Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-03-12
THE BEGINNING o. GARFEELD,s
REIGN

On Friday, March i, 1881, James
A. Garfield was regularly and duly
inaugurated president of these
United States. By the press and
those who were present, it is said to
have been the grandest and most
brilliant Inauguration. perhaps, that
has ever occurred in the history of
the republic. 1t was certainly at
tended with much Dolnp and cere-
mony.
II Is not of the display or ceremc-
mics of the occasion, however, OF
which we wish to make few cur
sorry comments, but rather of the
man himself and of his inaugural
address. James A. Garfield is, we
believe, the twentieth president of
the United States. and we venture
to say that few of his predecessors
have been his equal. none his supe-
riOr, in the brilliancy of his intellect
and in native talent and the extent
of his general information. He is
an intellectual, an able, a capable
man, and although the possession OF
these qualities is by no means a
guarantee that his administration
will be one to rebound to the pros
parity of the country, yet the fact
that he is man of master mind
and pre-eminent ability is, certainly,
some consoling assurance to us Of
the democratic faith that he will
be guided, to some extent, by the
prOnptings of reason, of right and
of justice in the administration OF
the affairs of the nation. He may
have had faults and shortcomings,
not to speak of them in harsher
language-and we think he and his
party both have-but, now that he
is raised to the highest Office in the
land, let us hope that he will act up
to the fair promises set forth in his
inaugural address, and be "a presi-
dent of the United States, not mar
row partisan and sectional president.
a mere puppet of his party and cab
met. No one Will deny that Gen.
Garfield is a smart man. Whatever
else he may be accused OF, no one
has ever called him fool or depre-
ciated his talents. He excels his
predecessor in every quality that
goes to make up a man and states
man. No matter what may be said
of him, he occupies the presidential
chair by virtue of an election by the
people, and not by base fraud, as
his predecessor did. If his admin
istration fails in any particular, il
will rather be the fault of his heart
and of his advisers than of his head
or his want of capacity and ability.
His inaugural address is clear, sue
cinct and generally pleasing in its
composition. This is nothing more
than what the country expected of
a man of his literary attainments.
AS an oratOrical work it far sur
passes anything of the kind the
country has had for years.
We have not the space to analyze
his address or to dwell in detail upon
the theories he therein promulgates.
IL is in the carrying out of those
theories that he will encounter his
real difficulties. 1t is something
more than the mere theory of poll
tics, something more than the
smooth generalities contained in a
careful and thoughtfully prepared
address that the country demands
of its chief executive head. 1t is
plain, practical work, and requires
something more than theory to
properly conduct the affairs of the
country at the present time. We
cannot say that his address gives US
much light as to the particular line
of public policy he intends to pur-
sue. We hope it will be for the
best interests of the country. AL
though we do not agree with him
and his party in their ideas of gov
eminent, still, as citizens of that
government, we hope that his adj
ministration will be fair and equita-
BILE to all sections, and that the
country may be prosperous under it.
No good citizen could hope less.