Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-16
AT NOON OF MARCH 4TH.

Il
Wednesday night at their regular meeting,
when degrees were conferred.
AT NOON OF MARCH 4TH.
The Hour When the Senate Alone Rep
| resents the Government.
| THE CUSTOMS FOLLOWED AT THE INAUGURATION
| OF PREsIDENTs-How THE AUTHORITY OF Gov
| KRNMENT Is PERPETUATED-rHE PROGRAM AT
| THE CAPITOL TO BE FOLLOWED.
The eyes of the whole people of the United
States and Of the civilized world are Just now
focused upon the capital of the American re-
public, awaiting another of those quadrennial
occasions in the round Of time and chronicles
Of the government when the scepter Of sover-
| eighty Of the people through their supreme
executive passes in peaceful succession
from one citizen of their choice to
another. The military and civic dis
play attending the progress of the
President-elect to the capitol and the return
Of the President to the executive mansion, his
official residence, is simply an incident in the
formalities of constitutional and statutory re-
| quirements which complete this great act
| Since the foundation Of the government the
| arrangements for the ceremonies Immediately
| attendant upon the Inauguration of a Presi-
| dent have been under the direction of the
Senate of the United States.
| THE CONTINUITY OF AUTHORITY
In the wise adjustment of all the parts and
powers Of the Constitution some provision was
| necessary to establish an unbroken continuity
| of authority, so that an interregnum might be
| practically impossible The Senate holds that
relation to the other branches of the govern
| ment. The Senate never dies. Did its powers
| not lap over into the changing conditions of
| the Executive and the House of Representatives
/ the government would technically cease to exist
| every four years. The Senate is the connect
link in the chain Of succession from one admin
| istration and from one Congress to another
AT the end OF the legislative day. of March
3. 1889. which will occur at meridian on March
4. the constitutional authority of Grover Cleve-
land to exercise the office of President and the
Fiftieth Congress will cease. The Senate alone
will bridge the chasm of time between the past
and the present in the powers of government
Anticipating situation superinduced by the
provisions of the Constitution, the Senate
following the precedents of former state trans
actions Of a similar character has taken the in
elpient steps by the appointment by the Presi-
dent of the Senate Of the committee of three
Senators to have charge Of these purely con-
stltutional and statutory forms. This commit
| tee, consisting Of Senators Hoar, OF Massachu-
sets; Cullom, of Illinois, and Cockren. of
Missouri, are now devisng plans according to
usage for the contamination of the will of the
l.
| son. OF Indiana, with the supreme powers of
| chief executive Of the government
HUNDRED YEARS OF PREcEpEyTs.
The practice of the Senate for hundred
years has established the mode of installation
| OF the Vice-President of the United States, who
is its president and the chief officer of the leg
! islatiye department. Few people in this land
of popular intelligence and direct RESPONSE
bility and interest in the methods Of govern
4 aral afrnrV. H,.Il.
constitutional and statutory formalities
which attend the change of administrations.
! The first act in accordance with the custom of
| the Senate Is the passage Of a resolution about
three weeks before the day for the ceremony
| of Inauguration of the President-elect, author
izing the president of the Senate to appoint a
committee Of three to make the necessary ar
| rangements. This duty has been performed by
the Senate ever since the Inauguration of the
first President. The program having been ar
ranged, report Is made TO the Senate and
having been adopted. is carried out
at the proper time by the committee
| OF arrangements, represented by the
| sergeant-at-arms OF that body. The ceremo-
MES of inauguration begin with the organiza-
ton of the Senate by the installation of its own
president in the following order: On the leg
| islative day of March 8, at about 10 a. M of the
calendar day of March 4. the Senate and House.
| by authority OF resolution, will name the usual
joint committee OF notification of the President
| OF the READINGS of the two houses of Congress
| to adjourn. The joint committee having COM
| municated with President Cleveland and having
conveyed his answer to their respective houses
that he has no further communications to make
| II now being but few minutes before meri-
| dlan the committee of arrangements will wait
| upon Vice-President Morton, who will be in
| attendance at the Vice-Presidents Office at the
capitol
THE vICR-PREsIDENT
Having received their notification That tba
Senate Is in readiness to receive him attended
by the committee, the Observation-Disclosures viii
enter the Senate chamber by the main door.
his presence having been announced by the
doorkeeper, the Senators will rise. The Pres
ident pro tempore, Ingalls,. standing will saw.
Senators: The chair has the pleasure to an
nounce that the Vice-President Of the United
States-elect is in the Senate chamber. and. il
| agreeable to him, the chair will administer to
| him the oath Of Office.
The Vice-President-elect having advanced
| to the foot OF the Presidents dais there takes
and subscribes to the oath prescribed by
law, after which solemn transaction he is con-
Quoted to a seat at the right of the President
of the Senate. That retiring officer, rising pro-
| nounces his valedictory. at the conclusion of
which, the great clock OF the Senate pointing
| at the moment Of meridian he declares the
Senate adjourned without day.
ALL IN AN INSTANT OF TIME
Although but an instant Of time has elapsed,
Grover Cleveland will have ceased to be Presi-
dent, and the entire personnel of the House of
Representatives will have officially ceased to
exist. The government of the United States
for the time being will be the Senate The new
President of the Senate the instant his prede-
cessor retires from his seat takes the chair
The retiring president delivers to him the ivory
gavel, which is the simple insignia of the au-
| thority Of the body over which he presides
! The Senate OF the new Congress is now
organized. The chaplain offers a prayer.
The vice-President of the United States
| and the President Of the Senate takes control
| OF the parliamentary administration of the
constituent assembly of the states Of the Union
with brief introductory remarks, and then
proclaims that the Senate is now
| IN session by virtue of the proclamation Of the
President, which the secretary of the Senate is
ordered to read 1t is the practice for the re-
turing President, few days before the inaugu-
ration OF his successor, to call the Senate into
special session, declaring that objects Of inter-
est TO the United States require that the Senate
should be convened at IL o'clock on the 4th
| day OF March, to receive and act upon such
| communications as may be made to il ON the
part OF the Executive. He, therefore,
gives notice to all who are then entitled to act
as members Of the Senate TO be present. This
preliminary having been complied with, the
newly-elected Senators whose credentials are
on ile are called forward In alphabetical order
In groups OF four by the secretary, and the
oath OF Office 10 administered. The Senators,