Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1841-03-11
From the National Intslgencer, Extra.
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
PR ESIDENT HARRISON.

posed was 10 continue for the residue of my
life, 10 fill the Chief Executive Office of this !
great and free nation, appear before you,
fellow citizens, 10 take the Oaths which the
Constitution prescrbes, as necessary quail
fcation for the performance of lis duties.
And in obedience To a custom cOeval with
our Government, and what ! believe tO be
your cxpeclallons,l proceed To present to you
a summary OF tie principles which will gov
ern me IN the discharge oi the duties which
! shall be called upon 10 perform.
IT was the remark of X oman Consul, IN
on early period Of that celebrated Republic,
that most striking contrast was observable
IN The conduct Of candidates for Offices OF
power and trust, before and after obtaining
them-thcy seldom carrying out, IN the lat
ter case, the pledges aud promises made IN
the former. However much The world may
have improved, IN many respects, ~ the
lapse of upward of two thousand years since
the remark was made by the ylrtuous and
indignant Roman, fear that n strict cxami
nation of the nnnals Of some OF the modern
elective governments would develope similar
instances of violated confidence.
Although The fiat of the people has gone
FORTH proclamlng me the Chief Magistrate
of this glorious Union, nothing upon then
part remaining To be done, IT may be thought
that motive may exist 10 keep up the delu-
sion under which they may be supposed TO
have acted IN relation 10 my principles and
OPT Inions aud perhaps there may be some IN
this assembly who have come here either
prepared To condemn those shall now de.
liver, or, approving them, TO doubt the SIN
ccrity with which they are uttered. But the
lapse Of few months will confirm or dSpel
their fears. The outline of principle 10 g0-
vern, aud measures TO lie adopted, by an
Administration not yet begun, will soon be
exchanged for lmmulabe history aud shall
stand, either exOnerated by my countryncn,
or Classcd with the mass of those who pro-
missed that they might deceive, aud ilatlerod
with the intention to bctrny. However
strong may be my PR sent purpose to real
ize The expectations o: magnannous and
confdng people, too we'll understand the
lufrmltlcs ut human nature and the dan
gcrUus temptations 10 winch shall be eX.
posed, from the magnitude of the power
which il has been the pleasure Of the people
To commit to my hands, not 10 place my chef
confidence upon the aid Of That Almighty
power which has hitherto protected me, aud
enabled me to bring to favorable issues other
important but sul greatly inferior trusts,
heretofore confded to me by my country.
The broad foundation upon which our
Constitution rests being tie PcopIe-a breath
Of theirs having made, as breath can IN.
mako, change, or modify lit can be as.
signed TO none of the great divisions of Co
vcrnmen:, but TO that OF Democracy. II
such is its theory, those who are called upon
to administer it must recognise, as lls leading
principle, the duty Of shaping their measures
so az to produce the greatest good 10 the
greatest number. But, with these broad ad-
missions, If we would compare the sover
eighty acknowledged 10 exist ~ the mass OF
our People, with the power claimed by other
sovereignties, even by those which have
been considered most purely democratic, we
shall find most essential difference. All
others lay claim to power limited by their
own will. The majority of our citizens, on
the contrary, possess a sovereignty with an
amount Of power precisely equal To that
which has been granted TO them by the par
ties to the national compact, aud nothing be-
yond. We admit Of no Government by d.
vine right. Believing that, so far as power
is concerned, the Bcnehccnt Creator has
made no distinction amongst men, that all
are upon an equality, and that the only legl.
Innate right to govern is an express grant OF
power from the governed
The constitution Of the United States is
the instrument containing this grant OF pow
or TO the several departments composing the
Government. On an examination OF that
instrument, It will be found TO contain dccla.
ratiuns of power granted and Of power with
held. The latter Is also susceptible OF dlri-
sion, into power which the majority had the
right 10 grant, bot which they did not think
proper TO intrust TO their agents, and that
which they could not have granted, not being
possessed by themselves. In other words
there are certain rights possessed by each
individual American citizen whlch,lu his com
pact with the others, he has never surren'
drred Some Of them, indeed, he Is unable
to surrender being in the language Of our
system unalicnablc. The boastcd privilege
of a Roman citizen was to him shield only
against petty provincial ruler, while the
proud democrat of Athens could console
hlmscli under sentence of death, for a
supposed violation OF the national faith,
which no one understood, and which nj times
wns the subject OF the mockcry of all, or the
banlshmcut from his home, his family and
his country, with or without all alleged cause.
that 1t was the act, not of n single tyront or
hatred aristocracy, but of his assembled
countrymen.
Far different is the power of our sovereign
". |, can interfere with no ones faith, pre-.
scribe forms OF worship for no ones obser-
vance. ln1ct no punishment but after well
sscertalned guilt, the result of investigation
under rules prescribed by the constitution IT.
self. These precious privileges, and those
scarcely less important OF giving expression
to his thoughts aud opinions, cIthcr by wrl-
ting or speaking, unrestralned but by tho
liability for injury to others, and that OF inl'
participation IN all the advantages which How
from the Government, the acknowledged
property Of all, the American citizen derives
from no charter granted by his fellow man.
! He claims them because he is himself II man,
] fashioned by the same Almighty hand as the
rest of his species. and entitled to full share
/ of the blessings with which he has endowed
them.
f Notwithstanding the limited sovereignty
possessed by the People of the United States
and the restricted grant of power to the
Government which they have adopted, q.
nourh has bceu given to accomplish all the
objects for which II wns created. II has
hecn found powerful in war, and hitherto
Justice Inns been administered, an intimate
union effected, domestic tranquility prcseH.
cd,and personal liberty secured to the citizen.
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