The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-03-03
On the Eve of Inauguration.
Preparations at the Capital for the
Event.

Preparations at the Capital for the
Event.
WASHINGTON, March /.
To the Editor Of the Press:
For weeks committees have been worried
and subcommittee have been on tenter
hooks Committees ON decorations, invita-
tions, tickets, public comfort funds, refresh
ments, hacks, programmes, cloak-rooms, civic
parade,-commlttees on every conceivable
thing except the weather have met, quarrelled
and parted, at intervals Jealous reporters
have made known the doings of all these COM
mittees, and the public-the Washington pub
lie which consistently finds fault with any-
thing done by anybody in an official line and
on the smallest provocation flaunts "The Ma
tion's Capital" in the face of the country-has
written whole reams of letters to the news
papers to explain why this, that, or another
arrangement is radically absurd, and to show
how things should be. From the grand arch
OF the decorative committee to the contem-
plated crackers and cheese at fifty cents a
head' of the refreshment committee, all has
been arranged, re-arranged, ridiculed, argued
down, settled, unsettled, and generally tossed
about to such degree that we must have
watched from the beginning to quite appre-
clate it. Only one common purpose has
animated all souls: this must be finer than any
previous, similar ceremony. "reminiscences
and detailed accounts of all other Inaugural
tions weighted down the newspaper columns
of every day.
Suddenly two shells were thrown into the
camp of this watchful public. Citizen, Rusti-
Gus, A. B. @. and X. Y. Y. were badly hurt,
only as to their feelings, it is true; but Wash
ington is sensitive on two points especially,
colored people and ex-rebels. By Washington
mean not political Washington that comes
and goes forever, but the Washington that was
born and will die in the "Nation's Capital"
The first shell took the form of an az aounce-
ment that the colored man and bro. her was
buying ball tickets in great numbers. 1t was
of no use to struggle against it, lie must be
allowed to buy tickets to anything if he can
pay for them, and one sees every day that he
can. Notwithstanding the elaborate article in
recent number of the North American Re-
view, to the effect that abraham Lincoln
South" mere are the "colored people, in full
force. Washington is their Paradise. There
are more of them here than in Richmond They
are precisely "as good as anybody" They
have fine horses, fine houses, fine schools and
line churches. They go up and down Penn
sylvania avenue in velvet dresses, sealskin
sacques, and handsome carriages. They sit
side by side with white people at every place
OF public amusement in every public convey
ance, and at public tables. Certainly, then,
nothing can be done but it is none the less
grievous to be borne. And here are irreverent
ones joking about the Niggeration Ball.
The cause OF the other wound was comically
opposed to this, and the other part of WASH
ington was hurt, the truly loyal part. General
Sherman, as grand marshal, issued the pro-
gramme of procession with an ex-rebel general
as leader of a division. Instantly the public
had its pencil in hand. The most biting sar-
casms were attempted. Would this ex-rebel
general wear his gray uniform? II not, what
was he entitled to wear? &C., &C.. &c. Every
thing else became subordinate to the ex-rebel
and the Niggeration Ball. Meantime the COM
mites went their ways under cover of the out
burst so caused, and to-day things seem ready
for success.
The procession will number over twenty
thousand people: bunting is estimated in miles;
the ballroom is measured by acres. The Duke
OF Wellington is said to have declared that he
did not know general in the British army
who could march twenty thousand men out of
Hyde Park without confusion, but General
Sherman is considered especially competent
to handle large bodies of men. and there is lit
tie doubt that this programme of his is, on the
whole, we'll advised. He proposes to march
the Professionalism the taking of the oath,
the delivery of the address and the leaving of
General Garfield at the White House--as far
as the Washington statue at the Circle, through
X street to the Mcpherson statue, out Yer.
mont avenue to the Thomas statue, and down
Massachusetts, avenue to Northern Liberty's
square at Ninth street. This ought to give ev-
erybody chance to see the pageant, and to
tire out the pageant itself.
Stands are being erected everywhere on the
line of march from which people will be al
lowed to gaze, at prices varying today from one
to three dollars per seat. The price of seats will
advance daily. Windows are advertised and
are selling rapidly at from five to twenty dol
lars apiece, while whole rooms with several
windows are selling out at incredible prices.
Gen. Walker, of the Census Bureau has de-
cided to give the ladies of his department the
use of the windows in the Census building
aost desirable position and a very handsome
ching to do. The male clerks he leaves to take
of themselves.
The grand arch is over Fifteenth street at
its junction with Pennsylvania avenue 1t
looks like staging and the Treasury building
dwarfs it. don't feel as though rods of bunt-
ing millions of flags, miles of gafands and
myriads of gas lights could render it thing of
beauty. However, we snail see. ...|..
The procession will give way to the ball, the
arrangements for which are on a mammoth
scale-truly American.
The National Museum-not as is SO often
stated by newspaper correspondents an "addi-
tom to the Smithsonian Institutions is fortu-
nately completed just in time. A more suita-
BILE place for such ball can hardly be imag-
ined. The Museum is in the form of Greek
cross having in the center dome above an oc-
tagonal apartment on the ground floor. From
this radiate four naves OF main halls, all con-
nected by wide, high archways, making fine
interior vistas. There are also four square
halls communicating with the others. The
four main halls are to be decorated with fes-
toons of flowers depending from the ceiling
On the piers of the arches are the coats of arms
of the States and Territories affixed to United
States shields. Above these are small United
States flags. Ornamental monograms of the
new President and Vice President occupy
prominent places.
Beneath the dome in the rotunda, is statue
of the Goddess of Liberty surrounded by tropi-
cal plants. In one hand Is United States
shield, in the other torch-an electric light,
which will illuminate the rotunda and halls.
This figure is fifteen feet in height and stands
on a pedestal twelve feet high. On the eight
piers of the rotunda are devices in bas reliefs
representing Industry, Science, Painting,
Sculpture, Architecture, Agriculture, Com
merce and Navigation.
The design is to make the temporary decora-
tions harmonic with the permanent ones.
In addition to the electric light in the CEN
tire are to be side lights on the piers half their
height above the floor. If possible to avoid it
there will be no chandeliers. The gas fixtures
are being put in specially for the ball, for when
the building is devoted to the purpose for
which it was built, it will not be used at night,
SO will not need many permanent burners.
The gas lights as at present arranged number
thirty-ive hundred, following the outlines of
walls and galleries. AT the first lighting the
result was wholly satisfactory-no shadows,
the decorations so far as finished coming out
beautifully, and the silk army flags crossed on
every column shining in the electric light just
where the gas light would have failed to do
them Justice.
And the committee on tickets aver that
there aren't to be so many colored people, after
all!
Everything is expected to be at fever height
on Thursday. The streets are already filed
with strangers, and hotel proprietors are radi-
ant.
On Saturday there will probably be parades
and little drills by odds and ends of military
companies left over. And there will be no
end of people "looking about through the
Capitol and the departments.
By Monday night, the old things will have