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The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, March 09, 1881, Image 5

Image and text provided by Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85053157/1881-03-09/ed-1/seq-5/

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PRESIDENT GARFIELD'S INAUGUR
AL ADDRESS,
WASIIGCTON-, March 4.-The following is
Gen. Garfield's inaugural address:
Fd'owc citizens:--We stand to-day upon an
eminence which overlooks one hundred years
of national life of a country crowded with
perils, but crowned with triumphs of liberty
and love. Before continuing the onward
maich let us pause on this height for a mo
ment to strengthen our faith and renew our
hope by a glance at the pathway along
our people hope by a glance at the pathway
which our people have traveled. It is
n )w three days more than a hundred years
since the adoption of the first written consti
tution of the United States-the articles of
confederation and perpetual union. The new
republic was then beset with danger on every
hand. It had not conquered a place in the
family of nations. The decisive battle of the
war for independence, whose centennial an
niversary will be celebrated at Yorktown,
had not been fought. The colonists were
struggling not only against the armies of
Great Britain but against the settled opinions
of mankind, for the world did not believe the
supreme authority of government could be
entrusted to the guardianship of the people
themselves. We cannot overestimate the
fervent love of liberty, the intelligent courage
and unbounded common sense with which
our fathers made the great experiment of
self-government. When they found, in a
short time, that the confederacy of States
was too weak to meet the necessities of the
vigorous and expanding republic, they boldly
set it aside and in its stead established a na
tional union founded directly upon the will of
the people, endowed with future powers of
s;,lf-preservation, and with ample authority
for the accomplishment of its great objects.
Under this constitution the boundaries of
freedom have been enlarged, the foundations
of order and peace have been strengthened,
and the growth in all the better elements of
national life has vindicated the wisdom of
the founders an d given new hope to their de
scendunts. Under this constitution our pec
ple long ago made themselves safe against
d(lnger from without and secured for their
mniriners and flag Equality of rights on all
seas. Under this Constitution 25 States have
been added to the Union, with a constitution
and laws framed and enforced by their own
citizens to secure the manifold blessings of
local self-government. The jurisdiction of
this Constitution now covers an area fifty
times greater than that of the original Thir
teen States, and a population twenty times
greater than that of 1780. The supreme trial
of the Constitution came at last under the tre
menldous pressure of civil war. We are wit
nesses that the Union emerged from the blood
and fire of that conflict purified and made
stronger f,;r all benificent purposes of good
government, ard now at the close of this first
century of growth the further discussion of
which can only stir up strife and delay the
onward march, the supremacy of the nation
and its laws should be no longer a subject of
debate. That discussion which for half a
century threatened the existence of the Union
was closed at last in the high court of war by
a decree from which there is no appeal, that
the constitution and laws made in pursuance
thereof shall continue tobe the supreme law
of the land, binding alike upon States and
people. This decree does not disturb the au
tonomny of the states nor interfere with any
of their necessary rules of local selft-govern
ment. But it does fix and establish the per
manent supremacy of the Union. The will
of the nation, speaking wit.hthe voice of bat
tle and through an amended constitution, has
fulfilled the great promise of 1776 by pro
claiming liberty throughout the land to all in
habitants thereof. The elevation of the negro
race from slavery to full rights of citizenship
is the most important political change we
have known since the adoption of the consti
tution of 1880. N) thoughtful men can fail
to appreciate with inspiration of its history
in their hearts,that our people have lately re
viewed the condition ot the Nation, passed
its judgment upon the conduct and opinions
of political parties, and have registered their
will concerning the future administration of
the government. To interpret and execute
their will in accordance with the constitution
is a paramount duty of the Executive. Even
from this brief review it is manifest that the
Nation is resolutely facing the front, deter
mined to employ its best energies in develop
ing the great possibilities of the future, sa
credly preserving whatever has been gained
to liberty and good government the last cen
tury. Our people are determined to leave
behind them all these bitter controversies con
cerning things which have been irrevocably
settled, and wronged and enfeebled both. It
has surrendered to their own guardianship
the manhood of more than five million peo
rle, and has opened to each one of them a
career of freedom and usefulness. It has
given new inspiration to the power of self
help in both races, by making labor more I
honorable to one and more necessary to the
other. The influence of this force will grow
greater and bear richer fruit with the coming
years. No doubt this great change has caused
serious disturbance to our Southern com
munity. This is to be deplored, though it
was unavoidable. But those who resisted
the change should remember that under our
institutions there was no middle~ground for
the negro race between slavery and equal
citizenship. There can be no permanent dis
franchised peasantry in the United States.
