The Huntington argus. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1872-1905, 1885-03-12
Clevelana's inaugural.


of this vast assemblage of my cOun-
trymen I am about to supplement and
seal by the oath which 1 shall take
the manifestation Of the viii Of
great and free people. In the exer-
else of the power and right Of self
| government they have committed to
one of their fellow-citizens a supreme
and sacred trust, and he here cOnse-
crates himself to this service. This
impressive ceremony adds little to
the solemn sense of responsibility
with which / contemplate the duty
which I owe to all the people Of this
land. Nothing can relieve me from
this anxiety, lest by any act of mine,
their interests may suffer; and moth
ing is needed to strengthen my
resolution to engage every faculty
and effort in the promotion Of their
welfare. Amid the din of party strife
the peoples choice was made; but its
attendant circumstances have demon
/ strated anew the strength and safety
Of a government of the people. In
each succeeding year it more clearly
| appears that orr Democratic princi-
pie needs no apology, and that in its
fearless and faithful application is to
be found the surest guarantee of a
good government. But the best
results in the operation Of govern
ment in which every citizen has a
share, largely depend upon the
proper Limitation of purely partisan
zeal and effort, and a constant approx
imation to the time when the heat Of
the partisan shall be merged in the
patriotism of the citizen.
To-day the executive branch of
government is transferred to a new
keeping, but this is still the govern
ment Of all the people, and it should
be none the less an object of earnest
solicitude that st this hour the ami
mosites of political strife, the bitter.
ness of partisan defeat, and the
execution of partisan triumph should
be suppIanted by acquiescence in the
popular will, and a sober, conscience
Gus concern for the general veal
! Moreover, if from this hour We
cheerfully and honestly abandon all
sectional prejudices and distrust, and
determine with manly confidence in
one another to work harmoniously
| the achievements of our National
destiny, we shall deserve to realize
all the benefits our happy form Of
government can bestOw. On this
auspicious occasion we may well
renew the pledge of our devotion to
the Constitution which, launched by
the founders of the Republic and
cOnsecrated by their prayers and
patriotic devotion, has for almost a
century borne the hopes and aspira
tions Of a great people, through
prosperity and peace, and through
the shock of foreign conflicts and the
perils Of domestic strife and vicissi-
tudes.
By the Father of His Country,
our Constitution was commended for
adoption as the ''result of spirit of
amity and mutual concession" In
that same spirit, should it be admin
istered in order to promote the
lasting welfare of the country and to
secure the full measure of its price,
less benefits to us and to those who
will succeed to the benefits of our
national life. The large variety OF
diverse and competing interests sub
ject to federal control, persiStently
seeking recognition of their claims,
need give US no fear that ''the
greatest good to the greatest
number" will fail to be accom-
plished, if, in the halls of national
legislation that spirit of amity and
mutual concessions shall prevail, in
which the constitution had its birth.