The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1865-12-07
Gov. erR,s Inaugural Address.


Representatives
The Copstitution Of SoathC arolina
requires that the oath Of Office of the
Governor shall be taken in your pres.
snce, and immemorial usage requires
him to make, ON such occasion, q brief
exposition of the principles which will
control his administration.
The high honor conferred on me by a
a majority of my fellow.citizens, In
choosing mo their first Governor under
the new Constitution, and the eventful
period in the States history when the
selection is made, fills me with sense
OF the profoundest gratitude. I sp.
proach'its grave duties and responsible.
lities with the deepest humility, and with
a sincere distrust Of my capacity to dis.
charge them in such manner as to salts.
fy the reasonable expectation. Of tho
State.
Under these circumstances, I can
venture with safety to make at least one
pledge to the people Of this ancient
Commonwealth: that all the zeal and
energy of my nature, during my official
term, shall be earnestly and constantly
devoted to their service. With the
uniform practice Of. that par.iality which
caused chem 70 elevate me to this great
Office, ] trust they will exercise gen.
erous confidence in all the acts Of my
administration, always giving me full
credit for just and patriotic motives.
The State is now Just entering upon
a new and untried career, where there
is much hope for and not little to fear.
All of our old landmarks in politics have
been swept off by the fires Of war. Our
social and industrial systems have per.
ished from the same unrelenting and
nppitying cause. Some of our most
distinguished citizens, and many Of the
most promising young men have fallen
martyrs to the ancient principles Of
South Carolina. Grief over the biers
d,iisbolSy Rt ihs loved s enss one m has ! lsd exety
and the orphan have bedewed every
hearthstone; And yet, amid this gen.
eral wreck in all the relations of life, It
would be unmanly to despond. The
highest courage and tho ysternest forti.
tude Is demanded wherever the heaviest
calamities overtake or threaten to en-.
gulph us. R
The people of South Carolina seeded
from the Federal Union under an ear.
nest and honest conviction that they
had the Constitutional right so to do
and they were equally earnest and hon.
est in the conviction that their interest
and the security Of 4 very large pro.
perty in slaves required them to resort
to this extreme measure. Other States
united with herto .setup new Gov
ernment. The Executive, the Legis.
lature. and the Judicial Departments
OF the United States Government all
denied the right which we had asserted,
and war ensued. All parties knew that
slavery was the real foundation Of the
collision between the sections. The
South engaged in it to preserve and
perpetnate it; the North to destroy it..
-Four years Of bloody, desolating war
was spent in settling the issue. which had
been committed tothe arbitratnentoft the
sword, andNthat High Tribunal from
which thereis no earthly appeal, decid.
ed the cause against ns. It was final,
irreyersible decree We were exhaust.
cd, our armies surrendered, our last
available recruit was sent to the front,
and our resources were all consumed.
We et,ccs,r,h hed "a tba ,,o,,ar ~ tho iTY.>: