Year: 1869

CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES:


Your sutfrages having elevated IN,
to the office OF President of the Unit
ed States, / have in conformity will
the Constitution of our country tax
en- the oath OF Office presented there
I'D. / have taken this oath withou
mental reservation and with the de
The responsibilities OF the position
| feel, but accept them without fear
The office has come to me unsought
and | commence its duiies untram
melled. l bring TO ita conscientiou:
desire and determination 10 fill it tC
the best of my ability, and TO the
satisfaction OF the people On lead.
ing questions agitating the public
mind 1 will always express my views
10 Congress and urge them accord
ing to my judgment, ami when ]
think it advisable will exercise the
constitutional privilege OF interpos
ing a veto to defeat measures which
! oppose; but alllaws will be faith
fully executed, whether they meet
my approval or not. / shall, On all
subjects, have policy 20 recon
mend-none TO enforce against the
will of the people. Laws are to gov.
ern all alike-those opposed to as
well as those who favor them. ]
know no method to secure the repeal
OF bad or obnoxious laws so effective
as their stringent execution. The
country having just emerged from q
great rebellion, many questions will
come before it for settlement in the
next four years which preceding adj
ministrations have never had to deal
with. In meeting these it is desira-
BILE they should be approached calm
ly, without prejudice, hate or section
al pride, remembering that the great
est good to the greatest number is
the object 10 be attained.


This requires security of person,
property, and for religious and DOlit
ical opinion, in every part of OuI
common country, without regard to
local prejudice. Laws TO secure
these will receive my best efforts fol-
their enforcement.


A great debt has been contracted
in securing Us and our posterity the
Union. The payment of the princi
pal and interest, as we'll as The re
turn to a specie basis as soon as il
can be accomplished without materi
al detriment to the debtor class OIL
to the country at large, mnst be
pl divided ier TO protect the national
honor. Every dollar of the govern
ment Indebtedness should be paid in
gold, unless otherwise expressly
stipulated in the contract. Let il
be under stood, that no repudiator ol
one farthing of our public debt will
be trusted in the public places, and
| it will 90 far towards Strengthening
a credit which ought to be tue best
in the world, and will ultimately en-.
able Us 20 replace the debt with
bonds bearing less interest than we
now pay. To this, should be added
a faithful collection of the revenue
a strict accountability to the Trea u
nv for every dollar collected. and
the greatest practicable retrench-
ment in expenditure in every depart
ment of the Government. When we
compare the paying capacity OF the
country now with ten States still in
Ipoyerty from the effects Of the war,
but soon to emerge, | trust into
greater prosperity than ever before
with it's paying capacity twenty-five
wears ago and calculate what it prob
ably will be twenty five years hence
who can doubt the feasibility OF pay
ING every dollar then with more eass
than we now pay tor useless iuxu
ries. Why it looks as though Di-
vine Providence had bestowed upon
us a strong box, the precious metals
locked up in the sterile mountains ol
the far West, which We are nov