PRUYN, JOHN V. L. 



required for the political safety of the coun- 

 try, there remained nothing but to follow the 

 example set by Austria and Russia, and pro- 

 hibit the export of horses. Not, however, to 

 injure horse-breeders beyond what was neces- 

 sary, a royal decree reserved to the Govern- 

 ment the right to permit export in special 

 cases. This permission having been liberally 

 given, the export has reached the ordinary 

 figure, and, in the last few months, amounted 

 to no fewer than 7,000. After this declara- 

 tion, the motions censuring the royal decree 

 were thrown out. The House adjourned on 

 December 20th. 



The conflict between the Government and the 

 Catholic Church continued during the year. 

 In April, the assistant bishop of Posen, Janis- 

 zewski, was removed from his office by the 

 royal court for ecclesiastical affairs. On June 

 13th the bishop of Limburg, in the province 

 of Hesse-Nassau, was deposed by sentence of 

 the Berlin ecclesiastical court. The bishop 

 was proved to have persistently resisted the 

 Prussian ecclesiastical laws, though he willing- 

 ly submitted to the stricter supervision of the 

 Nassau and Frankfort authorities in the days 

 of Nassau and Frankfort independence. Be- 

 ing in all fined 45,000 marks for his offenses 

 against the Prussian ecclesiastical laws, he was 

 accused of having managed to evade payment 

 by the alleged transfer of his property to vari- 

 ous charities, which allowed him the use of it 

 during life. The bishop did not appear in 

 court. 



PRUYN, JOHN V. L., died at Clifton Springs, 

 N. Y., November 21, 1877. He was born in 

 Albany, N. Y., in 1811. He was educated at 

 the Albany Academy and was admitted to the 

 bar in 1832. He was appointed Master in 

 Chancery by Governor Marcy ; was chosen a 

 director and counsel of the Mohawk & Hudson 

 Railroad Company in 1835, and afterward 

 became Treasurer of the New York Central. 

 In 1831 he became associated with the Albany 

 Institute, the oldest scientific society of the 

 State, and from 1855 till his death was its presi- 

 dent. He was elected a member of the Board 

 of Regents of the University of the State of 

 New York in 1844, and in 1862 became Chan- 

 cellor of the University. He was a member of 

 the State Senate in 1862 and 1863, and of Con- 

 gress in 1863-'65 and 1869-71. Mr. Pruyn 

 suggested the organization of the State Board 

 of Charities, and was its president at the time 

 of his death. He was also president of the 

 Board of Commissioners of the State Survey. 

 He received the degree of Master of Arts 

 from Rutgers College, and that of Doctor 

 of Laws from the University of Rochester. 

 He had devoted much time to the advance- 

 ment of the educational interests of the State, 

 and to its institutions of charity. He also 

 took much interest in questions of political 

 science, and was a delegate to the recent In- 

 ternational Code Congress held at the Hague, 

 in Holland. 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



650 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. Inaugural Atl- 

 drest of President HAYES, dtlitertd March 5, 



1877. 



We have assembled to re- 

 peat the public ceremonial, begun by Washington, 

 observed by all my predecessors, and now a tune- 

 honored custom which marks the commencement 

 of a new term of the presidential office. Called to 

 the duties of this great trust, I proceed, in compliance 

 with usage, to announce some of the leading prin- 

 ciples, on the subjects that now chiefly engage the 

 public attention, by which it is my desire to be 

 guided in the discharge of those duties. I shall 

 not undertake to lay down irrevocably principles 

 or measures of administration, but rather to speak 

 of the motives which should animate us. and to 

 suggest certain important ends to be attained in 

 accordance with our institutions and essential to the 

 welfare of our country. 



At the outset of the discussions which preceded 

 the recent presidential election it seemed to me fit- 

 ting that I should fully make known my sentiments 

 in regard to several of the important questions which 

 then appeared to demuud the consideration of the 

 country. Following the example, and in part adopt- 

 ing the language of one of my predecessors, 1 wish 

 now, when every motive for misrepresentation has 

 passed away, to repeat what was said before the 

 election, trusting that my countrymen will candidly 

 weigh and understand it, and that they will feel as- 

 sured that the sentiments 1 declared in accepting 

 the nomination for the presidency will be the stand- 

 ard of my conduct in the path before me, charged. 

 as I now am, with the grave and difficult task of 

 carrying them out in the practical administration 

 of the government, so far as depends, under the 

 Constitution and laws, on the Cliift Executive of the 

 nation. The permanent pacification of the country 

 upon such principles ana by such measures as will 

 secure the complete protection of all its citiii-ns 

 in the free enjoyment of all their constitutional 

 rights, is now the one subject in our public affairs 

 which all thoughtful and patriotic citizens regard as 

 of supreme importance. Many of the calamitous 

 effects of the tremendous revolution which has 

 passed over the Southern States still remain. The 

 immeasurable benefits which will surely follow, 

 sooner or later, the hearty and generous acceptance 

 of the legitimate results of that revolution, have 

 not yet been realized. Difficult and embarrassing 

 questions meet us at the threshold of this subject. 



The people of those States are still impoverished. 

 and the inestimable blessing of wise, honest, ana 

 peaceful local self-government is not fully enjoyed. 

 Whatever difference of opinion mav exist as to the 

 cause of this condition of things, the fact is clear 

 that, in the progress of events, the time has come 

 when such government is the imperative newssitv 

 required by all the varied interests, public and pri- 

 vate, of those States. But it must not be forgotten 

 that only a local government, which recognizes 

 and maintains inviolate the rights of all, it a true 

 self-government. With respect to the two distinct 

 races, whose peculiar relation to each other have 

 brought upon us the deplorable complications and 

 perplexities which exist in those States, it inuot > 

 a government which guards the interest* of both 

 races carefully and equally. It must be a govern- 

 ment which submits loyally and heartily to the 

 Constitution and the laws, the laws of the nation 

 and the laws of the States themselves, aowpting 

 and obeying faithfully the whole Constitution a it 

 is. Resting upon this sure and nunntantial foi 

 dation, the superstructure of beneficent local gov- 

 ernments can be built up. and not otherwise. I 

 furtherance of such ohedienoo to the letter and tl 

 spirit of the Constitution, and In behalf of all i 

 its attainment implies, all so-culled party \n terwU 

 lose their apparent importance, and part/ line* may 



