The state herald., 1917-03-09
NATIONAL EQUALITY
CREED OF AMERICA
PRESIDENT CALLS FOR A UNITED
NATION TO UPHOLD JUSTICE
IN WAR.MAD WORLD.
v. s. Must Stand for Peace With
Honor and Free Of Greed or In.
trigue, Declares Wilson In
Inaugural Address.
we..ern New.psper union Now. service.

|
| Western Newspaper Union News Service.
Washington, March 6.-Facing, to
use his own words, not retrospect, but
the thought and purpose of the pres
ent and immediate future, Woodrow
Wilson OF New Jersey. Monday sub
scribed In public to the oath as his
own successor.
With new conservation to the ma.
tion's service the President, touching
on the international crisis, declared
there could now be no turning back
from the tragical events of the last
thirty months which have brought up-
on Americans q now responsibility as
citizens Of the world. The President
declared anew that America must
stand for peace. stability Of free peo.
pies. national equality in matters OF
right, that the seas must be free to all
and that the family Of nations shall
not support any governments not de.
rived from the consent OF the gov.
erned.
Sounding solemn warning against
any faction or intrigue to break the
harmony or embarrass the spirit Of
the American people. the President
ing. In purpose and In its vision of
duty, OF opportunity and Of service"
The inaugural address was as fol-
lows:
NY Fellow Citizcns:-The four years
which have elapsed since last l stood
In this place have been crowded with
counsel and action OF the most vital
interest and consciousness. Perhaps no
equal period in our history has been so
af imnNrfnnt
economic and Industrial life or so full
of significant changes in the spirit
and purpose of our political action.
We have sought very thoushtfully to
set our house In order. correct the
grosser errors and abuses of our In
dustrial life. liberate and quicken the
energy and lift our politics to a broad
er view of the peoples essential inter
ests. 1t Is IA record of singular vari-
ETY. and singular distinction. But shall
itself and will be of increasing influ-
ence as the years go by.
This is not the time for retrospect.
II is time, rather. to speak OF our
present and the Immediate future.
Although we have centered counsel
and action with such unusual concen-
tration and success upon the great
problems of domestic legislation to
which we addressed ourselves four
years ago. other matters have more
and more forced themselves upon our
attention: matters lying outside our
own life ns n nation and over which
we had no control. but which. despite
our wish to keep free of them. have
drawn us more and more irrenistibly
into their own current and influence.
They have affected the life of the whole
world. They have shaken men every
where with q. passion and an npprehen-
sion they never knew before. II has
while the thought of our own people
swayed this way and that under tA1ir
| Influence. -.
Deeply wrsaxed Upo. SECS.
We are q composite and cosmopolitan
people. We are of the blood OF all the
| nations that are At war. The currents Of
our trade run quick at all seasons
The war Inevitably set its mark from
the first alike upon our minds. our in
dustries. our commerce. our politics
ent to II or independent of II wss out
of the question.
And yet, all the while we have been
conscious that we were not part of IT,
visions. We have drawn closer together.
We have been deeply wronged upon
the seas. but we have not wished to
wrong or to in}ure in return; have re-
tained throughout tho consciousness
of standing In some sort apart. intent
upon an interest that transccndcd the
immediate Issues OF the war Itself As
some of the injuries done us have be-
come intolerable we have still been
clear that we wished nothing for our
selves that we were not ready to de-
mnnd for all mankind-fair dealing.
Justice. the freedom to live and be at
ease against orgnnixed wrong.
II is In this spirit and with this
thought that we have grown more and
more aware. more and more certain
that the part we wished to play was
| the part OF those who mean TO vindi-
cate and fortlfy peace. We have been
obliged to arm ourselves to make good
| our claim to n certain minimum Of
right md OF freedom OF action.
We stand firm In armed neutrality
| since II seems that In no other way we
| can demonstrate what II is we insist