Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 March 1877 — THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS. [ARTICLE]

THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

•‘Let W pray ’ exdkhned the Chicago Times immediately after the election. Subsequent events have verified that the prayers «f the wicked are an abomi nation. On bwt Saturday the New York fibre and the Indianapolis Sentinel appeared with their column and heed rules bottom np. For several months the editors of those papers have been in that position when writing their political articles. Democratic newspapers .show a good deal of fear of President Hayes' Southern policy. His tone is entirely too conservative and too conciliatory for a repubtican-4tiey think. It is quite possible that President Hayes’ policy will «ttedy fail to please the democratic Tbn hoard of county commissioners offer SSOO reward for the arrest and conviction of the murderers (more than one are implicated) of Jimmy Cotton. Nowlet the relatives of the poor boy add as much more, or at least the value of his team and other personal effects, and the guilty wretches will be discovered. Mr. Howitt has resigned his position as chairman of the democratic committee, and Senator Barnum succeeds him. Mr. Hewitt protests that he was not toddame for thedefeat of Mr. Tilden. He and Barnum swung Indiana into the democratic line with a seven-mule team which was good enough for Governor ■Williams, at least For March 6th the Chicago market quotations were as follows: Cattle.— BcalhWags, $2.25(a;2.75; batchers’ stock, [email protected]; Stockers. |[email protected]; medium, $404.30; good, choice, [email protected]. Hogs.—Choice light weight, [email protected]; poor to prime packing, [email protected]; good to extra heavy, Sheep, 12.75, $3.50 @5.25. Au extra session of the legislature has been erty**! by Gov. Williams to pass an appropriation bill providing for the expenses of the state government and other necessary laws. To the ignorant and uninitiated it will be quite difficult to understand why this extra session was Leceeury. So very little business was done by the regular session that many good hearted people will think iaainess alone prevented necessary work, being done. Mr. Tilden s personal newspaper organ, the New York Sun, and also the Indianapolis Sea/in//, reversed their column and head rules last Saturday and appeared in mourning. A deader political corpse or a more offensive one than Mr. Tilden does not remain unburied; and, besides, his party is also sick, very puek, perhaps mortally sick. It was for the friends to make public detnunfitratiuus of their grief. Had those journals also set their types bottom #p and die editors stood on their heads exhibition would have been yet more interesting and appropriate. If the general policy of President Hayes* administration outlined by his letter accepting the presidential nomination aud reiterated in his inaugural address there is sorrow in store for tlm machine politicians of the republican party and bitter grief for the democracy. • Hayerism will be ever so much more nauseous to the democratic palate than pas Grantism. President Grant’s party developed the intense partisanship his personal supporters and encoupagad a spirit of absolutism among his subordinates that cooled the ardor of many and wholly estranged others of .the more liberal and conscientious peojple, while it furnished bu political enejnies with a formidable weapon of as/quit. Hayesism is likely to be somavery different. There will be a /ratable absence of Conkling snobbery, of,Cameron unoctupulousness, of Logan /avoritisjp. There will be little dispopartisan service at the public welfare. There will bono secure a rtnomination for tjw preridential office. Mr. Hayefl i? lijttJj V estrange a class of «Mi»M *«■ *<* sappos tflgqp wiws die republican party rests. And he premises to be ay irritating thorn to the/Me of democracy by attracting to hitp aft that element r*; 1 * *»’ "■> laxwe portion of the dement wwJajiwr • Wrdia <»Ai 4-» IPt «■ w.—- *