Freedom can never yield its fulness of bless
ings as long as the law or its administration
places the smallest obstacle in the pathway of
any virtuous citizen. The emancipated race 1
has already made remarkable progress. With
unquestioning devotion to the Union, and 1
with a patience and gentleness not born of i
fear, they have followed the light as God gave
them to see the light. They are rapidly lay
ing material foundations for self support,a2
widening the circle of intelligence, and be
ginning to enjoy the blessings that gather
around the home of the industrious poor.
They deserve the generous encouragement of
all good men. So tar as my authority can
lawfully extend, they shall enjoy the full and
equal protection of the constitution and laws.
The free enjoyment of equal suffrage is still
in question, and a frank statement of the is
sue may aid in its solution. It is alleged that
in many communities negro citizens are prac
tically denied the freedom of the ballot. In
so far as the truth of this allegation is admit
ted, it is insured that in many places an
honest local government is impossible. If
the mass of uneducated negroes is allowed to
vote, these are great allegations. So far as
the latter is true it is the only palliation that
can be offered for opposing the freedom of
the ballot. Bad local government is certainly
a great evil, which ought to be prevented,
but to violate freedom and the sanctity of
suffrage is more than an evil, it is a crime,
which if persisted in will destroy the govern
ment itself. Suicide is not a remedy. If in
other lands it be counted high treason to com
pass the death of a king, it should be counted
no less a crime here to destroy freedom. But 1
the danger which arises from ignorance in
the voter cannot be denied. It covers a field ,
far wider than that of negro suffrage and the 1
present condition of that race. It is a danger
that lurks and hides in corners and fountains
of power in every seat. We have no standard
by which to measure the disaster that may be
brought upon us by ignorance in citizens
when joined to corruption and fraud in suff
rage. The voters of the Union, who make
and unmake constitutions, and upon whose
will hangs the destiny of our government,
can transmit their supreme authority to no
successor save the coming generation of vo
ters, who are the sole heirs of the sovereign
power. If that generation comes blinded by
ignorance and corrupted by vice, the fall of
the Republic will be certain and remediless.
The census has already sounded the alarm in
appalling figures which marks how danger
ously night the tide of illeteracy has arisen
among our voters and their children. To the
South the question is of supreme importance,
but irresponsibility for the existence of sla
very did not rest upon the South alone. The
Nation itself is responsible for the extension
of suffrage, and it is under special obligations
to aid in removing the illiteracy which it has
added to the voting population of North and
South alike. There is but one remedy. All
the constitutional power of the Nation, of the
States and all volunteer forces of people
should be summoned to meet this danger by
the saving influence of universal education.
It is a high privilege and a sacred, duty of
those now to educate their successors and fit
them by intelligence and virtue for the inheri
tance which awaits them on this beneficent
work. Sections and races should be forgot
ten, and partisanship should be unknown.
Let our people find a new meaning in the di
vine oracle, which declares that a little child
shall lead them, For our little children will
soon control the destinies of the Republic.
