Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-03-08

On Taking the Oath of Once nS Prc-i-
dent of the United states, March tth,
1850.
citizens: There is no constitutional or
legal requirement that the President shall
take the oath Of Office in the presence OF
the people but there is so manifest an ap.
propriateness in the public induction to Of
flee of the chief executive officer of the
nation that from the beginning Of the gov
ernment the people, to whose service the
official oath consecrates the officer, have
been called To witness the solemn ceremo
nial The oath taken in the presence OF
the people becomes mutual covenant the
officer covenants to serve the whole body
of the people hy "a faithful execution of tn,
laws, 81 that they may be the unfailing de
Tense and security Of those who respect ant
observe them, and that neither wealth ant
station nor the power of combinations shal
be- able to evade their just penalties, or t'
wrcst them from IA beneiicent purpose t.
serve the ends Of cruelty or seltishness
| NV promise is spoken yours unspoken, bu
| not the less real aud solemn The peopl,
| Of every state have here their representa-
| tives Surely ! do not msinterpret TIN
/ spirit of the occasion when | assume tina
/ the whole body of the people covenant will
me and with each other today to suppor
and defend the Constitution and the Juinl
of the States, to yield willing obedience T.
all the laws, and give to every other rltl
zen hl, equal civil and political rights En-
tcrug thus eulcmuly IN covenant with ear
other. we may revrrcntly invoke and con
Gdentlv expect the favor and help of Al
mighty Gud Il that he will give to me Wis
dom, strength and fidelity, and tu our peopl
"A spirit of fraternity and love of right
eousness and peace.
orr SECOND CENTURY.
Th, occasion derives peculiar intere,
from the fact that the Presidential tern
which begins this day is the 10Th under on
Constitution. The first Inauguration ,
President Washington took place IN Me-
York where Congress was then sitting %
the Both day Of April liS9, having bee
deferred 10y reason of delays attending I'll
organization of the Congress and the cat
vass of the electoral vote our people hay
already wurthily observed the centennla
of the Declaration Of Independence, Of ii
battle Of Yorktown, aud Of the adoption
the Constitution, and will shortly celehrat
in New York the institution of the secuu
greut department of our constitution
scheme ut government. When the center
mai of the institution Of the judicial ~
partment hy the organization of the 81
preme court shall have been suitably ub~er'
ed a, / trust IL will be, our nation Viii ha\
fully entered upon It's second century.
will not attempt To- note the marveloI
and in great part. happy contrast, 10
tween our country AS IL steps over Il
threshold into It's second century Of urgu
lied existence under the constitution. at
that weak hut wisely ordered young natl.
that looked undauntedly down the first Gee
tury wh hen all It's years stretched out hctu
it, Our people will not fail at tins time
recall the incidents which accompanied u
institution Of government under the co
stitutiuu, or to lind inspiration and guldan
in the teachings and example of NHshn
ton and his great associates, and hope al
courage in the contrast which 3 populu
and prosperous states offer to the li stat,
weak in everything except courage and q
love Of liberty, that then fringed our A
lantic seaboard The territory Of piko
has now "A population greater than any
the original states except Virginia. al
greater than the aggregate Of five of I
smaller states in I9O.
The centre Of population when our Il
, tional capitol was located was east Of Bal
more. aud 1t was argued 10y many we'll !
formed persons that It would move ea
ward rather than westward Vet III i
1t was found 10 he near Cincinnati, and I
new census about to be taken will show a
I other stride 10 the westward. That whl
was the body ha, come to be only the n
fringe of the nations robe. But our grow
has not been limited to territory, populatl
e. and aggregate wealth marvellous Hs 1t h
u. been in each of these directions. l
b masses Of our people are better fed, cloth
aud housed than their fathers We're. /
u facilities for popular education have he
vastly enlarged and more generally ditius,
h The virtues Of courage and patriotism ha
= given recent proof Of their continued pr
~ ence and increasing power in the hearts n
r over the lives of our people The milu'
l crs of religion have been multiplied "a
strengthened The sweet offices of char
have greatly increased. The virtue of te
E, peruuce is held in higher estimation
have not attained an ideal condition
c all of our people are happy and pr
c porous. not all Of them are vIrtuous ii
law abiding but, on the whole, the opp
unities offered t. the individual to sect
the comforts Of life are better than
found elsewhere and largely better Il
they were here 100 years ago