by (WOODROW WILSON)
WOODROW WILSON (1856-1924). Wilson was the Twenty-Eighth President.Document. 4 pgs. 10 x 14. July 15, 1915. Lane County, Oregon. An official proclamation for President Woodrow Wilson: Our President, Greetings: Know you that the citizens of Lane County, State of Oregon, on the occasion of the visit of the liberty bell, fittingly observed July 15, 1915. as Wilson Day and that in mass-meeting assembled they expressed their faith in your statesmanship in the unanimous adoption of the following patriotic declaration: We, the people of Lane County in the state of Oregon, in general mass meeting assembleddo solemnly declare: That we love peace and deplore war, That we hold most sacred the great principles of American liberty and demand that the life and liberty of American citizens shall be secure throughout the world, That the President of the United States has our loyal support, sympathy and confidence in all his efforts to adjust the present complications with foreign powers honorably and without war, we trust and believe he will be able to do so and here and now unhesitatingly confirm his every effort to that end; but if he is unable to accomplish an honorable adjustment of such complications and war can not be averted, we are ready to take up arms, to follow the President and the Flag until the life and liberty of the citizen of the United States shall be secure wherever the sun shines. Starting July 4th 1915, the Liberty Bell left Philadelphia on a custom train for a cross-country summer tour. The Liberty Bell ended up visiting 275 communities, traveling 10,000 miles, and being seen by a quarter of all Americans. One Oregon publication reported 15,000 met the Liberty Bell in Eugene, the county seat of Lane County, Oregon. For Wilson, the tour was a way to increase patriotic fervor in the country and to build support for his policy towards the war in Europe; he wanted credit for maintaining peace thus far but have the nation support military intervention if he called for it. At least in Lane County, the strategy failed; Wilson lost the county in his re-election campaign by almost ten percent. Each page of the proclamation is written on vellum with a beautiful decorative border, reminiscent of a medieval manuscript. Most of the text is in black ink, but some letters have been written in different colors. The proclamation is preserved inside and bound to a cardstock cover that decoratively says, Woodrow Wilson President. Each page is further protected by tissue paper being laid between the cover and first page and between each page. The proclamation and the cover are entirely handwritten. This document is in excellent condition. (Inventory #: 6171)