Above all, I know there is a Supreme Being who rules the affairs of men
and whose goodness and mercy have always followed the American people,
and I know He will not turn from us now if we humbly and reverently
seek His powerful aid.


***

William McKinley
First Inaugural Address
Thursday, March 4, 1897

Fellow-Citizens:

IN obedience to the will of the people, and in their presence, by the
authority vested in me by this oath, I assume the arduous and
responsible duties of President of the United States, relying upon the
support of my countrymen and invoking the guidance of Almighty God. Our
faith teaches that there is no safer reliance than upon the God of our
fathers, who has so singularly favored the American people in every
national trial, and who will not forsake us so long as we obey His
commandments and walk humbly in His footsteps.

The responsibilities of the high trust to which I have been called -
always of grave importance - are augmented by the prevailing business
conditions entailing idleness upon willing labor and loss to useful
enterprises. The country is suffering from industrial disturbances from
which speedy relief must be had. Our financial system needs some
revision; our money is all good now, but its value must not further be