McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-03-12

" relation and offensive to the moral
sence of the civilized world, shall be re-
pressed. The laws should be rig
idly enforced which prohibit the
immigration of servile class
to compete with American labor with no
intention Of acquiring citizenship and
bringing with them and retaining habits
and customs OF repugnance to our civili-
cation. The people demand reform in
the administration of the government and
the application of business principals to
public affairs. As means to this end
civil service reform should be In good
faith enforced. Our citizens have the
right to protection from the Incompetence
of public employees who hold their places
solely as the reward of partisan service and
from the corrupt influence of those who
promise and the vicious methods of
those who expect such rewards,
and those who worthily seek
public employment have thought
and insisted that merit and competency
shall be recognized instead of party sub
serviency or the surrender of honest po-
litical belief in the administration of a
government pledged to do equal and ex-
act justice to all men. There should be
no pretext for anxiety touching the pro-
lection of the freedmen in their rights or
their security in the enjoyment of their
privileges under the constitution and it's
amendments. All discussion as to their
fitness for the place accorded to them as
American citizens is idle and Improbable,
except as it suggests necessity for their
improvement. The fact that they are
citizens entities them to all the rights due
the relation and charges them with all its
duties, obligations and responsibilities.
These topics and the constant and ever
varying wants of an active and enterpris-
ing population may well receive the at
tention and the patriotic endurance of all
who make and execute the federal law.
Our duties are practical, and call for an
industrious application of an intelligent
PERCEPTION of the claims of public office,
and, above all, firm determination of
united action to secure to all the people
of the land the full benefits of the best
form of government ever vouchsafed to
man; and let us not trust to human effort
alone, but humbly acknowledge the
power and goodness of Almighty God,
who presides over the destinies of nations
and who has at all times been revealed in
the country's history; let us invoke His
aid and His blessings upon our labors.
The stand on which the president de-
livered his inaugural address was erected
almost on level with the floors of the
senate and house and directly in front of
the middle entrance to the capitol. 1t
was about one hundred feet square, the
largest ever erected for an Inauguration,
and was covered by two thousand chairs.
These were occupied by senators, men,
bers of the diplomatic corps and judges
of the supreme court, members of the
house of representatives and press repre-
sentatives. Before the president left the
senate chamber the crowd in front of the
stand had increased until it became one
SOLID MASS OF HUMANITY
for four hundred feet in front of the
stand and more than one hundred feet on
either side. The crowd continued less
solidly in the rear of this multitude.
The trees in the great lawns were filled
and the roofs of the surrounding dwell
ings were covered. On the roof of the
capitol some two hundred or three hun
dred men and boys had congregated. In
approaching the avenues and streets the
military companies and society organiza-
tons were massed in columns, forming
brilliant vista as far as the eye could
reach. On elevated stands enterprising
had placed their instru-
ments to perpetuate in Photographic de-
signs the assembly on the stand, and the
sea Of hats and faces that moved contin-
ually like waves of the ocean. This great
throng was variously estimated as to
numbers. President Arthur subsequent
ly said it was ''simply immense; the
greatest crowd he ever saw Senator
as he looked at it, said he
thought it numbered about 150, 1000
people. While waiting for the arrival of
the president ELECT some one would oc-
venture in front of the plat
form. and his presence was the signal
for repeated cheers. President-elect
was clad in full suit of black,
Prince Albert coat, high, old fashioned,
collar and black tie. In speak
ing he held his left hand closed behind |
him, and emphasized his speech with |
gestures with his right hand. He spoke
without manuscript, but occasionally |
consulted small piece of paper bearing |
the notes of the heads of his discourse. |
His voice was clear and resonant, and ne |
slowly enunciated his words and Occa-
sionally turned about at the pauses as if |
70 note the effect OF his remarks. |
When Mr.. Cleveland first began his !
inaugural address the crowd applauded |
whenever he paused to take j breath, but |
after awhile contented itself with cheer
ing him as he made his principal points.
His reference to the prohibition of foreign |
contract labor called out loud and long |
continued applause, but his allusion to
civil service reform met with faint re- |
Spouse. The address was very brief and |
at precisely l :02 o. clock it was concluded |
with the invocation of the blessing of |
and. turning to the chief |
Justice and bowling to him, Mr.. Cleve-
land informed him that he was prepared |
to take the oath prescribed by law. AS |
the chief Justice arose to administer the |
oath the vast assemblage cheered |
again and again. The president |
stood facing the chief justice, with the
crowd on his right. hief Clerk Nc |
Kenney, of the supreme court, stood just
to one side of Cleveland and held the
Bible upon which the oath was admins |
tered, the president-elect also held it |
with his right hand. The Bible used is
a small morroco-covered gi1t-edged vol
ume, pretty well worn. It is the Bible |
which Cleveland's mother gave him |