The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-03-15
THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

'ey THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
The Southern Qucstion-Civil Service Re-
forui-A Reconinic ation-The Finances
| National Arbitrution--The Settlement of
the Presidency.
The following is the full text of President
Hayes inaugural address
lrag EHcs THE ADDRESS.
FEILow-CITIZENs We have assembled to re-
peat the public ceremonial, begun by Washing
ton, observed by all my predecessors. and
now a time honored CUSTOM which marks
the commencement of new term of the Presi-
dental office. Called to the duties of this great
trust, l proceed, in compliance with usage, to
announce some of the leading principles on the
subjects that now chiefly engage the public at
tention by which it is my desire to be guided in
| the discharge of those duties. shall not un-
dertake to lay down irrevocably principles or
measures of administration, but rather to speak
of the motives which should animate us, and to
suggest certain important ends to be attained
in accordance with our institutions and essen
tial to the welfare of our country.
HIS LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE REITERATED.
At the outset of the discussions which pre-
ceded the recent Presidential election it seemed
to ME fitting that L should fully make known
my sentiments in regard to several of the i'm
portant questions which then appeared to de-
mand the consideration of the country. Fol
lowing the example, and in part adopting the
language of one of my predecessors L wish now,
when every motive for Misrepresentation has
passed away, to repeat what was said before
the election, trusting that my countrymen will
candidly weigh and understand it. and that
! they will feel assured that the sentiments de-
clared in accepting the nomination for the
! Presidency will be the standard of my conductin
! the path before me, charged as now am, with
the grave and difficult task of carving them
out in the practical administration Of the gov
ernment, so far as depends under the Constitu-
ton and laws on the Chief Executive of the ma
tion. -----. ....,..
THE SOUTHERN QUESTION.
The permanent pacifcation of the country
upon such principles and by such measures as
will secure the complete protection of all its
citizens in the free enjoyment of all their con-
| stitutional rights is now the one subject in our
public affairs which all thoughtful and patriotic
citizens regard as of supreme Importance. Many
of the calamitous effects of the tremendous
revolution which has passed over the Southern
States still remain. The immeasrable bene-
fits which will surely follow sooner or later the
hearty and generous acceptance of the legiti-
! mate results of that revolution have not vet
! been realized. Difficult and embarrassing ques-
| tions meet us at the threshold of this subject.
The people of those States are still impoverish-
ed, and the inestimable blessing of wise, honest
and peaceful local self government is not fully
enjoyed. Whatever difference of opinion may
exist as to the cause of this condition of things
the fact Is clear that, in the progress of events,
! the time has come when such government is
the imperative necessity required by all the va
ried interests, public and private. of those
States. D. --
! But it must not be forgotten that only local
government which recognises and maintains in
in1o tofl flo, ,iul,tg Nf 90
! With respect to the two distinct races, whose
peculiar relations to each other have brought
upon us the deplorable complications and per-
peXites which exist in those States, it must be a
government which guards the interests of both
races carefully and equally. 1t must be gov
the Constitution and the laws-the laws of the
r"tie,, a. and the laws of alie States themseNes--
accepting ana oeeying faithfully the whole
Constitution as it is.
Resting upon this sure and substantial founda-
ton, the superstructure of benefcent local gov
ernments can be built up. and notlotherwise In
furtherance of such obedience to the letter and
the spirit of the Constitution and in behalf of all
that its attainment implies, all so-called party
interests lose their apparent Importance and
party lines may well he permitted to fade into
insignihcance. The question we have to con-
slider for the immediate welfare of those States
of the Union is the question of government
or no government of social order and all the
peaceful industries and happiness that belong
to it, or return to barbarism. 1t is n question
in which every citizen of the nation is deeply
interested and with respect to which we ought
not to be, in partisan sense, either Republicans
or Democrats, but fellow citizens and fellow
men, to whom the interests of common coun-
try and common humanity are dear.
The sweeping revolution of the entire labor
system.of large portion of our country, and the
advance of four millions of people from con-
dltion OF servitude to that of citizenship upon
an equal footing with their former masters,
could not occur without presenting problems of
the gravest moment to be dealt with by the
emancipated rabe, by their former masters, and
by the. general government, the author of the
act of emancipation. That it was a wise, lust
and Providential act, fraught with good for all
concerned il now generally conceded through
out the country. That moral obligation rests
upon the national government to employ its con-
situtional power and influence to establish the
rights of the people it has emancipated, and to
protect them in the enjoyment of those rights
when they are infringed or assailed, is also gem
orally admitted. '
! The evils which affiict the Southern States can
only be removed or remedied by the united and
harmonious efforts of both races actuated by
motives of mutual sympathy and regard and
while in duty bound and fully determined to
protect the rights of all by every constitutional
means at the disposal Of my administration, am
sincerely anxious to use every legitimate infiu-
I
government as the true resource of those States
for the promotion of the contentment and pros
perity of their citizens. In the effort / shall
make to accomplish this purpose L ask the cor
dial cooperation of all who cherish an interest
in the welfare of the country, trusting that
party ties and the prejudice Of race will be free
lly surrendered in behalf of the great purpose to
be accomplished.
In the important work of restoring the South
II Is not the political situation alone that merits
attention. The material development of that
section of the country has been arrested by the
social and political revolution through which it
has passed, and now needs and deserves the
considerate care of the national government
within the joint limits prescribed BY the Con-
shtution and wise public economy.
FREE SCHOOLS.
But at the basis of all prosperity for that as
well as for every other part of the country, lies
the improvement of the intellectual and moral
condition Of the people. Universal suffrage
should rest upon universal education. To this
end liberal and permanent provision should be
made for the support of free schools by the
State governments, and, if need be- supple
mented by legitimate aid from national author
ity. .ra 500
Let me assure my countrymen of the South
ern States that it is my earnest desire to regard
and promote their truest interests, the interests
of the white and colored people both and equal
ly, and to put forth my best efforts in behalf of
a civil policy which win forever wipe out, in our
political affairs, the color line, and the distinc-
ton between North and South, to the end that
we may have not merely united North or a
united South, but a united country. -.e
T1 CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
ask the attention of the public to the para
mount necessity of a reform in our civil SER
q rf4fO nj nc 10 ,.ta;,, alu