Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1869-03-11
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
OF H.-
President Grant.
MARCH 4, 1860.

|
| Your suffrage having elevated me
to the office of President of the Uni
ted States, 1 have, in conformity
with the Constitution of our coun-
try, taken the oath of office present
ed therein. I have taken this oath
without mental reservation, and with
the determination to do, to the best
of my ability, all that is required OF
me. The responsibilities of the po-
sition / feel, but accept them with
out fear. The office has come to
me unsought. I commence its du-
ties untrammeled. 1 bring to it a
conscientious desire and determine
ton to fill it to the best of my abil-
ity to the satisfaction Of the people:
On all leading questions agitating
the public mind, ! will always ex-
press my views to Congress and urge
them according to my Judgment.
and, when 1 think it desirable, will
exercise the Constitutional privilege
of interposing q veto to defeat
measures which I oppose; but all
laws will be faithfully executed,
whether they meet my approval or
not. I shall on all subjects have a
policy to recommend, none to en-
force against the will of the people.
Laws are to govern all alike-those
opposed to as well as those who ia
vor them. I know no method to
secure the repeal of bad or obnox
ious laws so effective as their strin-
gent execution.
The country having just emerged
from a great rebellion many ques-
tions will come before it for settle
ment in the next four years which
preceding administrations have new
er had to deal with. In meeting
these it is desirable that they should
be approached calmly, without pref
udice, hate or sectional pride Re
membering 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 re
gard to local prejudice. Laws to
secure these will receive my best eff
forts for their enfo rcement.
A great debt has been contracted
in securing us and our posterity the
Union. The payment of this, prin
cipal and interest, as well as the re-
turn to a specie basis, as soon as it
can be accomplished without mate
rial detriment to the debtor class or
to the country at large, must be pro-
vided for. To protect the national
honor every dollar Of government
Indebtedness should be paid in gold,
unless otherwise expressly stipula-
ted in the contract. Let it be un-
derstood that no repudiator of one
farthing Of our public debt will be
tolerated in. public place, and ii will
go far towards strengthening a ere
dit which ought to be the best in the
world, and will ultimately enable us
to replace the debt with bonds bear
ing less interest than we now pay
To this should be added a full and
faithful collection Of revenue, a
strict accountability to the Treasury
for every dollar collected, and the
greatest practicable retrenchment in
expenditure in every department of
the government. When we compare
the paying capacity of the country
now, with ten States still in poverty
from effects of war, but soon to
emerge, trust to greater prosperity
than ever before, with the paying
capacity Of twenty-five years ago.
and calculate what it probably will
be twenty five years hence, who can
doubt the feasibility of paying every
dollar then with more ease than we
now pay for useless luxuries p? Why,
it looks IS though Providence had
bestowed upon us a strong box
the p: ecious metals locked up in the
sterile mountains of the far West,
which we are now forging the key
to unlock to meet the very contin-
gency that is now upon US. Ulti-
mately it may be necessary to in
crease the facilities to reach these
riches, and it may be necessary also
that the general government should
give its aid to secure this access
but that should only be when a dol
lar of obligation to pay secures pre-
cisely the same sort of dollar to use
now, and not before. Whilst the
question of specie payments is in
allegiance, the prudent business man
is careful about contracting debts
payable in the distant future. The
nation should follow the same rule.
A PROSTATE commerce is to be re-
built, and all the industries encour-
aged. The young men of the coun-
try, those who from their age must
be its rulers twenty five years hence,
have peculiar interest in maintain
ing the national honor. A moments
reflection as to what will be our
commanding influence among the
nations of the earth in their day, if
they a,e only true to themselves,
should inspire them with national
pride. All divisions, geographical,
political and religious, can join in
this common sentiment.
How the public debt is to be
paid, or specie payments resumed,