My countrymen, we do not now differ in
our judgment concerning the controversies
of the past generation, and fifty years hence 1
our children will not be divided in their opin
ions concerning our controversies. They will
surely bless their fathers and their father's
God that the Union was preserved ; that sla
very was overthrown, and that both races
were made equal before the law. We may
hasten or we may retard, but we cannot pre
vent the final reconciliation. It is not pos
sible for us now to make a truce with time,
by anticipating and accepting its inevitable
verdict. Enterprises of the highest impor
tance to our moral and material well-being
invite us and offer ample scope for the em
ployment of our best powers. Let all our
people-leaving their battle field of dead is
sues-move forward, and in the strength of
liberty and a restored Union, win grander
victories of peace.
The prosperity which now prevails is with
out parallel in our history. Fruitfulseasons
have done much to secure it, but they have
not done all. The preservation of the public
credit and resumption of specie payments,
so successfully attained by the administration
of my predecessor, has enabled our people to
secure the blessings which the seasons
brought. By the experience of commercial
nations in all ages it has been found that gold I
and silver afford the only safe foundation for I
a monetary system. Grave doubts havebeen
entertained as to whether Congress is author
ized by the constitution to make any form of
paper money a legal tender. The present
issue of United States notes has been sus
tained by the necessities of work, but such
paper should depend for its value and cur
rency upon its convenience in use and its
prompt redemption in coin at the will of the
holder, and not upon its corlpulsory circula
tion. These notes are not money, but prom
ises to pay money if the holders demand it,
and the promise should be kept. The refund
ing of the national debt at a lower rate of in
terest should be accomplished without com
pelling the withdrawal of the national bank I
notes and thus disturbing the business of the
country. I venture tao refer to the position I
have occupied on financial questions during
my long service in Congress, and to say that
time and experience have strengthened the
opinions I have so often expressed on these
subjects. The finances of the government
shall suffer no detriment which it may be
possible for my administration to prevent. *
Confusion has recently been caused by vari- I
ations in the relative value of the two metals,
but I confidently believe that arrangements I
can be made between the leading commercial
nations which will secure the general use of
both metals. Congress should provide that
the compulsory coinage of silver now re
quired by law should not disturb our mone
tary system by driving either metal out of cir
culation. If possible such an adjustment
should be made that the purchasing power of
every coined dollar will be equal to its debt
paying power in all the markets of the world.
The chief duty of the National Government
in connection with the currency of the coun
try is to coin and declare its value.
The interests of agriculture deserve more
attention from the government than they have
yet received. The farms of the United States
afford homes and employment for more than
half the people and furnish much the largest
part of our exports. As the government I
lights our coast for the protection of mariners
and benefit of commerce, so it should give :
the settlers of the soil the light of practical
science and experience. Our manufacturers
are rapidly making us indusitrially independ- ,
ent and are opening to capital and labor
new and profitable fields of employment.
This steady and healthy growth should still
be maintained. Our facilities for4trasnsporta
tion should be prompted by the coitinued
improvement of our harbors and great interior
water ways, and by an increase of our ton
nage on the ocean; The development of the ,
world's commerce has led to the urgent de
,r mand for shortening the great sea voyage
around Cape Horn by the construction of ship
f canals or railways across the isthmus which
n unites the two continents. Various plans to
d this end have been suggested and will need
a. consideration, but none of them have been
Ll sufficiently matured to warrant us in extend
- ing pecuniary aid. The subject is one
it which will immediately engage the atten
tion of the government, with a view to the
a thorough protection of American interests.
S- We will urge no narrow policy nor seek pecu
a liar or exclusive privileges in any commer
f cial route, but, in the language of my pre
o decessors, I believe it to be the right and
,s duty of the United States to assert and main
t tain such supervision and authority over any
f inter-oceanic canal across the isthmus that
connects North and South America as will
protect the National interests.
f The constitution guarantees absolute reli
gious freedom. Congress is prohibited from
making any law respecting the establishment
a of religion or prohibiting a free exercise
thereof. The Territories of the United
I States are subject to the direct legislative au
t thority of Congress, and hence the General
a Government is responsible for any violation
I of the constitution in any of them. It is
e therefore a reproach to the government that
r in the most populous of the territories the
9 constitutional guarantee is not enjoyed by the
1 people, and the authority of Congress is set
B at naught. The Mormon church not only
s offends the moral sense of mankind by sanc
tioning polygamy, but it prevents the admin
e istration of justice through the instrumentali
e ty of the law. In my judgment it is the duty
of Congress while respecting to the utmost
the conscientious and convictions and reli
- gious scruples of every citizens, to prohibit
I within its jurisdiction all criminal practices,
V especially of thatyclass which destroy the
f family relations and endanger social order.
