The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1913-03-07
WILSON SPEAKS
TO The NATION
Inaugural Address D-.Varod by
the New Persistent.
SEES WORK or RESTORATION
Task Of Victorious Democracy Is to
Square Every Process Of National
Life With Standards Set Up
at the Beginning.

Washington, March 4.-Presiden
Wilson's inaugural address, remark
able for its brevity, was listened Il
with the greatest interest by the vas
throng which was gathered in from
Of the capitol's east portico, and at it
close there was heard nothing bu
praise for its ~eloquence and higl
moral tone. The address in full wal
as follows:
There has been a change Of govern
ment. 1t began two years ago. wher
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 our minds
today. That is the question l am go.
ing to try to answer, in order, if ]
may, to interpret the occasion.
PURPOSE OF tue Ndtlon,
II meal much more than the mere
success of a party. The success of a
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 use the Demo.
cratic party. It seeks to use it to in.
terpret a 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 u 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-l
ed in and familiar. stuff Of our owml
convictions. W. have been refreshed
by a new insight into our W 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 limltless enterprise Of groups
of men. 1t is great, also, very great,
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 a long
age as In many respects a model for
those who seek to set liberty upon
foundations that will endure against
'ortuitous change, against storm and
accident, Our life contains every
thing, and &C. aims it in rich
Evils That Have Come.
But the evil has come with the
good, and much fine gold has been
,orroded. With riches has come in.
excusable waste. We have squan.
1ered a great part Of what we might
have used, and have not stopped to
conserve the exceeding bounty of ma.
.ure, without which our genius for en-.
.erprise would have been worthless
impotent, scorning to be careful
'hamefully prodigal as we'll as admir-.
IDLY efficient. We have been proud Of
industrial achievements, but we
lave not hitherto stopped thought
ully enough to count the human cost,
he cost of lives snuffed out, of ener.
yies overtaxed and broken, the fear.
ul physical and spiritual cost to the
men and women and children upon
whom the dead weight and burden OF
t all has fallen pitilessly the years
through. The groans and agony Of 1t
III had not yet reached our ears. the
moving u~ndertone OF u life, ,
up out of the mines and fac. !
cries and out Of every home where {
he struggle had its intimate and IA. I
niliar seat. With the great govern. {
nent went many deep secret things {
which we too long delayed to look |
INTO and scrutinize with candid. fear {
eyes. The great government we 9
owed has too often been made use of 7
or private and selfish purposes. and Z
hose who used it had forgotten the {
I
AT last a vision has been vouch. I
us Of our life as a whole. We
the bad with the good, the de. g
'ased and decadent with the sound t
nd vital. With this vision we ap- l
roach new affairs. Our duty is to I
%leanse, to reconsider, to restore, to
orrect the evil without impairing the '
God, to purify and humanize every E
recess Of u common life without !
geakening or sentimentalizing IL a
here has been something crude and {
eartless and ~unfeeling in our haste to &
ucceed and be great. Our thought has 4
cen Let every man look out for him.
elf, let every generation look out for ,
self while we reared giant mAchin :
~ mhfoh p,od, a. to~-..thfa A..