Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-02-19


/ w.s. PoINDExTER. Cashier.
Jan-I so If
AN HISTORICAL WALK.
Scenes On PennsyIVanIa Avenne
in Washington.
Presidents @JcfferSOn's Horse
back RideZJacksOn'S Mob
HarrrsOn's Log CabIm-LO-
cOfOeo BaIIs-InteresE-
ing Items.
Howard Carroll, in the New York
Times, gives an interesting sketch
of probably the grandest promenade
in the country-PennsyIvania av-
enue. He says that eighty and odd
years ago, shortly after the seat OF
the United States government was
removed from Philadelphia to
Washington, thoroughfare was
cut through the alder bushes from
the White House to Capitol hill. 1t
was so cut for the purpose of accom-
mOdating the procession incident to
/ the laying of the cornerstone of the
new legislative hail. The street,
after time, was provided on the
north side with walk made of
clippings from stones employed in
4 the erection of the new building.
Over this thOroughfare, in the full
paraphernalia of his Masonic dig
nifty, with the other great men of
the time, passed George Washing
ton, to aid in the laying of the first
stone of the nations state-house.
This was the commencement of
what is now the Pennsylvania av-
enue of Washington-the com
mencement of a Street the. most
historical in this country, and in
some respects the most historical in
the world. Over Pennsylvania aV-
enue has passed to his Inauguration
nearly every president of the United
States. Washington, the first, it is
almost needless to state, was not
inaugurated here. He took the oath
of Office on the Both of April, 1889,
in the New York city hall, then
called the Federal Building, and sit
uated where the custom-hOuse now
is.
JEFFERsON's RIDE.
There is current in Washington
and elsewhere a story to the effect
that he rode to the capitol unat-
tended, on a broken-down old horse,
took the oath of Office, and then re-
turned, still unattended, in the same
fashion. This is 10 some extent an
exaggeration, though in the main
Ihn ank - knE hn
elect mounted an exceedingly sub
stantiH steed in front of his lodging
house in the upper part of the city,
with one or two attendants, personal
friends, but without any military or
other escort, rode to Capitol hill,
crossing at one place what is now
Pennsylvania avenue. Arriving at
the capitol he diSlnOunted, and with
his own hands tied his horse to the
fence which surrounded the capitol
inclosure. Then, dressed in the
plainest of homeSpun clothes, he
entered the cramped legislative
hall, proceeded to the senate cham
ber, and, with the stateliness of the
Olden time, accepted the chair prof
fered to him with grand flourish
by the graceful president of the sem
ate, Aaron Burr. The chiefjustice
was already seated upon his left
hand, and the senators arose and
saluted him as he took his seat. 1t
is a somewhat curious fact that john
Adams, his edecessor, refused to
be present at his Inauguration.
MADISON AND JACKSON.
When it became James Madison's
turn to be inaugurated president OF
the United States, it was related
that he was escorted over the dirt
roadway of Pennsylvania avenue
by various companies of military,
and that the Inauguration cererno-
nies were witnessed by not less than
ten thousand persons. Progressing
still further, it is matter of history
that when Andrew Jackson was in
augurated for the first time, in 1929, |
thousands of persons, military COM
panies and organizations of various
kinds, marched down the historic
avenue to the capitol. This inaug- |
uration was in many respects the |
liveliest that the capital city has
ever known. The great political
excitement which resulted in the |
success of "Old Hickory" gave itself
full vent Jackson was inaugurated |
amid blaze of glory. The scene at |
the White House itself is almost be- |
yond description. President Jack
son had brought with him to his
high Office those notions of warm
hearted and open. handed hospitality
which then prevailed in what was
the southwest. Orange punch, the |
strong and favOrite drink in those |
days, was made for the visitors by |
the barrelful, and glasses without
number were deposited in almost |
every corner of the presidents man
sion. There were pailsful of wine |
upon convenient tables. Ice-cream
was served in buckets, and all the |
other refreshments in the same Law
ish style. The house was open to |
the muftitudes, and great crowds of !
the toughest characters took adVan- |
tage of the occasion. The civil dig
nitaries of the government and for
eign ambassadors were literally |
trampled under foot. Much of the |
ice-cream found its way down the |
backs of fashionably attired ladies. !
Punch was drunk in gobletsful, and |
it is matter of record that most of
the furniture in the executive man.
sion was broken, and the new car I
pets smirched and Uttered with /
cigarstumps, lemon peelsand punch.
1t was only when the ingenious
head-waiter ordered numerous bar
rels of the liquor to be carried into
the gardens and grounds surround
ing the mansion that the president I
and few of his more select guests !
were relieved from the noisy con-
gratulatiOns of the crowd.
VAN BUREN.
When Martin Van Buren was in
augurated, in 1887, he rode with the
retiring president over Pennsylva-
MIA aVenup to the canifnl in q car