The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-05
THE OATH BEFORE THE PEOPLE.

rlleut that a President shall take the oath Of
Office in the presence of the people. But there
is 50 manifest an appropriateness in a public
induction 10 Office of the chief executive officer
Of a nation that rom the beginning of the GOV
ernme 1.-THE people, to whose service official oath
consecrates the officer, have been called to wit
ness the solemn ceremonial An oath taken in
the presence Of the people becomes a mutual
covenant TO serve the whole
body of the people by faithful
execution of the laws 50 That thev NAV be the I'M
failing defense ami security of those who re-
spect and observe them ana that neither
wealth, station. nor power of combinations
shall be able 10 evade their Just duties. or TO
wrest ttem from a benehcent public purpose,
TO serve the ENDS of cruelty OF sellshness. My
promise ls spoken, yours unen'Een, but not less
real and solemn. The people OF every state
have here their representatives. Surely 10
rot misinterpret the spirit Of this occa.
sion when assume that the Who'll
body of the people covenant with
me and with each other today to support and
defend the constitution and the union of states.
to yield willing obedience u all laws, and TO
every other pei son his usual civil and political
ri hts. Entering Liius 50 EMMY into this cove
nant with each other, we may rsYefently invoke
ana confidently expect favor and help Of
Almighty God. that he will dive to me wisdom,
strength and fidelity and to our people n spirit
OF fraternity and love Of righteousness and
pace This occasion derives peculiar interest
from the fact that the presidential term which
begins this day is the twenty sixth under
our constitution. The first inaugura-
tion of President Washington took Diacs in
New York, where congress was then sittiny. on
Aoril 30, 1883 ia wing been deferred by re isOn
of delays attending he org nization of congress
ami the can as. OF he L. toral vote. our peo-
pie have already worthily observed the ccuten-
mails or the declaration Of indepe7 dence, Of the
battle of Yorktown and OF the ad pton Of the
constitution, ana will shortly celebrate in New
York the institution of the second great depart
ment Of our constitutional scheme of govern
ment
OUR SECOND CENTURY.
When the centennial of the in sttution of the
judicial department ~ the organization of the
supreme court shall lave been suitably OBJ
served. as I tru5. it will be, our nation will have
fully entered uron its second century. ! will
not attempt TO note the marvellous and in great
part happy contrasts between our country. as
t steps over the threshold into its second cen
fury Of organized existence under the cOnstitu-
ton, and that weak but wisely ordered Young
nation that looked undauntedly down the first
century, when all its years stretched out before
it. our people will not fail at this time tao recall
the incl 1ents which accompanied the institution
Of the government under the constitution or to
ind inspiration and guidance in the teachings
and example Of vs. Washington and his great assO-
Ciates, and nope and courage in the contrast
which thirty-eight populous and prosper Jus
states offer to thirteen states weak in every
thing except the courage aud love f liberty
that t.en frnged our Atlantic seab0ard. The
territory of Dakota has now population greater
than any OF the orig nal states, except Nir-
ginia. and greater than tue aggregate OF
five Of the smaller states. in 1890 1t was the
center OF population when our national capital
was located east Of Baltimore and it was ar
gued by many weIl-infor ed persons that the
center would move eastward rather than west
ward; yet in 1880 it was found to be near Gin
cnnati. and the new census about to be taken
VIII show another stride westward. That
which the body has come to be c, " the
ricn fringe of the nations robe. But our
growth has not been limited to territory, popu-
lation and aggregate wealth. marvellous as it
has been in each OF these directions. Masses Of
our people are better fed, clothed
and housed than their fathers were.
The facilities for TopulIr education haze
been vastly enlarged and more generally diff
fused. The virtues Of courage and patriotism
have given recent proof of their continued pres
ence and Increasing power in the hearts aud
over the lives Of our people The Influences of
religion have been multiplied and strengthened.
The sweet Offices of charity have greatly in
creased. The virtue of temperance is held in
higher estimation. We have not attained the
ideal condition. Not all Of our people are happy
and prosperous not all of them are virtuols
and waOding. But, on toe whole TIE oDplr-
tunties offered to individuals to secure the com
forts Of life are bettrr than are found elsewhere,
and are largely better than they were here one
hundred years ago.
POWER OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT.
The surrender of a large measure o. SOW
eighty to the general government. effected by
The adoption of the constitution, was not ac-
complshed until the suggestions of reason We're
strongly reinforced by the more Imperative
vo.ce of experience. The divergent iutesests of
peace speedily demanded more perfect union "
The merchant shipmaSter and manufacturer
discovered and d sclosad to our statesmen and
to the people that to commercial emanc patton
must be added the political freedom which bad
been so decsivey won. The commercial policy
of the mother country had not relaxed Rny Of
its hard and oppressive features 70 hold in
check the development of our commercial ma
rlne; to prevent or retard the establishment and
growth of manufactures in the states, and o
TO secure an American market for their shops,
and carrying trade for their shi g,
was the policy Of the Europ an
statesman, and it was pursued
with most selfish vigor. Petitions poured in
upon congress urging the imposition OF diSCrim-
mating duties that should encourage the pro.
duction of needed things at home. The patriot
ism of the people, which no longer found a
field OF exercise in war, was theoretically
directed to the duty of equpping the young re-
public for the defense of its independence. by
making its people self-dependent Societies
for the promotion OF home manu-
facturers and for encouraging the use of do
mestics in tue dress of the people, were organ
lied in many states. The return. at the end Of
the century, of the same patriotic interest IN the
preservation and development f domestic in
dustries. and in the defense of our working peo-
pie against injurious foreign competitions is an
incident worthy of attention. IL is not de-
parture, but return. that we have witnessed
OPPOSITION TO PROTECTION.
The protective policy had then it's opponents.
The argument was made, as now that its
benefits Injured to partiular classes or sect ions
Ii the question became in any sense or at any
time sectional, it was only because slavery ex-
listed 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
New England states in the production OF cotton
fabrics. There was this reason Only why the
states that divide with Pennsylvania the moral
treasures of the great southeastern and central
mountain ranges should have been also tardy in
bringing to the smelling furnaces and TO the
mill the coal and iron from their near oppos-
ing hillsides. The mill fires we're lighted at the
funeral pile Of slavery. The emancipation proc
lamation was heard in the depths Of the earth
as we'll as in the sky-men were made free and
material things became our better servants.
sEcTIoNALIsM ERADICATED.
The sectional element has happily been
eliminated from the tariff discussion. We have
no longer states that are necessarily planting
states. None are excluded from achieving that
diversfcation Of pursuit among the people
which brings wealth and contentment. The cot
ton plantation will not be less valuable when
the product is spun in a country town by
operatives, whose necessities call for diversified
crops and create home demand for "a den
and agricultural products Every new mine
furnace and factory is the extension of the pro
ductive capacity of the state more real and
valuable than added territory. Shall the pref
udices and paralysis of slavery continue to
hang upon the skirts of progress? How long
will those who rejoice that slavery no longer
exists cherish or tolerate the incapacities Il put
upon their communities | look hopefully to
the continuance OF our protective system. and
to the consequent development of manufactur.
ing and mining enterprises in the states hither.
wholly uiVpn qgripUfnra "A a ant in