The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-03-05

ter upon its administration appreClat-
ing the great responsibilities Which at
tach to this renewed honor and COM
mission, promising unreserved devo-
tion on my part to their faithful dis
charge and reverently invoking for my
guidance the direction and favor Of
Almighty God. I should shrink from
the duties this day assumed if l did
not feel that in their performance I
should have the cooperation of the
wise and patriotic men of all parties.
1t encourages me for the great task
which I now undertake to believe that
those who voluntarily committed to
me the trust imposed upon the chief
executive Of the republic will give to
generous support in my duties to
preserve, protect and defend the con-
stition of the United States'' and to
cause the laws to be faithfully ex-
ecuted. The national purpose is indi-
Gated through a national election. 1t
is the constitutional method of as
surfing the public will When onc 1t
is registered it is a law to all Of us and
faithful observance should follow it's
DEGREES.
Strong hearts and helpful hands are
needed and fortunately we have them
in every part of our beloved country.
Sectionalism has disappeared. Divi-
sion Oh public questions can no longer
be traced by the war maps Of 1861.
These old differences less and less dis
turb the judgment. Existing prob
lens demand the thought and quicken
the conscience as we'll, for their right.
eous settlement rests upon us all-no
more upon me than upon you.
There are some national questions in
the solution of which patriotism
should exclude pa%rtisanship.
Magnifying the difficulties will not
take them off our hands nor facilitate
their adjustment. Distrust of the
capacity, integrity and high purposes
of the American people will not be an
inspiring theme for future political con-
test. Dark and gloomy ~forebodings
are worse than useless. These only
becloud, they do not help to point the
way Of safety and honor.
"Hope maketh not of ashamed"
The prophets of evil were not the
builders of the republic, nor in it's
crisis since have they saved or served
it. The faith Of the fathers was a
mighty force in it's creation and the
faith of their descendants has wrought
it's progress and furnished its defend
ers. They are obstructionists who
despair and who would destroy conf
dence in the ability of our people to
solve wisely and for civilization the
mighty problems resting upon them.
The American people, i%ntrenched in
freedom at home, take their love
force with them wherever they go.
and they reject as mistaken and un-
worthy the doctrine that we lose our
own liberties by securing the enduring
foundation of liberties to others. Our
institutions will not deteriorate by
evasion and our sense of Justice will
not abate under t1opic suns in dis
tant seas. AS heretofore, SO hereafter
will the nation demonstrate it's fitness
to administer any new estate which
events devolve upon it and in the fear
Of God will "take occasion by the
hand and make the bounds of freedom
wider yet"
If there are those among us who
would make u way more difficult
we must not be disheartened, but the
more earnestlyy dedicate ourselves to
the task which we have rightly en-
tered. The path Of progress is seldom
smooth. New things are often found
hard to do. Our fathers found them
so. We find them SO. They are incon-
venient. They cost us something. But
are we not made better for the effort
and sacrifice, and are not those we
serve lifted up and blessed? We will
be consoled, too, with the fact that
opposition has confronted every on
ward movemen Of the republic from
it's opening until now, but without
much success. The republic has
marched Oh and on and it's every step
has exalted freedom and humanity.
We are undergoing the same ordeal as
did our predecessors nearly a century
ago. We are following the course
they blazed. They triumphed. Will
their successors falter and plead or
ganic impotency in the nation? Surely
after 1876 years of achievements for
mankind we will not now surrender
our equality without her powers on
matters fundamental and essential tC
nationality. With no such purpose
was the nation created 10 no such
spirit has it developed its full and in.
dependent sovereignty. We adhere tc
the people of equality among our
selves and by no act Of ours will we
assign to ourselves a subordinate rank
in the family of nations. My fellow
citizens, the public events Of the past
four years have gone into history
They are too near to justify recital
Some of them were unforeseen; many
Of them momentous and ~far-reachine
in their consequences to ourselves ant
our relations with the rest Of thu
world. The part which the United