The Bay State Monthly, Volume 1, Issue 5, May, 1884 | Page 7

Garfield and Arthur was triumphantly elected. On
the fourth of March, 1881, General Arthur took the oath of office in the
Senate Chamber as Vice-President of the United States, and half an
hour later General Garfield was inaugurated on a platform before the

east front of the Capitol, in the presence of the imposing military and
civil procession which had escorted him with music and banners. When
the ceremony was concluded, the distinguished personages around the
new President tendered their congratulations, the assembled multitude
cheered, and a salute fired by a light battery stationed near by was
echoed by the guns at the navy yard, the arsenal, and the forts around
the metropolis.
Republicans congratulated each other on the indications of a vigorous
administration, governed by a conscientious determination to promote
harmony. But a few months had elapsed, however, before President
Garfield was cruelly assassinated, in the full vigor of his manhood, and
the Republican party was at first stricken with apprehensions. These
gloomy doubts, however, soon disappeared as the incidents of Mr.
Arthur's patriotic and useful life were recalled, and a generous
confidence was soon extended to the new President.
President Arthur took the oath of office in New York immediately after
the death of General Garfield, and he repeated it in the Capitol on the
twenty-second of September, in the Vice-President's room. The
members of General Garfield's cabinet, who had been requested by his
successor to continue for the present in charge of their respective
departments, were present, with General Sherman in full uniform,
ex-Presidents Hayes and Grant, and Chief Justice Waite in his judicial
robes, escorted by Associate Justices Harlan and Matthews. There were,
also, present Senators Anthony, Sherman, Edmunds, Hale, Blair,
Dawes, and Jones, of Nevada, and Representatives Amos Townsend,
McCook, Errett, Randall, Hiscock, and Thomas. Ex-Vice-President
Hamlin, of Maine, and Speaker Sharpe, of New York, were also
present.
When President Arthur entered the room, escorted by General Grant
and Senator Jones, he advanced to a small table, on which was a Bible,
and behind which stood the Chief Justice, who raised the sacred
volume, opened it, and presented it to the President, who placed his
right hand upon it. Chief Justice Waite then slowly administered the
oath, and at its conclusion the President kissed the book, responding, "I

will, so help me God." He then read the following address:--
THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
For the fourth time in the history of the Republic its Chief Magistrate
has been removed by death. All hearts are filled with grief and horror at
the hideous crime which has darkened our land; and the memory of the
murdered President, his protracted sufferings, his unyielding fortitude,
the example and achievements of his life and the pathos of his death,
will forever illumine the pages of our history. For the fourth time the
officer elected by the people and ordained by the Constitution to fill a
vacancy so created is called to assume the executive chair. The wisdom
of our fathers, foreseeing even the most dire possibilities, made sure
that the Government should never be imperiled because of the
uncertainty of human life. Men may die, but the fabrics of our free
institutions remain unshaken. No higher or more assuring proof could
exist of the strength and permanence of popular government than the
fact that, though the chosen of the people be struck down, his
constitutional successor is peacefully installed without shock or strain
except the sorrow which mourns the bereavement. All the noble
aspirations of my lamented predecessor which found expression in his
life, the measures devised and suggested during his brief administration
to correct abuses and enforce economy, to advance prosperity and
promote the general welfare, to insure domestic security and maintain
friendly and honorable relations with the nations of the earth, will be
garnered in the hearts of the people, and it will be my earnest endeavor
to profit, and to see that the Nation shall profit, by his example and
experience. Prosperity blesses our country; our fiscal policy is fixed by
law, is well grounded, and generally approved. No threatening issue
mars our foreign intercourse, and the wisdom, integrity, and thrift of
our people may be trusted to continue undisturbed the present assured
career of peace, tranquillity, and welfare. The gloom and anxiety which
have enshrouded the country must make repose especially welcome
now. No demand for speedy legislation has been heard. No adequate
occasion is apparent for an unusual session of Congress. The
Constitution defines the functions and powers of the executive as
clearly as those of either of the other two departments of the

government, and he must answer for the just exercise of the discretion
it permits and the performance of the duties it imposes. Summoned to
these high duties and responsibilities, and profoundly conscious of their
magnitude