The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-12-12
OUR NEW GOVERNOR.
THE HON. JOHN GARY EVANS iNAU-
GURATED CHIEF MAGISTRATE.

The Inaugural Address very csnssrvativ'
and Patriotic In its Tone-what He Re
commends--The Full Text Of the Address
VIII be Found Below.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Dec. 5.-The Hon
John Gary Evans was inauguratee
Governor of South Carolina yester
day in the presence Of large and en-
thusiastic crowd. Down stairs In th'
executive chamber the inaugural par
ty was assembling about noon. Ths
Governor-elect was there chatting
most of the time with Chief Justice
McIver. Governor Tillman, having
shortly before done his last work a.
chief executive, wearing white flow
er in the lapel of his coat, walked uI
and down, and was in an ideal gooo
humor. United States Senator Irby
was there too, as were also Circuit
Judges Benet and Norton, and DR.. j.
A. Rice. Very soon the clerks OF the
two houses, with the members of the
Inauguration joint committee, came
in.
The Senate came in about LOS p. m.
with much pomp. In short time the
inaugural party entered, headed by the
sergeant-at-arms of the House, bear,
ing the historic colonial mace. and the
same officer of the Senate, bearing the
equally historic sword of State. Then
the band struck up lively march.
President pro ten. of the Senate, John
r. Harrison, who was in the chair or
dered the members to rise. Then came
Chief Justice McIver and Associate
Justice Pope together, followed by As
sociate Jutsice Gary and Circuit Judge
Renet, all wearing their official
robes. Judge Norton and Mr.. Robert
son, of the committee, followed, and
then came DR.. J. A. Rice, the oficiat-
ing minister, on Ghe arm of Senator
Irby. Mr.. Weston and DR.. James
Woodrow came next, and then DR..
Zimmerman on the arm Of commit
teeman. The Governor-elect came In
on the arm of Senator McCalla. Gov
ernor Tillman followed on the arm OF
Senator Dennis. The other State Of
ficers and solicitors followed.
The party mounted the Speakers
stand and most of them took seats.
Speaker Jones stood at the elbow OF
President Harrison, who forthwith an
nounced that the Governor-elect was
ready to take the oath Of Office. The
exercises were then opened with pray
er by the Rev. DR.. John A. Rice. The
prayer was q most beautiful and most
appropriate one. The Goyernor-elect
stood Just behind the minister. He
asked Gods blessing on the outgoing
administration. He prayed that all
their deeds might rebound to Gods
glory. He invoked in choice language
the Divine blessing on the incoming
administration, and prayed that the
Lord would grant unto the new ruler
wisdom from on high, and q mind
keen to discover the truth in all his
relations with the people; that all his
sympathies be broadened to all condi-
tons of men. He prayed that in the
new ruler might, to the young men OF
the State, be exemplified the religion
of Jesus Christ, to the end that right
eousness and peace might kiss each
other In South Carolina.
At the conclusion of tho prayer
President Harrison announced ''The
Honorable John Gary Evans, Cover
nor-elect, is present and ready to take
the oath of Office" He picked up a
very handsome new bible and holding
it out Mr.. Evans and Chief Justice
McIver also grasped 1t. The chief
justice then administered the required
oath. When he ceased speaking Mr..
Evans turned his head to the audience
and declared in a ringing tone, Il do"
and then he was Governor. Mr..
Harrison then released the chair and
Mr.. Evans stepped to the elevation,
proceeding at once to deliver his in
augural message. He was listened to
with the closest attention all the way
through, and many were surprised at
the expressed tone of tho effort. Mr..
Evans spoke as follows, delivering the
address with great deiberation.
THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
Gentlemen of the General Assembly
After obtaining the will of tie people
in three separate elections;I might say,
I am here today to assume the COVER
norship of the proudest people on the
globe .Governorship Of South
Carolina. Ten years ago the elevation
of a man of my age to the highest
honor in the gift Of the people would
have been regarded almost as uncon-
stitutional. A young man in South
Carolina would not have dared aspire
to this honorable position for fear OF
gaining the odium of that class who
forsooth, by reason of age or inherit
ance, considered the Offices as their
particular property without regard to
the popular will. There are some who
still regard the political revolution OF
1890, which gave to us an ,aristocracy
of brains instead Of, land and money,
as an hallucination, a dream of youth
filled with iconoclasts and as the reign
of the demagogue. This gentle slum-
ber will result in good, and the Rip
Van Wrinkles of the State will awak-
en- to find themselves monuments OF
antiquity, surrounded by young scions
of modern progress and development,
who have nothing but love and rover,
ence for them.
tits matter of congratulation to
the people that the effort to stay the
course Of Reform by an appeal to the
ignorant and purchasable vote has
been rebuked the second time in a
manner unmistakable in terms, and
let us hope that in the future there
will be found in the State no man 80