National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-07
ABOUT THE MESSAGE.
VIEWS OF SEVERAL STATESMEN.
Mr.. Stephens, Senator Conger, and Others on the
Inaugural Message - The General Opinion
Expressed That 1t Is Good DOcH.
ment-StaIMart Sentiments.

The inauguration of the new admin
istration has been the main topic of con-
yersation among the men who make and record
public opinion. With view of getting at the i'm
preston made upon the leading men of the two par
ties by the inaugural address of President Garfield
reporters of THE REPUBLICAN sought to interview as
many of each as possible. This was found to be a
ask of considerable difficulty, owing to the fact that
statesmen, like common mortals, partook of the
gen eral joyous excitement that pervaded the city,
and like Others were abroad to see the sights and
share the pleasures of the evening. The responses
made to the reporters were, Gone to the bal"
"Out with friends "Gone to see the fireworks"
&c. few, however, were found at their regular
places, and others were caught on the fly, as it
were. Among the home-bodies" was
SENATOR CoNGER,
who, in reply TO the question,
"What is your opinion of the inaugural adj
dress?" said:
81 think the brief review of the formation and
growth of our Government and its progress TO the
present time is expressed in as beautiful language
and feryency of expression as can be found in any
history, essay, or Grafton ever delivered. The as
'sertion of the Nations supremacy and its laws
forever established by reason, logic, and the
final decision and arbitrament of that last appeal.
the high court of war; is asserted positively and
absolutely as to CRAFTY the most Stalwart Republi-
can in the land The condition and prospects ofthe
negro race, the supreme advantage of their liberia:
ton from slavery TO both master and slave, the re-
moval of dishonor from labor by removing the
degradation and inferiority of the laborer, are all
presented with remarkable clearness and force,
and will command the assent Of all thought
full men in the North and in the South.
No part of the message is more gratifying to me
than the assertion Of the absolute equality of
American citizenship. 1t strikes the keynote of
the contest that is now being waged and presents,
with bold and manly affirmation, the principles
underlying our Republican creed, to secure which
the grandest efforts of the nobest party that has
ever stood forth the champion of equal rights and
equal citizenship are now, as they ever have been,
directed. 1t asserts that American citizenship,
when conferred upo the most lowly and humble
in the land is broad enough and strong enough to
place the subject upon til broad plane of absolute
political equality with the richest the Hottest, and
most powerful citizen of the realm; that there is
not and never shall be in republic two classes
of citiZens-the roud and the domineering above,
theloWly and depressed beneath-but all shall stand
together under the Co Institution and laws of this
grand Nation absolutely equal in all the rights and
privileges of American citizenship. 1t demands
universal education and moral elevation for all
0ilu IlsSlA SHudIiS W lAiC
man and the philanthropist. In these respects the
sentiments of the message will meet a hearty re-
Spouse of every Republican, and will be especially
gratifying to the most stalwart men of our
party. I consider this message one of the
most eloquent, philosophic, and statesmanlike
papers ever presented by any President for the
consideration of the American people. 1 am graf
fled beyond expression that our gallant leader
has so obly expressed and so positively asserted
the grand principles which bind the Republic to-
gether in the present as they have in the past"
THE HON. A. II. STEPHENS
was another of the statesmen found at home, and
in reply to the same question said:
al consider it," said Mr. Stephens, "eminently
conservative and patriotic. President Garfield
looks to the fut ure, and not to the past, and
counsels Cancellation upon the principle of
a maintenance of the powers Of the Govern
ment as conferred by the Constitution, with
due regard to the reserved rights of the people
retained by the States. Ours is a complex
system of government the like of which
has no prototype in history. The supremacy of
the central Govern ment all subjects intrusted
to it by the people in the Constitution is absolute.
This President Garfield maintains is right in prin
ciple and those po wers of local self-government
which are re served by the people he also very
clearly maintains, SO that this wonderful
complex system may be administered for
the welfare, happiness, and prosperity of
the entire people throughout the length
and breadth of the land. The most striking fea-
ture on this point is that in which he advises the
forgetting in the fIt ure those differences which
have so much dis turbed the harmony of the past
and are pressing forward toward those new ques-
lions upon which the future prosperity and we'll
bein of the entire country is involved"
HON. WILLIAM P. MORRISON,
when asked what he thought of it, said:
GOOD, very good; only think the o Their man
ought to have delivered it."
Hancock"
Certainly 1 would ave preferred to have
heard an inaugural from Democratic President
but have no fault to find with that of General
Garfield 1t is good from his standpoint and that
of his party, and as literary production is very
fine"
HON. BEN. BCTTERwoRTH,
of Ohio, as enthusiastic in his concentrations OF
both the letter and spirit of the address, and pre-
dicted for the new administration success such
as had been attained by few if any party in the
past.
HON BENJAMIN lie FEvRE
thought the inaugural one of the best in point of
literary excellence ever delivered and believed
that President Garfield had clothed in perfect Ian
guage the prevailing and governing ideas of the
party which elected him.
HON. FRANK E. BELTzHooyER
said: "Only Jeferson's and Lincoln's inaugurals
can be comp AIRED with it literary productions,
but with many of its sentiments and ideas 1 have
but little sym patlly. 1 know Garfield to be man
of great ntellec tual power but have not the faith
in his sincerity and hone sly ofpurpose entertained
by many of the lea ding men of the Democratic
party"
In the peregrina tons of THE REPUBLICAN ennis
saries one of them ran across a very Stalwart
Southern born Republican in the person of
GENERAL W. NJ LEDwITH,
of Florida, the gentleman who ran for Lieutenant
Governor on the ticket with ex-senator COnover
last fall In reply to the stereotyped question of
what he thou ght of the Presidents address, Gen
eral Ledwith said:
al think it an excellent address, and means that
we shall have a Republican administration in
fact as we'll as in name"
"What abouta Southern representative in the
Cabinet? W HON do the Southern Republicans
Want?"
"Ifwetould have our choice we would name
Judge Thomas Settle. What we want, however, is
a Republican from the South who has been
identif ed with the interests of the people and
" hose only claim to recognition is that OF
ha wing once resided in that section. We want a
man who has been in the thick of the fight and
W no has staid there since, and who intends to stay
there and fight it out, regardless of the result.
With such a man in the Cabinet the Republican
party of the South would feel that it had the sym
pathy and support of the administration, and such
a selection would infuse life into the orgsni-
cation and give them the courage born of the hope
of fulfllment OF promises made, such as the adj
ministration just deceased failed to effect"
De Lesseps' Canal.
A recent steamer arrival from France
to Panama Il as added twenty eight gentlemen of
various professions to the number already on the