Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1913-03-07
WILSON 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.

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 change Of govern
ment It began two years ago, when
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-
Aion that is uppermost in our minds
today. That is the question | am go
dng to try to answer, in order, If !
may, to interpret the occasion.
Purpose of the Nation.
It means 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 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
&erpret 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 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 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. 1t is incomparably
great in its material aspects, in its
body of wealth, in the diversity and
sweep of it's 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. It 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
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
fortuitous change, against storm and
accident. Our life contains every
great thing, and contains It in ricf
abundance.
Evils That Have Come.
But the evil has come with the
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 tt
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 well 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 eneT
giles sovertaxed and broken, the fear
full physical and spiritual cost to tn,
men and women and children upol
whom the dead weight and burden o
1t all has fallen pitilessly the year
through. The groans and agony of /
all had not yet reached our ears. tn,
solemn, moving undertone of our life
coming up out OF the mines and fac
tories and out of every home wher,
the struggle had its intimate and ia
miliar seat. With the great govern
ment went many deep secret thing
which we too long delayed to lool
into and scrutinize with candid, fear
less eyes. The great government w
loved has too often been made use o
for private and selfish purposes, AM
those who used It had forgotten tn
people.
At last a vision has been vouch
safed us of our life as q whole. w
see the bad with the good, the dc
based and decadent with the SCUM
and vital. With this vision we al
proach new affairs. Our duty is t
cleanse, to reconsider, to restore, t
correct the evil without impairing tn
good, to purify and humanIze ever
process of our common life withou
weakening or sentimentalizing
There has been something crude an
heartless and unfeeling in our haste t
succeed and be great Our thought ha
been Let every man look out for hin
self, let every generation look out 70
ITSELF while we reared giant machiI
cry which made 1t impossible that an
but those who stood at the levers {
control should have a chance to loo
out for themselves. We had not TO
gotten our morals. We remembers
well enough that we had set up
policy which was meant to serve til
humblest as well as the most powe
full. with an eye single to the stan,
ards of justice and fair play, and r
membered it with pride, But we wei
very needless and in a hurry to