Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1893-03-10

are pretty big things, and this second
Inauguration of Mr.. Cleveland was a
little the biggest thing Of the sort ever
seen in this country, and that means,
| OF course, the biggest affair of the kind
ever seen anywhere, for no other coun-
| try than ours, and no other city than
Washington, can boast among its at
fractions quadrennial coronation by
! an outpouring of the masses and an
| outcropping of intense partisan 10y.
:. For more than half q day the city
! looked like vast military camp, the al
| most interminable marching of regulars
and the well-equipped military forces
| OF the States being lrOken In upon
only by the visiting Governors in their
civilian costumes, riding past in the
order that their States were admitted
into the Union, and accompanied by
their brilliantly uniformed staffs. Then,
| VITA an intervening interlude Of Grand
| Army and Union vetI rams, came the
civic half of the parade, fully as numer-
| ous and as interesting as the military
display.
The weather was bad. Friday there
was storm abroad, and its center was
gravitating toward the Potomac Va ley.
During the night it broke, and when
Washington and his family awoke Sat
| urday morning there was two inches
OF snow on the ground and as many
more floating in the air. By noon the
snow had ceased to fall, but the wind
had shifted to the northeast, whence
came q cutting. Icy blast straight from
Nova Scotia. The northeaster caught
the deep snow ana blew it in biting
cloud into the faces of the crowd. The
bronze lady at the summit of the dome
Of the Capitol was coated in ice. Ice
lay an inch thick on the huge wooden
platform Of two acres extent erected
for the ceremonies. and the derricks on
the unfinished Library Building across
the plaza were gaunt and shining like
the arms Of huge frozen ghosts.
The capital city for this occasion was
decked out as it never had been decked
before, but the acres of flags and miles
OF bunting which adorned the public
buildings and private shops and resi-
dences became a CHASTITY dropping and
unpleasant force when seen through
the almost opaque medium of the snow
charged air OF Inauguration morning
These great inaugurals have three
principal, popular features. One is the
grand parade from the Capitol down
White House. This occurs In the after
noon. A second popular feature is the
fireworks and illumination in the even
ing, and the third is the inaugural ball.
These are the features in which the
great crowds OF visitors are in
terested. The Inauguration itself is
not much to them, because so few
are able to see tho new President and
Vice President take the oath OF Office.
Only LOO people can be crowded into
the Senate Chamber, where Vice Presi-
dent Stevenson was sworn in, and after
the Diplomatic Corps, the House Of
Representatives, the Supreme Court, the
Army and Navy. the press and families
OF high officials, and a few favored or
influential persons have been accom-
modated there isn't any room left. As
matter OF fact this year not one in a
hundred of the people who thought their
Importance entitled them to admission
were able to get in. There was more
pulling and hauling and scheming and
cajoling than there will be for the Offices
which Grover will have to give out. But
the public could see the new President
read his inaugural address. Two or
three thousand were able to hear him,
and 1000 or $4,000 were able to look