Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-03-13
Presidential InauguratiOns.

Presidential Inaugurati0ns.
The Democratic press is fearfully exer-
cised over the parade with which it is
proposed to inaugurate the President to-
day. The Chicago Times has dwelt upon
the alarming spectacle with indignant
emphasis, and other papers have joined
in the cry against it. They seem to think
that the head of the President will be
turned by so much magnifcence,- and
point to the proposed parade as sorrow
full augury for the future of the Republic.
Now we have little doubt that the march
ing and countermarching, the firing of
blank cartridges, and the footing of brass
horns, will be as much Of bore to the
President as it is a fright to the Times
but the shrewd landlords and the ten
thousand boarding house keepers of
Washington have determined to draw a
crowd, and how shall they do it without
a show, and what kind of an exhibition
can they have unless the President con.
sents to honor them? The gaudy display
or hundred companies of raw militia,
though excessively warlike and fraught
with vast Importance to timid Demo
cratic editors, is small and in many re-
spects very ridiculous affair to man
like Grant, who has seen the smoke of
hundred battles, and rode through shat
tered lines begrimed with powder, greeted
with the cheers of an hundred thousand
men. The display at Washington can
add nothing to his reputation as soldier,
and can, hardly be sufficiently imposing
to flatter his vanity
But is it an innovation upon the settled
custom of the republic? The Mobile
Re9'ster, speaking of the proposed ceremo-
MES, says: eve do not propose to quar-
rel with the gilt and tinsel that the Presi-
dents surrounders dazzle the country
wlth-only the idea suggests itself, what
would George Washington have thought
OF all th1s?" Sure enough, what would
he have thought? Taken in connection
with the fact that the chair in which the
first President sat at his Inauguration has
been sent on to Washington to figure in
the ceremonies to-day, and to be occupied
by General Grant, it may be interesting
to know just how the father of his coun-
try was inaugurated His biographer
says: ION the second day after receiving
the notice OF his election Washington set
out for New York. The road was thronp-
ed with people. Escorts Of militia and
gentlemen of the highest rank attended
him. GTay's bridge, over the Schuylkill,
was beautifully decorated for his passage
with laurels and evergreens. At each end
OF 1t splendid arches were erected, COM
posed OF laurels, and on each side was
laurel shrubbery. AS Washington passed
the bridge boy from above dropped
crownupon his brow An immense con-
course of people lined the road from
SchuylklH to Philadelphia. Through
tnl Al
was rowed across the bay by thirteen pi-
lots IN an elegant barge. All the vessels
IN the harbor hoisted their flags. He was
conducted to the house prepared for his
reception, followed by a procession of
militia In their uniforms and large
NUMBER OF cltlzens- In the evening
liantly Illuminated. On the day of inau.
guration the different congregations Assem-.
bled In their respective places of worship
and offered up prayers for the President
OF the United States. About noon pro-
cession moved from the Presidents
House to Federal Hall. When thew came
within short distance of the han the
troops formed a line on both sides of the
way, through which, accompanied by the
Vice. President, Mr.. John Adams. Wash.
ington passed into the Senate Chamber.
The oath of Office was administered nv
Chancellor Livingstone, who then nro-
claimed him President of the United
States. This was answered by the dis.
charge of cannon and the joyful shouts of
assembled thousands. In the evening
there was brilliant display of fireworks
and this concluded the ceremonies of the
first inauguration" In view of This dis.
play the Mobile Register need not remain
in very much doubt as to what Washing
ton would think of the present oerem0.
MES. He would probably think we had
changed very little in the eighty.four
years that have elapsed since he took the
oath of office. They had professions
then; we have them now. They had
salvos Of artillery; so do we. They had
soldiers rugged out in the most gorgeous
uniforms; we have the same. In fact. we
are following the example set us by the
good fathers very closely in this matter.
Hardly an Inauguration has taken place
since that of Washington during which
the capital has not witnessed a similar
demonstration. Jsckson's, Van Buren's.
Hsrrlson's and Pierce's were examples of
this.
We are pretty sensible people, and on
most subjects intensely practical. but we
DO like our little finery, and now and then
want an opportunity of displaying it like
other folk. When the wise founders of
the Government thought 50 much of citi-
zen soldiery as to incorporate clause in
the constitution asserting that IA well.
regulated militia being necessary to the
security OF free State, the right OF the
people to keep and bear arms shall not he
intrlnged," we certainly ought not to OBJ
ject to their coming together in sort of
competitive drill once in four years.
lhese law students. and dry-goods clerks,