The morning times., 1897-03-10

Dy the elder Bennett IN the New York Herald
as an elaborate conundrum." 1t was
stradd!e in regard to the pending questions
as to the annexation of Texas and thetre
ment of the tariff.
Gen. Taylor's inaugural address was
remarkable for its brevity but was yet
lucid and eloquent 1t contained one re-
narkablc reference to "all the world and
the rest OF mankind that for time
formed the basis of many Democratic Jokes
at the expense of the plain old soldier.
The inaugural of President Pierce rivaled
that of his predecessor in brevity. 1t
was especially frank as regarded the
pending question whether the Constitution
carried the institution OF slavery into the
Territories, and his position on it gave
great encouragement toward contests by
the new Republican party, then in EN-
bryo, through the coalescence of anti
slavery wings, like Seward and Lincoln,
with free-soii Democrats, like Hale and
Chase.
The inaugural of President Buchanan
was hailed with gratitude and enthusiasm
insulted by the phrase in the Republican
platform: Twin relics OF barbarism,
polygamy and slavery" The inaugural
was hailed with wild enthusiasm in New
York city by the Tammany organiza-
ton that had sent to Washington an
enormous number OF Inauguration pill
grins.
The inaugural of President Lincoln was,
even by his opponents, highly regarded
for its remarkable logic, power of Illus
tratiou and pathos-all of which were
inspired by what Daniel Webster declared
was the fulcrum OF the lever OF eloquence
occasion. This address is ranked with
the inaugural of Washington; and by some
scholars and critics has been classed at the
the head OF all ancient and modern exhi-
bitions of oratory AS specimen OF its
logic the following paragrap may well
be inStanced.
The central idea of secession is the
essence of anarchy. A majority held
in restraint by constitutional checks and
limitations, and always changing easily
with deliberate changes of popular opinions
and sentiments, is the only true sover-
eiSn of free people. Whoever rejects
it does, of necessity, fly to anarchy or
,espotism. Unaninity is impossibIe the
rule OF minority as a permanent ar
rangement Is wholly inadvisable; so that
rcjecti ng the ma jority principles, an
archy or despotiSm in some form is all
that IS left
The conclusion of Lincoln first inaugural
reads like pathetic poem, even now, after
thirty-six years:
Il am loath to close. We are not enc
mics. We are friends. We must not ne
| enemies Though passioumayhave strained;
passion must not break our bonds OF ar
fection. The mystic chords of memory
stretching from every battlefield and pa
triot grave to every living heart and hearth
stone over this broad land must yet swell
the chorus of the Union, when again
touched, as surely they Will be by the bet
ter angels OF our nature
President Johnson. unlike Tyler, delv-
cred no formal address, hut adopted a
course described by himself, as = Ny pol
ICY" which precipitated a bitter quarrel
between him and the Republican party.
He was impeached ny the House, but the
Senate failed by one vote to sustain the
diUiCieS Oi liipedCHiltHt ny lHe COnsLlu-
tional two-thirds.
The inaugurals of Presidents Grant,
HAYES, Garfield, Cleveland, Harrison, and
Cleveland again are OF such recent oc-
currence as historical events that comment
upon them W ould he superflous, Mr.
Cleveland's first inaugural derives pc
culiar interest from the fact that he was
the first President the Democratic party
had elected in twenty-eight years, and was
inaugurated after his party had been out
| OF power for six consecutive Presidential
terms, or twenty-four years. His second
inaugural was made memorable from the
fact that he is the only person who, hav-
ing retired from the Presidency, was ever
| reelected to that exalted position.