Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-03-04
liariieI,i's inaugural.

Fsll0,c Citizens: We stand to day upon
al enincice which OverlOo!;S a hundred
years of nationa! liie-s century crowded
| with perils, but crowned with the tri.
| umphs of liberty and law. Before con-
| tinuinG the onward march, let us pause or
| this height for IL moment to strengthen
our faith and renew our hope. bya glance
| at tn, pathway alon. which our people
haze Travelled.
1t is now three days more than
q hundred years sine the adoption
| of the first written constitution of the
United States, the articles of confederation
and of perpetual union. The new republic
| was bcsct with danger OH every hand. It
had not conquered !; place in the family OF
| nations. The decisive battle of the war for
| independence. whose centennial :snniver-
| sary will soon be gratefully celebrated at
Yorktown. had not yet been fought. The
| colonislS were struggling not only against
| the armies Of Il great nation, but against the
settled opinions of mankind for the world
| did not then believe that the supreme
authority Of government could be
safely entrusted to the guardian
ship of the pcopls themselves.
We cannot OveraStimato the fervcnt love
of liberty, the intelligent courage and the
saving common sense with which our
fathers made the great experiment of self
government. When they found, after =
short trial, that the confederacy of states
was too weak to meet the necessity Of II
vigorous and expanding republic, they
boldly sci it aside. and in it's stead estab
| lishci National Union, founded directly
upon the whole ur the people, endowed
with full row"rS Of preservation
and with ample authority for the accom-
plish!ncnt of other great objects, Under
this constitution the boundaries of freeman
have been enlarged, the foundations of
order and peace have been strengthened,
and the growth of our people in all the
better elements of national life has indi-
Gated the wisdom of the founders and
given new hope to their descendants.
Under the constitution our people
| long ago, made themselves safe against
danger from without and secured for their
mariners and flag equality OF rights on all
the seas. Under this constitution twenty
five states have been added to the Union,
with constitution and laws framed and en-.
forced by their own citizens to Sc
cure the manifold blessings of local
self-Governmcnt. The jurisdiction of
| their constitution now covers an area
fifty times greater than that Of the Origi-
nal thirteen states and population twenty
times greater than that of 1880. The su-
preme trial of the constitution came at
last under the tremendous pressure of
civil war. We, ourselves, are witness that
the Union emerged from the blood and fire
Of that conflict purified and made stronger
for ali the beneicent purposes Of good
government.
And now, at the close of this first GEN.
tury OF growth, with the inspirations Of
its history in their hearts, our people have
lately reviewed the condition OF the nation.
passed Judgment upon the conduct and
opinions of political parties, and have regis
tered their will concerning the future adj
ministration OF the government. To inter-
pref and to execute that will i'll accordance
with the constitution is the paramount
duty Of the executive. Even from
this brief review it is manifest that
the ration is resolutely facing to
the front, resolved to employ it's
best energies in developing the great
possibilities of the future. sacredly pre-
serving whatever has been gained to liber-
ty and good government during the CEN
tury. Our people are determined to leave
behind them all those bitter controversies