The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-03-16
President GaIfGld'S Inaugural Address

crowded WITH lne pcrllS but crowned
with the trumphs Of liberty and law,
Before continuing our onward march, let
us pause on this height for moment t
strengthen our faith and renew our hope
| by a glance at the pathway along which
our people have travelled.
1t is now three days more than hun
dtel years since the adoption Of the first
written constitution of the United States
-the articles Of confederation and per
pelual union The new republic was
then beset with danger on every hand
1t had not conquered place in the fam
lily of nations. The decisive battle Of
the war for independence whose centen-
NAL anniversary will soon be gratefully
celebrated at Yorktown, had not yet
been fought. The colOnists were strug-
Cling, not only against the armies of a
grea. nation but against the settled opn-
ions of mankind, for the world did not
then believe that the supreme authority
of government could he safely entrusted
to the guardianship Of the people them
selves. We cannot ovcrestimatc the fer
vent love of liberty, the intelligent cOur-
age and the saving common sense with
which our fathers made the great expert.
ment of sclf-governmcnt.
When they found, after short trial,
that the confederation Of the states Was
too weak tJ meet the necessities Of the
vigorous and expanding republic they
boldly set it aside, aud in ito stead cstab-
liahed national union, founded directly
upon the will of the people, endowed
| with full powers of self-prcscryaton and
with ample authority for thcaccompIi-h-
meat Of its great objects Under this
constitution the boundaries of freedom
have been enlarged, the foundations Of
order and peace have been strengthened,
the growth Of our people in all the better
elements Of national life has indicated
the wisdom of the founders, and given
new hope to their descendants Under
this constitution our people long ago
made themselves safe against danger from
without and secured for their mariners
and flag equality of rights onall the seas.
| Under this constitution twenty five
states have been added to the union, with
constitutions and laws framed and en-
/ forced by their own citizens, to secure
the manifold blessings of local lcl(-gov-
crnment The jurisdiction Of this con-
stitution now cover. an area Of fifty
times greater than that of the oripinal
thirteen states and population of twenty
times greater than that Of 1880
The supreme trial Of the constitution
came at last under the tremendous preas.
ure OF clVlI war we ourselves are VII
nr'SeS th4t the union emerged from the
blood ana hre OF that conllcJ purIiled
and made stronger Tor nj the bcnchrlcht
! purposes ot gooo government, ana now,
at the close ol TINS irst century oi
| growth, with the inspirations OF ltS MS
tory IN their hart7; our people nave Iately
reviewed the condition Of the nation,
passed Judgment upon the conduct ana
opinions OF the polltical parties ana nave
registered ,leIr VIII concerning the lu-
ture administrations OF the government.
10 interpret ana to execute that WllI, IN
accordance with the constitution, Is the
| paramount duty ol the executive.
Even from thj. brief review it is man
li''t l'.tV l'e ,,"'Io' - lTs"'u'',y t"''''S
'a' 'io''5' ''I'.'on 'I'"'l'ot ,'o
"it9 /" 'tN''oP'ns III Eo"' p's.'pl''vl','
oi t'', i"Ip'r' H":irI't irS., ','s nay ''"'l
ever Nus '','' S''l''" ~ i'Or.' y anu p""l I
government ,! untIl'! u,e ccnlulli ,l .,:,., V,i
lt"P'' gre uc'IiI.i'I'" ~ ''"Nr ,''"l',,'
V"'h. "'' ,li'9e pltlr, y"r''I,c,'';o . o"l-
c'rIlng tI'hE7 "Iich nave ptcii lI'e'o-
| 'aolf T''''''' anu Iu' '"','vi "''I"1','''
ol "'llcil cHh onlI sur !" ? SUM ''nn u'i'
| Ihc ohNa'" H'"i'H, "o '"P',I''y VI
t'Ic h"''"' "'" ''H 'IN' o'''Tr1. ~, w w
longer d '"IJ'rl " Tr''W, i',i'. ,f1 VIZ
cn-'ioh Whlcn ior Il h",' G'l''ui! u'fcaI, .!.,
'h'" NV - NL.i 'NIH.',''o w. 'li0 u.'ioi T"' va
cIo'',! III Wv "i7i' 'o''' VI "'' ~ y u'
cree from "i.'cl' 'hIit Is ~ appeal 'i'n'
Vi'c constitution anu 'i'c 'n"I n'"uc III
PuiH"anc' ..'cIr"l ne 'ii u o,,I'' & .p'i'ln'io L
~ w ;e '"r". 'm nJ " T,u noni l" V1l, 1Ti
IhE "''N' ui''' 'S',.' i'"u P''Tlt' ms
oSctGo "aeH NV u'i."tp ,no az nI'"n."ni
"i tno oV''tS I'ol iute'i'Ie WIN "ny U,
,'it': 'CL,,' .LI; ~ iJiI w., ni,rn'
p"I ~ Wv, ''N ''.'E .t'; ''n,;3- '"' P''''''
iiehV S"P''h'''J VI '"' ''i''n
The will of the nation, speaking with
the vchemcncc Of battle, anl through
the amended constitution, has fulfilled
the great promise of l77j, by proclaim
ing " liberty throughout the land to all
the inhabitants thereof" The elevation
Of the negro race from slavery to the full
rights of citizenship, is the most import
ant political change we have known since
the adoption of the constitution OF 1887.
No thoughtful man can fail to appreciate
its beneficial effects upon our institutions
and people. IT has freed US from per-
petual danger Of war and dissolution. 1t
has added immensely to the moral and
industrial forces of our people. 1t has
liberated the master as well as the slave
from relation which wr0nged and en-
fcebed both 1t has surrendered to their
own guardianship the manhood OF more
| IL g.. 80; ;lIi,,, nT po,nla un1 haa oman