Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-03-12


the oath Of Office presented therein.
I have taken this oath without men
tai reservation, and with the deter
minaticn to do, TO the best Of my
| ability, all that it requires Of me.
The responsibilities of the position !
feel, but accept them without fear.
The office has come TO me unsought.
| I commence its duties untrammelled.
/ bring to it a cOnscicnscious desire
anG determination to Eli to the best
of my ability, to The satisfaction of
the people OH all leading questions
agitating the public mind. ] will al
ways express my views to congress,
and urge them according to my judg-
ment, and when l think it advisable
I will exercise the constitutional
privilege of intcrposing q veto to de-
feat measures which l oppose but
all laws Will he faithfully executed
whether they meet my approval or
not. I shall on all subjects have n
policy to recommend, but none to
enforce against the will Of the people;
the laws that are to govern all alike,
those opposed to, as we'll rs those that
favor them. know Of no method
to secure the repeal of bad or obnox-
ious laws, so effective "a their strin
gent execution.
The country having just emerged
from great rebellion, many qucs-
tions will come be fore it for settlement
in the next four years, which
preceding administrations have new
or had TO deal with. In meeting
these, ii is desirable that they should
be approached calmly, without pref
udice, or sectional pride, remember
ing that the greatest good to the
greatest number is the object to be
attained. This requires security Of
person, property, and free religious
and political opinion in every part Of
our common country, without regard
to local prejudice. Laws to secure
these will receive my best efforts for
their enforcement.
A great debt has been contracted
in securing to us and our posterity
the Union~ The payment of this,
principal and interest, as well as the
return to specie basis, as soon as it
can be accomplished without materi-
al detriment to the debtor class or to
the country at large, must be pro-
vided for. To protect the national
honor every dollar of the govern
ment Indebtedness should be paid in
gold, unless otherwise expressly stip-
ulated in the contract. Let it be
distinctly understood that no repudi-
ator of one farthing Of the pub
lie debt will be trusted in public
place, and it Will go far toward
strengthening a credit which ought
to be the best in the world, and will
ultimately enable us to replace the
debt with bonds bearing less interest
than we now pay. To this should
be added q faithful collection Of the
revenue, strict accountability to the
treasury for every dollar collected,
and the greatest practicable Tetreuch.
ment In the expenditures Of every
department Of the government.
When we compare the paying capaci-
ty of the country, with ten states still
in poverty from the effects of lie war
but soon to emerge, trust, into
greater prosperity than ever before,
with its paying capacity twenty-five
years ago, and calculate what il prob
ably will be twenty-five years hence,
who can doubt the feasibility Of pay
ing every dollar then with more ease
| than we nowpay for useless luxuries.
Why, ii looks as though Providence
had bestowed upon US as in strong
box, the precious metals locked up in
the sterile mountains Of the far west,
which we are now forging the key to
unlock TO meet the contingency
that is now upon us. Ultimately ii
may be necessary to increase the IA
cilities to reach these riches, and it
may be necessary also that the gen
eral government should give its aid
to secure this access, but that should
only be when the dollar Of obligation
to pay procures precisely the same
sort of dollar 10 use now and not be-
fore. Whilst the question Of specie
payments is in allegiance the prudent
business man is careful about con-
tracing debts payable in the distant
future. The nation should follow
the same rule. 4 PROSTATE COM
merce is TO be rebuilt and all indus
tries encouraged. The young men
Of the country, those who, from their
age, must be its rulers twenty-five
years hence have peculiar interest in
maintaining the national honor. A
moments reflection as to what Will
be our influence among the nations
of the earth in their day, if they arc
only true TO themselves, should i'll
spire them with national pride. All
divisions, geographical, political and
religious can Join In these common
sentiments. How the public debt is
to be paid, or specie payments re-
sumcd, il not so important as that
some plan should be adopted aud &C.
quiesced in. A unanimous detcrmi-
nation to do Is worth more than d.
vided action upon the method Of do
ing. Legislation upon the subject
may not be necessary now, or even
advisable, but it will be when civil
law is more fully restored In all parts
of the country, and trade resumes its
wonted channels.
IT will be my endeavor to execute
all laws in good faith, collect all rev.
enues assessed, TO have them proper
ly accounted for, and economically |
disbursed, and to the best Of my
ability appoint to Office those only !
who will carry out this design.
In regard to foreign policy, would |