Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1889-03-21
HARRISON'S INAUGURAL.
The Presidents Views Upon I'm
pOrtant Public Questions.
Discussing the Tariff, Civil Ser
vice, the Surplus, Etc.

There is no constitutional or legal require
ment that the President shall take the oath
OF Office In the presence of the people. But
tnere Is SO manifest an appropriateness in
Tue public induction to Office of the chief
executive officer of the nation that from the
beginning of the Government the people. to
whose service the official oath consecrates the
officer, have been called to witness the SOL
emn ceremonial. The oath taken in
she presenee OF the people becomes
mutual covenant The officer
covenants to ssrve the whole body of
the people by faithful execution of the
laws, so that they may he tn unfaling de-
renee anu security o, those VINO respect and
observe them and that neither wealth and
station nor the power of combinations shall
be able to evade their Just penalties or to
wrest them from henefcent pubic purpose
70 serve the ends of craelty or selfishness
MY promise is spoken, yours unspoken.
but not the less real and solemn. The
people. OF every State have their repre-
sentatives. Surely | do not misin-
terpret the spirit of the occasion
when | assume that the whole body OF the
people covenant with me and with each other
to-day to support and defend the Constitu-
tlon and the Union of the States, to yield
wiling obedience TO all the laws, and each to
every other citizen his equal civil and poiti-
cal rights. Entering thus soemnly in COW
! enant with each other, we may reverently
invoke and contidenuauy expect the favor
and help of Almighty God--that He will
give to rue wisdom, strength and fidelity, and
! to Cur people spirit of fraternity and a love
or righteousness and peace.
ms occasion derives peculiar interest from
| the fact that the Presidential term which b.-
gins thus day is the twenty under our
Gonsutution The first Inauguration of
| President Washington took place in New
| York, where Congress was then sitting. on
the oOth day of April 1859, having been de-
terred by reason of delays attending the or
ganizaton OF the Congress and tho
canvass OF the electoral vote Our
People have already worthily observed
Independence, of the battle of Yorktown.
ana of the adoption of the Constitution: and
VIII shortly celebrate in New York the in
stltutlon of the second great depar tmerat of
| our Constitutional scheme of Government.
when the centennial of the institution of the
judicial Department, by the organic alton of
the Supreme Court shall have heen suitably
observed, as | trust it will be, our nation
VIII have fully entered its second century. L
Will not attempt to note the marvellous and
IN great part happy contrasts between our
country as 1T steps over the threshold into its
second century of organized existence under
the Constitution, and tnat weak but wisely
ordered young naSion that looked undaunt-
ediy down the first century, when ali its
| years stretched out before it, Our people will
not fail at this timo to recall the incidents
which accompanied the institution of gov
| eminent under the Constitution, or to
1nd inspiration and guidance in the
teachings and example o. Wash
amgton ana bis great associates,
thirty-elght populous and prosperous States
oner TO the thirteen States. weak in every-
thing except courage aud the love OF liberty
that then frlnged our Atlantic seaboard.
The Territory of Dakota has now a popu-
latlon greater than any OF the original
States except Virginia.. and greater
IMAM the aggregate Of five of the smaller
States in 1870. The centre of popula-
ton, when our National Capital was
located, was east of Baltimore and it was
argued by many we!linformed persons that it
would move eastward rather than westward
Yet IN 1880 1T was found to be near Gin
cinnats, and the new census about to be
taken will show another stride to the West
ward. That which was the body has come
| to be only the rich fringe OF the nations
robe. But our growth has been limited to ter.
ritory,. population, and aggregate wealth,
marvellous as it has been in each of those
directions. The masses of our psople are better
fed, clothed and housed than their fathers
were The facilities for popular education
nave been vastly enlarged and more genera
~ diffused. The virtues of courage and pa.
| friotism have given recent proof OF their con
Mnued presence and increasing power in the
hearts and over lives of our people. The in
nuences OF religion have been multiplied and
have greatly increased. The virtue of tom.
perence is held in higher estimation
we have not attained an ideal condi-
ton. Not all of our people are happy and
prosperous; not all of them are vrtuous aui
law abiding. But, on the whole, the oppor-
tunities offered to the individual to secure
the comforts OF life are better than are found
elsewhere, and largely better than they were
here one hundred years ago
THE TARIFF POLICY.
The surrender of large measure of sove-
reignty to the general Government, effected
BY the adoption of the Consultation. was no.
accomplished until the suggestions of reason
were strongly reinforced by the more i'm.
perative voice Of experience. The divergent
| interests OF peace spec lilly demanded a
more perfect union" The merchant.
! the ship-master, and the manufacturs.
men and to the people that COM
mercial emancipation must be added to the
political freedom which had been SO bravely
Won The commercial policy of the mother
country had not relaxed any of its hard and
oppressive features. TO hold in checS the de-
veiopment OF our com mercial marine, to pre-.
vent or retard the esta olishment and growth
VI manufactures in the States. and so to SO.
cure the American markss for their shops
ana che carrying trade for their ships, was the
policy OF European statesmen, and was pur-
sued with the most selfish vgor Petitions
poured in upon Congress- urging the imposi-
ton OF discriminating duties that should
encourage the production of needed things at
home. The patriotism of the people, which
no longer found field of exercise in war,
was energetcally directed to the duty OK
equipping the young republic for the defense
OF its independence by making its people
self Independent. Societies for the promotion
OF home manufactures and for encourag ing
the use of domestics in the dress of the peo-
pie were organized in many of the States
The revival at the end of the century of
the same patriotic interest in the preservation
and development of domestic industries, and
the defence OF our working people against
injurious foreign competition is an incident
worthy OF attention. 1t is not departure,
but . return that we have witnessed The
protective policy had then its opponents.
The argument was made. as now, that its
benefits Injured to particular classes or sec
tions. If the question became in any sense, or
at any time sectional it was only because
slavery existed in some of the States. But
for this there was no reason why the cotton.
producing States should not have led or
walked abreast with the Nav England States
in the production Of cotton fabrics. There,
was this reason on why the States that d.
vide with Pennsylvania the mineral treas
ures Of the great southeastern and central
mountain ranges should have been SO tardy
in bringing to the smelting-furnace and
the mill, the coal and iron from their near
opposing hillsides Mill fires were lighted at
the f11noraI nilo NJ a1avarv Vha as11aneira-