Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-03-05
The Inaugural.

At last We can again speak of the oc-
cupant Of the. White House as the pres
ident. Mr.. Garfield may not really have
been elected, and a great many of us
think that he was not but the evidence
to make this clear is not in our hands
and he is consequently entitled to recog-
milton as the rightful holder of the Office
into which he has been inaugurated.
The president spoke some four thou
sand pleasant words to the nation, which
those who have dutifully read them have
not been greatly enlightened by. That,
however, is not much of a disappointment.
A president who has nothing to say can
not be expected to say much; and there
is good deal of excuse for Il president
who chooses to say nothing at the very
commencement Of his administration.
Custom requires him to speak piece;
but the old saw about taking horse to
water is equally Illustrative of the vanity
of calling upon new president to
crafty public curiosity as to his
administration policy, when he chooses
not to do so. Our public men
become adopts in the art of. speaking
much and saying little; and Mr.. Gar
fields strength lies somewhat in that d.
rection though he is. more peculiarly
famed for speaking much and doing lit
tie in the line of his speech.
Inaugurals might very prGlitably lie
dispensed with since, between the pres
idents who promise a great deal and per
form little, such as Hayes. and those
who promise little, and do little, as prob
ably will he our experience with Gar
field, we do not have much satisfaction
in inaugurals. President Garfield could
not well have set us down to an emptier
dish. 1t is q pretty piece IF china, nicely
gilded, and decorated with pretty designs
of eagles and flowers and things, but
there is nothing on it TO satisfy 4 very
hungry appetite. Mr.. Garfield evidently
did not have much to put on it. His party
has not much of a creed to be unanimous
over. 1t believes in negro suffrage, and
its president ventures to proclaim his
adhesion to that constitutionaily secured
dogma that nobody rcsists. lie believes
in education; and hopes that wise
Providence will point out some way to
reconcile this doctrine with the suffrage
Of uneducated negroes if it don't, he
inclines to the opinion that it will be the
worse for educated suffrage, which must
give way to manhood suffrage in this
democratic country. The inaugural
reads good deal like a brief presidential
message, touching as it does lightly upon
a good many subjects, and only finding
courage to declare 4 positive correction
upon one or two things that may be said
to be now pull questions. The pr, 81.
dent goes the iu.l length Of his
chain aga nst the Mormons AID ut.
terS very weak bark of encour'
agement to the civil service reform
ers. He proposes that the sIbordi.
nate clerks shall he promoted fol
merit and removed only, for prescribed
causes, during the term of their appoint.
ment: which is good as far as it goes
Perhaps it is wise in President Garfield
not to promise too much in this line, in
which his predecessor promised every
thing and did nothing. The modest I'm.
dertaking of the new president is in
refreshing contrast, and leaves small ol-
portunity forpublic disappointment.
Just what sort Of an administration
the new one is going to he may fairly be
surmised from the cOlorless character #
this address. If the political seas are
tolerably peaceful it may be measur-
ably successful; but it is not craft to
survive in tempest -tOst ocean.