, 1885-03-05
INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF PREsI-
DENT CLEVELAND.

EelfOi0 CtfizenS-in the presence OF TIM
vast assembly, my countrymen, / an
about to supplement and seal by my
oath which i shall take, the manifesto
ton of the will of a great and free people
In the exercise Of power and right Of sell
government they have committed 20 one
of their fellow citizens a supreme and
sacred trust. and he here eoasecrates it to
their service. This impressive ceremony
adds little 10 the solemn sense Of respon-
sibility with which l contemplate the duty
1 owe to all the people Of the land.
Nothing can relieve me from anxiety lest
by any act Of mine their interests may
suffer, and nothing is needed to strengthen
my resolution to engage every faculty and
effort in the promotion of their welfare.
Amid party strife the peoples choice was
made, but its attendant circumstances
have demonstrated a new strength and
safety Of the government by the people.
In each succeeding year it more clearly
appears that our Democratic principle
needs no apology, and that in its fearless
and faithful application is to be found
the surest guaranty Of good government,
but the best results in the operation Of
the government wherein every citizen
has a share largely depends
upon the proper limitation Of
purely partisan zeal and effort. and a cor
rect appreciation of the time when the
heat Of the partisan should be merged
into the patriotism Of citizens. To-day
the executive branch of the government
is transferred to a new keeping, but this
is still the government of all the people.
and it should be none the less Of an OBJ
ject Of their affectionate solicitude. At
At this hour the animosities of political
strife, the bitterness Of partisan defeat,
and exultation of partisan triumph,
shoald be supplanted by ungrudging ac-
quiescence in the popular will, and sober,
conscientious concern ofthe general veal.
Moreover, If from this hour, we cheer
fully and honestly abandon all sectional
prejudice and distrust, and determine
with more confidence in each other, to
work out harmoniously the achievements
Of our national destiny. VIC shall deserve
to realize all the benefits which our happy
form OF government can bestow. On this
auspicious occasion, we may well renew
the pledge Of our devotion to the constr
tuition which was launched by the found
ers Of our Republic, and consecrated
by their prayers; and which patri-
otto devotion. has for almost a CEN
tury, borne hopes and aspirations Of a
great people through prosperity and
peace, and through shock of foreign con-
Hicts and the perils Of domestic strife and
vicissitudes. By the father of his
country the constitution was commended
for adoption as the result Of = spirit of
amity and mutual concessions. In that
same spirit it should be administered in
order to promote the lasting welfare OF the
country, and to secure the full measure Of
its priceless benefits to us and to those
who will succeed TO the blessings Of our
national life. The large variety Of di-
verse and competing interests subject to
Federal control, persistently seeking
recognition of their claims. need give III
no fear that "the greatest good to the
greatest number will fail to be accom-
plished il, in the halls Of the
national legislature that spirit Of
amity and mutual concession hal
prevail in which the constitution had
its birth. II this involves surrender or
postponement Of private interests and
abandonment Of local advantages, com-
pensation will be found in the assurance
that thus the common interes. is sub
served and the general welfare advanced
In the discharge of my official duty, l
shall endeavor TO be guided by a Just and
u~nstrained construction Of the constitu-
ton, a careful observance of the distinc-
ton between powers granted tc the Fed
eral government, and those reserved to the
states, or to the people, and by a cautious
appreciation of these functions, which, by
the constitution and laws, have been es-
pecially assigned to the executive branch
of the government; but he, who takes the
oath to-day to preserve, protect and de-
fend the constitution Of the United States,
only assumes the solemn obligation which
every patriotic citizen on the farm, in the
workshops, in the busy marts Of trade,
and everywhere, should share with him.
The constitution which prescribes his oath,
my countryman, is yours The govern
ment you have chosen him to administer
for a time, is yours. The suffrage which
executes the will of freemen, is yours,
The laws and the entire scheme Of our
civil rule, from the own meetings to the
state capitols and the national capitol is
yours.
Your every voter, as surely as our chief
magistrate, under the same high sanction,
though in a different sphere. exercises n
public trust. Nor is this all. Every cit
izen owes to his country a vig:lant watch
and close scrutiny Of its public servants,
and a fair and reasonable estimate of
their fidelity and usefulness. Thus, is
the peoples viii impressed upon the
whole frame work of our civil policy
municipal, state and Federal-and this is
the price Of our liberty, and the inspira-
ton Of our faith in our republic.
1t is the duty Of those serving the peo-
pie in public places, to closely limit pub
lie expenditures to the actual needs Of the