The inauguration occurred at Faneuil Hall on the 1st of May following.
The ceremonies of the occasion were unusually impressive; the venerable
Dr. Thomas Baldwin invoking the favor of Heaven, and Chief Justice Isaac
Parker administering the oath.
In discharging the duties of his office, Mr. Phillips wisely avoided
sumptuous display on one hand, and a parsimonious economy on the other,
but observing that _juste milieu_ which good sense dictated, and
the spirit of our republican institutions demanded, succeeded in
overcoming all prejudice against the new form of municipal government,
and in establishing a precedent, which, followed by succeeding mayors,
has saved the city millions of dollars of needless expense, and has
served as a worthy example to many other cities in this country.
The result of the first year's administration under the new charter
did not meet the expectations of those who had been instrumental in
procuring it. They were eager for a more energetic system, and they
charged Mr. Phillips with pursuing a timid and hesitating course for
fear of losing his popularity. But still when he went out of office,
Mr. Josiah Quincy, his successor, could say of him:--
"After examining and considering the records and proceedings of the
city authorities for the past year, it is impossible for me to refrain
from expressing the sense I entertain of the services of that high and
honorable individual who filled the chair of this city, as well as of
the wise, prudent, and faithful citizens who composed during that
period the city council.
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