The New York herald., 1877-03-05
President Hayes.

rooms of the Presidential mansion, the Presi-
dent elect and the Chief Justice being at the
time guests of President Grant, who gave
dinner in honor of his successor. This
method Of taking the oath, though unusual
is no doubt perfectly legal. President Tyler
was sworn into Office at Browns Hotel
in the presence of members of the de-
ceased General Harrison's Cabinet but
every President elected as such by the
people has, until now, taken the oath In
the presence of both houses of Congress and
large assemblage of citizens, with the e1-
ception of President Monroe at his second
Inauguration, which, like the beginning OF
President Hayes term, happened to fall on
Sunday President Taylor's term also
began on a Sunday, but the administra-
ton of the oath was put off until the next
day. The peculiar circumstances which
have surrounded this election seemed to
render it expedient that the Office should not
be vacant even for single day, and President
Hayes, who is understood to be strictly
religious man, probably preferred to take
the oath on Saturday evening to avoid any
appearance of intruding secular busi-
ness into the Sabbath. Neither the consti-
tuition nor any law fixes the time when the
oath shall be taken beyond requiring it to
be done before the President enters on his
duties. He is permitted to select his own
time, and the oath is valid at any period be-
tween the official declaration of his election
and his assumption of the Office. President
Hayes inaugural address will be delivered
to-day in the customary manner.
Let Us hope that we now enter on long
era of successive Presidents who will ad-
minister the government in pursuance of
civil methods. The country thinks it has
had enough of military and quasi-military
rule. It is fundamental principle of our
institutions, and of all free government,
that the military shall be subordinate to the
civil authority. The country is heartily
tired of military ideas in the Presidential
mansion. 1t confidently expects, on what
seem to be good grounds, that the new Chief
Magistrate will administer the govern
ment in accordance with the settled and
approved methods of former times. Presi-
dent Hayes, indeed, served in the
army, and held the rank Of general, but
that was a mere episode in his life. His
education and habits of mind are those of q
civilian. We have no doubt that all his
impulses, as we'll as the greater part of his
training, lead him to prefer the methods which
prevailed in our government before military
notions gained their recent ascendancy.
! Our only fear is that he may be provoked
| L., &c k1a otc fho A
I Appropriation bill, and, melted by the
powerful abettors of carpet-bag rule in
the South, to yield his own sound,
moderate and constitutional views. The
attempt Of the democratic House to put
fetters on him by refusing to maintain the
army except on conditions which his sup
porters regard as degrading ought not to
turn him to the right hand or the left, nor
to bend him from his honorable purpose
to treat the South with justice. The worst
effect of this measure is to put in the
hands of the bloody shirt shriekers a fresh
argument for what they call protection to
the colored race. We trust that President
Hayes has too much steadiness of purpose
to give any heed to such appeals to his sense
of injured dignity. He is bound to do
what is right in spite of the provocation OF
political enemies and the misguided zeal OF
political friends. If he should begin his
administration by adopting the cast-ofi
military methods of President Grant he
would find it difficult to retreat If he
should be weak or unwary enough to be
provoked or seduced into recognition OF
the Packard government in Louisiana and
the Chamberlain government in South
Carolina there will be no end to the trouble
and vexation he will encounter in maintain
ing them-as he would then be bound to
do--during the ensuing four years. He
must beware of first false step which would
be so fatal We do not distrust his judg.
ment or his intentions. but we fear his firm.
ness will be put to severe trial. The en-
ragged carpet-baggers and their powerful
friends in Washington will bring every kind
of pressure to bear upon him, but we ex
pect him to be infexible. The condition o.
the country is critical; the whole success Of
his administration is staked on his frmness
in adhering to the wise and excellent
pledges made in his admirable letter of &C
ceptance. If he begins by making it appar
ent to the country that nothing can shake
his purpose to keep those pledges space viii
be cleared around him, he will be relieved
from endless annoyance and opportunities
and the opposition of the extreme radicals
will be discouraged and silenced. In sucl
q crisis as this President "who hesitates il
lost" If he begins by giving any sort o
recognition to Packard he will put his fin
gers into the wheels of machine which viii
draw in and crush his whole body. Con
sstency will compel him to stand by what
ever he does in the beginning. The radica
pressure will not permit him to retreat from
any steps he may take in favor of Packard