Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1889-03-06
HARRlS0N'S INAUGURAL.
The President Reads His
Address to the Multi
tude.
A Document of Pith and Point
Whioh will be Well Received
by the Country.
THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

There is no constitutional or legal ra,
Auirement that the president shall TAXI
the oath of Office in the presence of the
people. But there is such manifest ap.
propriatenoss in public introduction 20
the Office of the chief execute We officer
of the nation that from the beginning
OF the government the people, to whose
service the official oath consecrates tho
officer, has been called to witness the
solemn ceremonial. 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 execution of the laws,
SO that they may be the unfailing de-
fense and the security of those who re-
specs AID observe them, and that neither
wealth, station, nor power of combina-
tions shall be able TO evade their Just
penalties or to wrest them from the
benefcient public purpose to serve the
ends of cruelty or selfishness. My
promise is spoken, yours unspoken, but
not the less real and solemn.
The people of every state have here
their representatives Surely [ do not
misreprcseut the spirit of the occasion
when ! assume that the whole body of
| the people covenant with me and with
each otller to support and defend the
yield willing obedience to all laws and
| each to every other citizen his equal,
| civil and political rights. Entering
thus solemnly into covenant with each
other, we may reverently invoke and
confidently expect favor and help of Al
mighty God, that he will give to me wis
dom. strength and fidelity, and to our
| people the spirit of fraternity and love
of righteousness and peace.
| 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
| Inauguration Of President Washington
took place in New York, where congress
was then sitting, on the Both day of
| April, 1889, having been deferred by
reason of delays in amending the or
| ganizati":l of congress and the canvass
of the eiac'oral vote. Our people have
already sycrthily observed the centen-
malls OF independence, OF the battle of
Yorktown and rf the adoption of the
constitution, and will soon celebrate in
New York the institution of the second
| great departure of our constitutional
| scheme of government. When the CEN
| tennial of the constitution of the Judi.
| ciai department by the organization of
| thesupreme court shall have been suitably
observed, as l trust it will be, our ma
ton will have certainly entered its
| second century.
| will not attempt to note the marvel
Gus, and, in great part, happy contrasts
between our country as it.steps over the
threshold into its second century of or
ganiZed existence under the Constitul-
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 to recall the Incl.
dents which accompanied the institu-
tior of the government under the con.
stitution, or to find inspiration and guild
ance in the teachings and example OF
Washington and his great associates
! and the hope and courage in the
| contrast which the present pop,
ulous and prosperous states offer
| to the thirteen states, weak in every
thing except courage and love Of liberty
that then fringed our Altar tic seaboard.
| The territory of Dakota has now a
| population greater than any of the orig
inal states Except Virginia., and greater
| than the aggregate OF five of the smaller
| states in 1875. The center of popula
tion when our national capital was locat.
| ed was east of Baltimore, and it was
argued by many well-informed persons
| that it would move eastward rather than
westward. Yet in 1880 it was found to
be near Cincinnati and the new census
about to be taken will show another
stride to the westward. That which
was the body has come to be only the
| rich fringe of the nations robe.
| But our growth has not been limited
to territory population and aggregate
wealth, marvellous as it has been in each
of these directions. The masses of our
people are better fed, clothed and housed
| than their fathers were. The facilities
| for popular education have been vastly
enlarged and more generally diffused.
The virtues of courage and patriotism
| have given recent proof of their con-
| tinued presence and increasing power in
| the hearts and over the lives of our peo.
] pie. The influences of religion have
| been multiplied and strengthened; the
sweet offices of charity have greatly in
| creased: the virtue of temperance ia
| 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 virtuois and law
abiding, but on the whole the oppor-
| tunitiei offered to the individual to sa-
| cure the comforts of life are better than
| are found elsewhere and largely better
| than they were here one hundred years
| ago.
| The surrender of q large measure OF
| sovereignty to the general government,
effected by the adoption of the constitu-
| tlon. was not accomplished until sugges-
| tlons OF reason Were stronly reinforced
| by the more imperative voice of expert
ence The divirgent interests of pesce
| speedily demanded more perfect union.
The merchant, shipmaster and manu-.
facturer discovered and disclosed to our
statesmen and to the people that COM
merclal emancipation must be added to
the political freedom which had been
so bravely won. Til, commercial pol.
| icy OF the northern country had not re.
laxed any of its hard and OPP Iressive
features to hold i'll check the develop.
| ments of our commercial marine, to
| prevent or retard the establishment and
| growth of manufacturers in the states;
and SO to secure an American market
for their shops and carrying trade for
their ships, was the policy of the
European statesmen. and was pursued
with the most selfish yigor. Petitions
poured in upon congress urging the Inn
position OF discriminating duties that
| should encourage the production of
needed things at home. The patriotism
| of the people which no longer found a
| fieid for exercise in war was energetic
/ ally directed TO the duty of equipping
| the young republic for the defonse of its
Independence by making its people self
| dependent. Societies for the promotion
| of home manufactures and for encourage
! ing the use of doinestics in the dress OF