The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-03-10
Grants Inaugural Address.

Chase, on the east port!cO OF the cap
itol, and from which, in a voioenot
loud, he read his inaugural address.
The crowd vas about as large as usual
on such occasions, except that there
was much more of a military display.
About one-third of the crowd were
negroes, who were much pleased, and
frequently applauded.
The "'Inaugural Address contains
nothing new Dr. wonderful in doctrine
and is exceedingly commonplace in
construction of language. The ultra
Radicals are greatly pleased with
President Grants negro equality
avowals, and the b~ondholders are in
ecstacies at his wishing 10 pay the
national debt in specie. This, if
adopted, will put at least six hundred
millions in their pockets and be only
another robbery of the people to that
extent. 1t is said Gen. Grant is a
bond holder himself and in this he
is perhaps looking to his own interest.
What a change in eight years. Eight
years ago "Hiram Grant, was
ployed by a business house In GaIena,
Illinois, at a salary of $500 a year,
and a younger brother, a member of
the firm, thought that was more than
"Hiram" was worth. He was then
ga youth to fortune and to fame I'M
known"
In addition to paying the Debt in
gold, ne thinks that twenty five years
hence we shall be better able to pay
it than we are now. OF course he does
not state that in that time Out people
will have paid three thousand mil
lions in interest, and that in gold
Gen. Grant proposes no reduction at
present of the principal of the Debt
nor does he propose, as yet, any plan
to alleviate the heavy burdens of the
people, but rather declares he will be
the willing tool in executing the edict
of a tyrannical ana u~nprincipled Con-
gress His indefinite and vague talk
about ''retrenchment, it WILDE seen,
contains not as much substance as
might be found in the thouehtless
puts from his own cigars.
The President takes an oath ''to
preserve, protect and defend the Con-
stitution"-no to obey and carry out
the will of AN unconstitutional Con-
gress; but to enforce the constitution
and "aJl laws made in pursuance
herewith This is what General
Grant, as chief executive should do.
Nay, 1t is what he has taken an
oath to do. The weakness of The man
we think is plainly manifest in his
vague and crInging Inaugural. We
anticipate nothing good from General
Grant and his Administration. So
far, he has signided his readiness to
be the serYile and willing tool of
corrupt, revolutionary Congress, and
bad men in and out of Congress. God
and the good people must save the
country. @
General Grant desires to force upon
the people Negro Suffrage by recon-
mending the 10Th amendment to the
Constitution, claiming 1T would settle
the question. Every person with eyes
ought to see that, instead of settling
the question, its adoption would put
the negro on political equality with
a superior race, and bring him in
Immediate and a~ntagonistie contact.
Mr. Grant ought to see this would
not ''settle" the question, but make
matters vastly worse.
But there is another point in ignor.
ing which Gen. Grant shows his com
plete vassalage to the radical power,
and his utter disregard of the oft ex-
pressed will ofthe people. This point
is his approval of the radical scheme
to force negro suffrage upon the coun-
try, without submitting it to a vote
of the people, and when he knows the
people have rejected it in the 'IoyaI"
States Except Iowa) wherever it has
been submitted.
In addition to the above, the Chi
cago platform, adopted by the con
vention which nominated Gen. Grant,
said: "TAe question of suffrage in all
the loyal States, property belongs to the
peopIe Of those States" it will thus be
seen that Gen. Grant in his first move
ment as President, disregards one of
the pledges on which he was elected
But the history of hIs party is a his-
tory of ~treachery, deceit, fraud and
corruption Their pledges made to
secure power have been shamelessIy
disregarded when that power was OBJ
tanned. such are the facts of history.