Year: 1877

| a hAALCA Dub d country


L ask the attention of the public to tn


paramount necessity OF reform in ou


civil service, reform not merely s at,


certain abuses and practices of so called


official patronage which have come, t,


nave sanction of usage in the several de
! partments of our Government. but ;
| change in the system OF appointment


itself, reform that shall be thorough


radical and complete, a return tC


the principles and practices of the found
| ers of the government They neither
| expected nor desired from public officers


any partisa@ service. They meant that
| public officers should owe their whole
| service to the Government and to the
| peOl :. They meant that the officer
| should be secure in his tenure as long as
| his personal character remained untar-


nished and the performance of his du-
ties satisfactory. They held that ap-
pOintments to office, were not to be


made nor expected, merely as rewards


for partisan services, nor merely on the


nomination of members of Congress, as


being entitled in any respect TO the con-
troll of such appointments.


The fact that both Of the great politi-
cal parties of the country in declaring
their principles, prior to the election,
gave a prominent place to the subject
of reform of our civil service, recogniz-
Ing ana strongly urging its necessity in
terms almost identical in their specific
. import with those l have here employed
must be accepted as a conclusive argu
ment in behalf of these measures 1t
must be regarded as the expression of
the united voice and will of the whole
country upon this subject and both po-
IItlcal parties are virtually pledged to
give it their unreserved support. The
President of the United States of neces-
sity owes his election to the suffrage
and Jealous labOTs of a politica! party,
the members of which cherish with ar
dor, and regard as of essential impOr-
tance the principles of the party organi-
Zation, but he should strive to be always
mindful that he serves his party best
who serves the country best.


In furtherance of the reform we seek,
and in other important respects a change
of great Importance, l recommend an
amendment to the Constitution prescrib-
ing term of six years for the Presiden-
tial office and forbidding a reelection.


FINANCIAL QUESTIONS.


tiOn of the country, l shall not attempt
an extended history of the embarrass
ments and prostitution which we have
suffered during the past three years
The depression in all our varied COM
mercial and manufacturing interests
throughout the country which began in
September, 1873, still continues, and it
is very gratifying, however, to be able
to say that there are indications all
around US of coming change to pros
porous times.


THE CURRENCY QUESTION.


Upon the currency question, intimate
ly connected as it is with this topic, [
may be permitted to repeat here the
statement made in my letter of acccp-
tance, that, in my judgement, the feel
ing of uncertainty inseparabie from an
irredeemable paper currency, with its
fuctuation of values, is one of the great
est obstructOrs to a return TO prosperous
times. The only safe paper currency is
one which rests upon a coin basis, and
is at all times promptly convertible into
ciOn. | adhere here to the views here
tofore expressed by me in favor Of Con-
gressional legislation in behalf of early
resumption of specie payment, and l am
not only that this is wise, but
that the interests, as well as the public
sentiment of the country, imperitively
demand it.


OUR FOREIGN RELATIONS.


Passing from these remarks upon the
of our own country To consider
our relations with other lands, we are
reminded by the international cOmplicd-
tiOns abroad threatening the peace Of
Europe, that our traditional rule of non
in the affairs of foreign ma
tiOns has proved of great value in past
times, and ought to be strictly observed.
The policy inaugurated by my hnn0red
predecessor, President Grant, of SUBJ
mitting to arbitration the grave ques,
tiOns in dispute between our foreign
powers, points t. a new and incOmpara-
bly, the best instrumentality for the
preservation of peace, and will become
a benificent exa nple Of the course to be
pursued in similar emergencies by either
Nation. If, unhappily, questions of
difference shoul at any time during the
period of my 4 lministratiOn arise be-
tween the Unite States and any foreign
it will certainly be my dis
position and my hope to aid in their set
tlement in the same peaceful and hOnOra-
BILE way, thus securing to our country
the great blessing of peace and mutual
good offices with all the Nations of the
world.


THE LATE CONTEST.


Fellow-citizens, we have reached the
close of political contest marked by
the excitement which usually attends
the contest between great political par
ties, whose members advocate with ear
nest faith their respective creeds. The
were, perhaps, in no res
pect extraordinary save in the closeness
and the consequent uncertainty of the
rusult For the first time in the history
of the country it has been deemed best,
in view of the peculiar circumstances of
the case, that the objections and ques-
tlons in dispute with reference to the
of the Electoral votes should
be referred to a tribunal appointed for
this purpose. That tribunal established
by law for this sole purpose, its mem
bcrs, all of them men of long established
for integrity and intelligence,
and, with the exception of these, who
are also members of the Supreme Judi
ciary, chosen equally from both political
parties, its deliberations, enlightened by
The research and arguments of able
counsel, were entitled to the fullest con-
fidence of the American people.
It's decisions, have been patiently wait
ed for and accepted as legally cOnclu-
elusive by the general judgment of the
public.


For the present opinion will widely vary
as to the wisdom of the several concln-
sions announced by that tribunal. This
is to be anticipated in every instance
where matters of dispute are made the
subject Of arbitration under the forms
of law. Human judgement is never un-
crring. and is rarely regarded as other
wise than wrong by the unsuccessful
party in the contest. The fact that two
great parties have in this way settled
dispute in regard to which good men
differ as to the facts and law, no less than
as to the proper course to be pursued in
the question in controversy, is
an occasion for general rejoicing.


Upon one point there Is entire uuan-
unity in public sentiment, that conflict
ing claims to the Presidency must be
amicablY and peaceably adjusted, and
that when so adjusted the general ac-
uuiescence of the nation ought surely
to follow. It has been reserved for


IL ....1..,Ir -.