The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-04-27


| trate since the Inauguration of the Govern
ment When he took the helm of state
| the country was in a condition of ferment
and disorganization, which is always
| consequent upon long con tinued civil
war. The Fifteenth Amendment TO the
| Constitution had not yet been ratified by
| the States. In the South secret societies
| and armed bands Of lawless men were
| creating terror and defeating the ends of
| justice. The prosperity of the country
was still tagging, the public debt was OPP
| pressive and inllationists and regulators
were weakening the national credit. Our
| merchant marine had dwindled to mere
shadow of its former self, poll teal raDcor
| had envenomed whole sections Of the
country, Indian wars were brewing, I'M
settled disputes with foreign powers
threa tened the national peace, and the new
Chief Magistrate was confronted with
problems so formidable that they were
enough to appall the stoutest heart and
discourage the most hopeful mind In
the letter of acceptance of his nOmina-
ton for the Presidency, he uttered one Of
sublimest sentences ever penned by states
mans hand: Let us have peace" or all
the many aphorisms which emanated from
him this has been deemed the most fitting
to engrave indelibly over the portals of his
tomb 1t is typical of his nature, emblem
ATTIC of the eternal peace enjoyed by his
soul.
He began his Administration vigorously
and firmly, but he declared that he would
have mo policy of his own to enforce
against the viii OF the people" In his
first inaugural address, he urged measures
TO strengthen the public credit and give
to the world an unquestionable pledge OF
financial honesty. His early experience
among tile Indians, while he was serving
on the frontier, had efninently fitted him
for inaugurating pTac;iCal methods for
improving their condition. He took up
earnestly the work Of CyiliZing ana Chris
tianZng them, placing them on rcserya-
tions, treating them as wards of the ma
ton, and fitting them for ultimate citi-
zenship, and thus avoided wars and saved
vast sums ofnoney. Under his Adminls ra-
Jiun, he Ficleeuuh Amendment 10 the Coz.
stitution was ratified, and all the States
were readmJted TO the Union. In 1870 he
recommended the refunding Of the national
debt, and an act was passed soon after
providing FOR lonJS at per cent, a
were successfully negotiated For the
first time in our history, ne brought
about a genuine reform in our civil ser
vice, and i'll the face of the most persistent
opposition organized the first civil service
board. BY bringing to swift justice the
prominent offenders, he succeeded in sup
pressing the army bands that Were
spreading terror throughout a part ur tn,
states, and compelled absolute obedience
TO the national authority. In the third
year OF his Administration amnesty was
declared, and nearly every person in the
South was again clothed with all his
civil rights. The soldier had become The
paCifiCator, the destroyer had become the
restOrer. In his foreign policy, he mani
feStel his sense of justice when he pro-
claimed. Il would deal with nations AS
equitable law requires individuals L. Ccai
with each other; would respect the rights
of all nations, demanding equal respect
for our own" He eyinCed his firmncss
when, by untiring effort. he secured from
foreign powers ample apologies and repara-
ton, which had hong been withheld
He brought about a settlement Of the
Alabama claims ana the san Juan bound
airy question, proclaimed thereby his dis
like for war, inaugurated the principle Of
peaceful arbitration in national disputes,
and taught the worldits grandest Iessonin
the history of modern diplomacy. When the
craze for the initiation of our currency
had unsettled the Judgment of legislators
he pcnned a veto 50 logical, 50 furCcful,
that 1t preserved the credit of the Govern
ment and saved the honor Of the nation. It
was a second AppomattoX, gained not
with the sword, bat with the pen. IN
1874 he urged, in a letter widely published
at the time, the resumption OF specie pay
mcnts, and his views attracted much at
lention. The resumption act was passed |
the next winter He suppressed the for |
nidablc band Of conspirators known a ; The |
whisky ring and brought 10 justice the |
offenders His vigorous order for their |
prosecution ended with the famous words !
30 Let TO guilty man esCape,' NJ martcr |
what efforts may have been made to rob |
b. 80 OF the credit OF this work. the honor |
Of it belongs primarily to him. In 1875 |
be summed up his political faith in the IA |
nous Dcs Moincs letter, in which ne snow
ed that he knew neither rank nor race. say |
nG. Let Us labor for the security of free
thought. free speech, free press, pa re /
equal ri ghtS and privileges for allmen, ire
'pective of nationality, color or religion"
He said in a speech at Warren, Ohio,
that he was for the party which assures
protection to life and property, the public !
credit, and the pa yment Of the debts cf
the Government, State, county and munich
pality. which encourages the Door
o strive to better their children, enabling
them To compete successfully with their
more fortunate associates and
which tolCrates no privileged classes. Any |
American citizen who cannot subscribe
to that political creed must be wholly
given over to the worship OF perverSity
His writings treat of every subject en-
Draced between the broa dest lines Of war
and craftsmanship. His style is Conspic-
uously unpretentiOus, and while it makes
10 attempt at elegance OF dictiOn, and CON
aims little Of ornament, it evinces terse.