Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-03-04
LINCOLN'S INAUGURATION.
one ofthe Most Exciting Episodes
Dur National HiSfnnu
From the Washington Correspondence of the
New York Times

Our National History.
From the Washington Correspondence of the
New York Times
The inaugural procession of Franklin
Fierce moved through snow storm,
but despite the unfavorahle weather.
the ceremonies were witnessed hy a
very large crowd of people.
Buchanan, the last Democratic Presi-
dent, WAS inaugurated in 1857 amid
great rejoicing of men like Captain
Rynders and the Empire Club of New
\ 1ork city. The President rode down
the avenue, which had been elaborate
y decorated for the occasion, his gray,
habby. putty-like face smiling above n
Wilderness of neck-cloth.
-Four years afterward the same scene
which then occurred was changed To one
of suppressed excitement almost
lndescribablo. \ few days before
March /, 1861, Abraham Lincoln, com
ing from Pennsylvania secretly and hy
night, had literally been smuggled in
to the capital of the nation whose
people had named him is their chief
magistrate. War was imminent.
though but few men knew the danger,
and the best friends of the man who
was TO be the MARTYR to his cause.
feared that his life might be sacrificed
even before his great work was begun.
It was during the early chill Of
dismal March morning most dismM
IN ashlngton-tha President Lin
coin WAS met secretly ut the railroad
station 10y his trusted friends. William
Il. Seward and Elihu Il. Washburn
Together with these gentlemen. liz
drove over the rough pavement Of the
avenue quietly to his hotel For 4
tlme-lndeed, till the proper moment
had arrlyed-it was not known to half
L dozen persons that he had entered
the capital IN safety In fact.
even when the 18th of March
had arrived, there were those in Wash
lngton and ont of it who professed To
believe that the president-elc had not
reached the capital. Punctually nj IL
O'Clock on that day, however. the inan-
guration procession, with the tall.
gaunt form and strong face of Abraham
Lincoln, prominent in the place of hon
or, moved down the avenue toward the
national state house. The sturdy Lieu
tenant-Gen2ral Scott, then ut the head
of our armies, had done all he could
10y careful assignment of the handful of
men ut his command To preserve the
peace and protect the president from
molestation. Further protection WAS
doubtless afforded by the presence i'm
Washington on that day of tens of thnu
sands of strong -limbed men from the
north and west, who throngcd about
the presidential party, and intimated by
their very presence to any with trca
sonable intent, that the chief maeis-
trate who was To he should 90 un-
harmed.
From the treasury building to the
capitol the avenue was black with peo-
pie Every window was filled, and
many ot the housc-topS were crowded.
The inaugural ceremonies proper
were exceedingly impressive. stand
ing room was 1T Il premium on the ~
aza on the east front The air was
illled with rumors and even then Lin
coin gave evidence Of the fact that he
was the man for the hour. There was
no fear III his voice rs he stood there
looking upon thousands of his fellow
countrymen. His brief inaugural ad-
dress was delivered in voice that had
no shrinking, no trembling, nothing
but bravery and honesty in it.
After the Inauguration, when the
procession had disbandcd 1T the White
House, MIR. Lincoln quietly received
the congratulations of his friends. and
in the evening he attended the inaugu-
ration ball, nj which there was also
present hls great competitor, the stur-
dy Senator Douglas. At the second in
auguration of the mar who must ever
be remembered rs the signcr Of the
Emancipation Proclamation, it is mem
orable that negroes appeared in the
procession us citizens and soldiers Of
the United States. ii was only too soon
afterward that Il great funeral process
SION moved over the avenue To mourn
his foul assassination.