government went many deep Sc
ret things which we too long delayed
D look into and scrutinize with can
ID. fearless eyes. The great govern
rent we loved has too often been
lade use of for private and selfish
urposes. and those who used Il had
1rgOtteD the people
Duty Of Americans Outlined.
At last. vision has been v0oehsafed