Nor can any ecclesiastical organization be
a safely permitted to usurp in the smallest de
gree the functions and powers of the national
a government.
e The civil service can never be placed on a
satisfactory basis until it is regulated by law
for the good of the service itself, for the pro
e tection of those who are entrusted with the
a appointing power against the waste of time
s and obstruction to public business, caused by
s inordinate pressure, and for the peace and
l protection of incumbents against intrigue
1 and wrong. It should at a proper time ask
e Congress to fix the tenure of the minor offices
e of the several executive departments, and
Y prescribe the grounds upon which the re
movals shall be made during the terms for
f which the incumbents have been appointed
t finally, acting always within the authority
-and limitations of the constitution, invading
t neither the rights of States nor the reserved
rights of the people. It will be the purpose
of my administration to maintain authority
Sin all places within its jurisdiction; to erd
force obedience to all the laws of the Union
1 in the interest of the people; to demand rigid
economy in all the expenditures of the gov
3 ernment, and to require honest and faithtul
S service of all executive officers, remembering
e that the offices were created, not for the ben
efit of the incumbents or their supporters,
1 but for the service of the governmont. And
S now, fellow citizens, I am about to assume
the great trust which you have committed to
S my hands, I appeal to you for rhat earnest
Y and thoughtful support which makes this
Government in fact, as in law a government
of the people. I shall greatly rely upon the
,wisdom and patriotism of Congress and of
C those who may share with me the responsi
bilities and duties of the administration, and
Sabove all to promote the -welfare of this great
- people and their government, I reverently
r invoke the support and blessings of Almighty
SGod.
f
w
Proprietors.
SBOARD BY THE W K, $6.
Single Meal ........... --........................ 1 *.
market affords, e can insure to the pub
lic entire satisfaction.
.produce.
WUe -
01.
Da 011 NIHT
POLITE ND Ao~TV WAI2EI
Wepyteto rcsfoae outy n coutr
prdce. 2
FORT BENTON, MONTANA,
Wholesale and Retail Grocer,
AND DEALEi IN
DRY GOODS, CLOTHING,
BOOTS AND SHOES, FURS AND PELTRIES,
WINES, LIQUORS AND CIGARS,
Our Grocery Department embraces all Staple and Fancy Articles, a few of which are
Fresh Corn Meal, Oat Meal, Rice, Beans, Canned and Dried Fruits, Lard, Bacon
and Hams, Canned Vegetables and Meats, Candles, Oils, Fish, Oysters,
Extra Soap, Canned Syrups, Candies, Nuts and Notions.
Fish Bros.' Freight and Farm Wagons,
TOOLS, CUTLERY,
Tinware Crockerv, Glassware, Toilet Articles
PATENT MEDICINES, PAINTS AND OILS,
We have in store one of the best selected Stocks ever imported into the Territory, and the
trading puplic will find it to their advantage to get our prices befor
buying elsewhere.
STORAGE AND COMMISSION.
Corner of Front and Bond Sts., Fort Benton.
NTick Wrelch: Proprietor.
ront Street, -- -Fort _ Benton.__
added, and nothing is left undone which will contribute to the comfort
and convenience of guese.
Fron StetFrtBntn
This ppl aHoeisstaeinteenroftetwcneintotebsnshue,
andoppit th taba adn.Anme fNwRoshv enrcnl
adde, ad nohin isleftundne hichwil conribte o th cofor
Frn te UtFWt emon

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