President Hayes had very little time to prepare an inaugural speech. What he said upon the occasion ot his inauguration on Monday probably did not occupy more than thirty to forty-five minutes in the delivery. As the full text will likely appear on the Chicago printed pages of Thk Union next week and because there is not room for it here a brief review is all that will be offered at present. Perhaps one-third of President Hayes’ address is devoted to a discussion of the Southern problem. While the thoughts he advances do not conflict with what he aaidgn his letter accepting the presidential nomination but were really foreshadowed in that paper they do not entirely harmonize with the policy that was pursued by his predecessor nor with the sentiments of the republican party upon that question, If those sentiments have been faithfully reflected by Senators Morton, Conkling, Blaine, Secretary Chandler, the Inter-Ocean 'newspaper, el id genu*. The President certainly shows bls independence of dictation iu this instance, and that moat remarkably. His views in regard to the treatment of the South are ba««ed on two sharply defined propositions: 1. Loyal and hearty submisMion to the constitution and laws of the general government, acceptance of and faithful obedience to the whole constitution as it is, which guarantees equal rights to all classes of citzens and each individual of these classes. 2. Honest and efficient local government. This means that the black man shall be protected in all his rights of citizenship that have been acquired uuder the emancipation proclamation, the constitutional amendments, and congressional legislation; and, second, that carpet-bngism in its offensive form will not be encouraged by executive, protection.

The subject next iu importance is civil service reform. President Hayes does not think that public qflice should be prostituted to the purpose of rewarding mere party serviees> No man should bo appointed to office solely because he has labored for the suceess of a party, and no ofiicer should be displaced simply because his political fen time nts are not in harmony with those of the person who has the appointing power. Men are to bo appointed to office nol because they are members of the party lie belongs to but because of their qualifications to perform the duties of the office in an efficient manner. In cases of this kind the public service, and not individual interest, is to be promoted. “Universal suffrage should rest upon universal education*,'’ he said, and suggests that permanent provision be made for the support ot free schools by state governments in the South, and, if necessary, supplemented by natior al aid. A suggestion that will meet with favor from a large number :of people, aud strenuous opposition ns well, is that the terra of the presidential office be extended to six years with a provision that no man shall be eligible to re-election. Upon the subject of finances he is briel aud explicit, and sums up the whole problem of the currency question in this terse sentence: “The only safe paper currency is one whiub rests upon a coin basis, and is at all times promptly convertible into coin.” He also favors legislation in behalf of an early resumption of specie payments. His foreign policy will be that of nonintervention in the quarrels of foreign powers and a willingness to continue President Grant's wise practice of submitting to arbitration any disputes that may arise between- the United States and other nations. He also r# vie wed very briefly the action of the dfspocratic and republican parties*? Mjbmitting to the arbitration of ? commission the questions which crops from the closeness and rniceylfinty of the presidential elestiqp, eomptended the spijrit of the people jghich hushed p.«Jty tumuli? to pjsld the issue of the contest (U? adjfiUmeni according to the foripf sphere is such sincerity in the tope pf (he address, such conscien-

UQurnees of thought, such evident desire of conciliation, such a strong determination evinced to rise above harrow partisan considerations and to think and to do for the best interest of the whole nation, that hostile criticism is atonoedisarmed. The most unrelenting of President Hayes’ political enemies admit the wisdom of his suggestions and his independence of party dictation and confine tljeir to the labor of questioning his sincerity and denying his title to the office. All of the conservative and independent press commend the address as statesmanlike and satisfactory. Judge (now Senator) Davis remarked that it was among the ablest addresses that had ever been delivered. The English newspapers think it is wise and becoming the chief magistrate of a mighty people. There is no doubt his theories are correct; the question is can he reduce thetb to practice. We shall see. Let us hope. —————— The New York quotations of gold for March 6th, were 104 J and 105. During the week past gold fell down to 1044. Rutherford B Hayes is president of the United States of America. - - A little political fossil— An old democratic apostle— Was so mightily bent To be made President That he squandered a fortune colossal. And when the campaign was a-closing He tried Just a bit of bulldozing; But that was too thin, And wouldn’t quite win, As he bad beeu fondly supposing. So next he would try a commission. But that didn’t help his condition ; For seven to eight Had not enough weight;— And Samuel missed the position. —Communicated.