, 1889-03-07

court; Sergeant-at-Arms Canody, of tn
senate; Senators Hoar and Cockrell; COM
mittee on arrangements; President Cleve-
land and President-elect Harrison. Vice.
President Morton and Secretary McCook,
members of the senate, diplomatic corps,
heads of departments. General Sherman,
General Schofeld and staff, Admiral Por-
ter, House of Representatives and MEM
bers.elect,. governors Of states and others
admitted to the floor of the senate. AT
~ IA the President. elect reached the Plat.
form and after having taken the oath OF
office administered to him by the chief
justice, with the usual formula, began
reading his inaugural address.
AN INAUGURAL MAsrERPIECE.
Full Text OF President Harrison's Ad-
dress.
There Ia no constitutional or legal re-.
ouirement that the president lshall take
the oath of Office in the presence OF the
people, but these is 90 manifest appropri.
ateness in the public induction to Office of
the chief executive officer Of the nation
that from the beginning of the govern
ment the people to whose service the Of.
fetal 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 by the faithful execu-
ton of the laws, 80 that they may be ,un-
failing in the defense and security of those
who respect and observe them, and
that neither wealth, station nor power of
combinations shall be able to evade their
Just penalties or wre,t them from benifi.
cent public purpose to serve the ends of
cruelty or selfshness; My promise is
spoken, yours IL unspoken but no less real
and solemn. The people Of every state
have their representatives. Surely, ! do
not misinterpret the spirit Of the occasion,
people convenant with me and with each
other to-day to support and defend the con.
stitution and union of the states. to yield
willing obedience to sli laws and each to
every other citizen his equal civil and po.
litical rights. Entering thus solemnly
into covenant with each other we may
reverently invoke the aid and confidently
expect the favor and help Of Almighty God
that he will give to me wisdom, strength
and fidelity. and to our people Q spirit Of
fraternity and love OF righteousness and
peace.
TwENTY.sIXTH TERN.
This occasion derives peculiar interest
from the fact that the presidential term
which begins to-day is the twenty.sixth
under the constitution. The first inaugu-
ration of President Washington took
place in New York, where congress was
then sitting, on the 30th day of April,
1889, having been deferred by reason of
delays attending the organization OF con-
gress and canvass of the electoral votes.
Our people have already worthily OBJ
of Independence, of the battle of York
town and of the adoption of the constitu. :.
tion and will shortly celebrate in New
YorL the institution Of the second great
department of our constitutional scheme
of government. When the centennial of
the constitution of the judicial depart
ment by the organization of the supreme
court shall have been suitably observed,
as trust it will be, our nation will
have fully entered its second century.
will not attempt to note the marvellous
our country, as it steps over the threshold
into its second century of organized ex-
isteuce under the constituti on and that
weak but wisely ordered young nation that
looked undauntedly down the first century
with all its years stretched out before 1t.
Our people will not fail ut this time to re-
call the incidents which accompanied the
institution of the government under the
constitution. or to find inspiration and guild
ance in the teachings and example of Wash
ington and his great associates, and hope
and courage in the contrast which 3e
populous and prosperous states afford the
thirteen states, weak in everything except
courage and love of liberty, that then firing
ed our Atlantic sea board. The territory
Of Dakota has now population greater
than any of the original states. except
Virginia, and greater than the aggregate
of FIVE smaller states. In 1880, the center
of population, when our national capital
was located east of Baltimore it was ar.
gued by many well.informed persons in
the world that 1t would move eartward
found TO be near Cincinnati, and the cen
aus about to be taken will show another
stride to the westward. That which was
the body has come to be only rich fringe
of the nations robe. But our growth ha.
not been limited to territory, population
| and aggregate wealth, marvellous as it ha
been In each of these directions. Th'
masses of our people are better fe I, cloi het
and housed than their fathers we're Tn
facilities of popular education have beer
vastly enlarged and more generally dif
fused. The virtues of our age and patriot
ism have given recent proof OF their con
tinued presence and increasing power il
the hearts and over the lives of our people
The influences Of religion have been multi
piled and strengthened. The sweet office
of charity have greatly increased and tn
virtue of temperance is held in higher es
timation. We have not attained an idea
condition and not all of our people ar
happy and prosperous, not all Of them ar
virtuous and law abiding. but on th
whole the opportunities offered to each in
dividual to secure the comforts of life ar
better than found elsewhere and largel
better than they were here one hundre
years ago.
PATRIOTISM OF THE PEOPLE.