Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-03-06
First Obligation of Law is
to Keep Society Sound,
Says President; Defines
Peoples Duty.
TASK NOT MERELY
ON EOF POLITICS

TASK NOT MERELY
ON EOF POLITICS
Washington. March 4.-The Inaugural
address of President Woodrow Wilson
II AZ follows:
mont. It began two years ago. when
the house Of representatives became
( Democratic by a 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 In uppermost in our minds today.
That is the question am going to try
to answer, in order, II I may, to inter-
pref the occasion.
It means much moro than the mere
success Of 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 mis-
take the purpose for which the nation
now seeks to use the Democratic party.
II seeks to use It to interpret q 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. awak-
ened eyes; have dropped their DISCUSSES
and shown themselves alien and sin
lister. Some new things as we look
frankly upon them. willing to comprs-
bend their real character. have come
u assume the aspect Of things long be-
leved in and familiar. stun Of our own
convictions. We have been refreshed
by new insight into our own life.
Our Model Government.
We see that In many things life
q very great It 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
beea conceived and built up by the
genius Of individual men and the lin
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
tho 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
hops. We have built up. moreover,
great system Of government which
has stood through 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.
But the evil has come with the good.
and much fine gold has been corroded.
With riches has come inexcusable
waste. We have squandered great
part Of what We might have used and
have not stopped to conserve the ex-
ceeding bounty Of nature without
which our genius for enterprise would
have been worthless and impotent, +
scorning to be careful, shamefully \
prodigal as well as admirably efficient.
We have been proud Of our industrial
achievements, but we have not hith-
erto stopped thoughtfully enough to
count the human cost, the cost Of lives
snuffed out. of energies overtaxed and
broken. the fearful physical and spir
itual cost to the men aud women and
children upon whom the dead weight
and burden of it all has fallen pitiless.
~ the years through. The groans and
agony Of it all had not yet reached
our ears, the solemn. moving under
tone Of our life. coming up out of the
mines and factories and out of every
home where the struggle had its init
mate and familiar seat. With the
great government went many deep Sc
cret things which we too long delayed
to look into and scrutiniZe with can.
did. fearless eyes. The great govern
ment we loved has too often been
made use OF for private and selfish
and those who used it had
forgotten the people.
Duty OF Americans Outlined.
At last vision has been vollchsafed
% of our life as a whole. We see the
bad with the good. the debased and
decadent with the sound and vital
With this vision we approach new af-
fairs. Our duty is to cleanse. to re-
consider. to restore. to correct the evil
without impairing the good. to purify
Ind humaniZe every process OF our
common life without weakening ur
it. There mas heeN
crude and h.:,rteSS and ur
feeling in orr haste 10 succeed and be
great. Our Thought has htrn. LET ev-
cry man look ont for himself; let ev.
Try generation look "i!, for itself"
while we reared giant machinery which
made it impossible that any but those
who stood at the levers OF rontroi
should have chance to look out for
TT