Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-01-25
Inaugural Address Of Gov Phelps.

Of the people from private life to fill the
office Of Chief Executive of this great State,
/ appear before you to solemnly pledge my
self TO the faithful performance OF the duties
which pertain to that office. ~ =.
With the duties and responsibilities or
public life in high and important trust L
have been familiar, and whatever OF expert
ence / may have had only the better quail
6es me for the discharge OF the important
duties which nov devolve on me. .@EH1-f
I hope l have a profound regard Tor the
great trust / am about to assume, OF its
grave duties and it's heavy responsibilities;
and though conscious of my own weakness,
as we'll as of the magnitude OF the charge, l
faithfully promise to dedicate my abilities
to the assiduous discharge of the duties in
trusted to me. And to you assembled here
TODAY, and through you to the people of
this State, / return my profound thanks for
the high and distinguished honor which has
been conferred on me. Tff+
1 hope that, during my official career, /
shall be encouraged with the general con-
fdence and cordial support of the people of
the State. ..-- sega
/ trust We are assembled, not as parti-
sans, but as patriots, with a sincere de-
termination to support the right and to con-
denim the wrong. We are assembled, not
to carry out our w wishes, but to respect
and speak the voice Of the people, re-
strained within constitutional limits.
For a time the destinies of the people OF
this State have been conided to us, and it is
10 D6 uUpGu our OCltDeTdblUuS Will UG CudI-
acteriZed by wisdom, patriotism and justice.
OUR RESOURCES.
Situated i'll the center OF the Union, the
heart OF the great valley of the Mississippi
this State. now the fifth in population,
will exert, If wise counsels shall prevail, an
immense influence in the affairs of this
Union. We have but little more than COM
pleted the semi-ccntennial year of our eX-
istence as a State, with a population about
tire .quarters of a million less than
thu + th;rf~noue- -op1npiaca had whap
our forefathets declared the
people Of the colonies free and independent.
With a mild, genial and salubrious climate,
suited to the production OF every thing eX-
cept the products of the tropics-wiin a kind
and fertile soil, yielding beautifully to the
hand of the husbandman-with numerous
deposits Of the baser metals more valuable
to the miner and TO the capitalist than mines
of the precious metals-with prairie and
woodland inteTspersed with numerous
springs and Iiyuiets cOurs az through the
State to the large rivers in and bordering on
the State-there is every thing in climate.
soil, ores and natural products to invite and
induce emigrationsand capital to our State.
j Let us but perfofmNfhe duty we owe to
ourselves and the people Of this State, and
we shall rapidly increase in wealth and pop
ulation.
PUBLIC EDUCATION.
Besides these natural advantages possess
ed by us in so eminent q degree. we can
with pride point to our system Of eduCa-
ton, commencing with our. common
schools and ending with the University OF
the State.
The colored people, but recently kept in
ignorance by the servitude which unclaimed
them, now have all the advantages, equally
with the whites, OF our common-school sys-
tenn, and, in addition thereto, We have es-
tablished a Normal School-the Lincoln In
stitute-for the purpose Of educating color
ed teachers for that race. And it is to be
desired that the cOlored people shall fur
nish persons competent and we'll qualified
to teach in the common schools where their
children are to be educated. This can and
should be done. The Normal Schools. the
School of Mines, the Agricultural College
and the State University have received, and
/ trust will continue to receive, the foster
ing care and support of the State Govern
ment.
And here let me say that, during the last
few years, it has been of frequent remark
that those who preceded us did not care to
see sustained in this State a system of COM
mon schools. This is unjust to the memory
of the true and able statesmen who pre-
ceded us.
Long rrior to the late civil war a system
of common schools, with provisions equally
as wise and beneticent as those contained in
our present laws, was established.
The people of this State increased the
taxes 33h per cent. in order to appOrtion
these taxes to the support of common
schools in every county IN the State. Those
IdA6S are SbII COutIuuGus ii / dlu ny
the people without a murmur.
Thus. long ago, the common schools were
literally endowed, and il the system was
not as prosperous as at the present time, it
was in part due to its infancy, and the fact
that the State, at that time, was sparsely
inhabited.
And for the purpose of encouraging those
who desire to qualify themselves to be
teachers, we have established four Normal
Schools. All of these seminaries of learning
have received the liberal support of the
State and will require and should receive
further aid. And another evidence that the
people OF this State at an early day manifest
ed a deep interest in the education Of the ris-
ing generation, we point with pride to our
State University, established nearly forty
years ago. 1t has greatly meriteu and has
received the fostering care OF the Legisla-
ture Of our State, and l trust the day is not
far distant when its reputation as a semina.
ry Of learning will equal the reputation Of
Harvard or Yale.
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.
And in order to teach the application Of
science to agriculture, the Agricultural Col
lege has been established as a department
of the University. The benefits of this in
stitution will be manifested as its pupil:
shall go forth and engage in the busy pur
suits of life.
RESOURCES.
And to further aid in developingth the grea
mineral resources OF our State, we have on
School of Mines. Here the pupil, beside
the other branches Of education, is laugh
the art or science of mining and mining en-
cheering. How to sink a shaft and max
1t secure, how to pursue the lode or VEIN 0
mineral in the most economical and SAT
manner, how to analyze the mineral and de
termine its economical value, are branche
of knowledge important to those who ar
engaged in mining, and are taught in thi
school. Whilst in this State the preclOu
metals have not been found in sufticien
quantities to justify their working, yet tn
State abOunds in ores more useful and there
fore more valuable.
iron in this State are we'll known. Iron or
of good quality is found in many counties
and SO abundant is it that we may justl
claim no State exceeds ours in this respect
The discoveries made in the last three O
four years of lead and zinc deposits have
given a new impetus to the mining of thes